Sam Bird feels the mid-season break has been useful for the Jaguar TCS Racing squad as they look to kickstart their season after a under par start to the 2021-22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season.
The British racer started the year with a fourth-place finish in race one of the Diriyah E-Prix, but it has been slim pickings since, with fifteenth place finishes in race two in Saudi Arabia as well as in the Mexico City E-Prix.
Bird says everyone has been working hard to solve the issues that have cost them in the opening three races as Formula E arrives in Italy for the Rome E-Prix for two more races, and he believes the team can produce ‘incredible results’ this weekend.
“I am very excited to be back in the Jaguar I-TYPE 5 this weekend,” said Bird. “The mid-season break has been useful for the team to come together and work out where we can improve and what we need to do to deliver a strong performance – now it comes down to putting this into practice this weekend.
“Qualifying well is going to be important. We know we can produce incredible results in Rome so I’m hoping we can do the same again this weekend.”
“The Rome E-Prix is a very special race for me” – Mitch Evans
Team-mate Mitch Evans has fond memories of racing in Rome with Jaguar, with the New Zealander taking victory there in 2019 with the team, before finishing on the podium there in 2021.
Like Bird, Evans is hopeful of a turnaround of fortune for both himself and the team having scored only a single point across the opening three races, courtesy of a tenth-place finish in the opening race of the Diriyah E-Prix.
And Evans believes Jaguar have the package that should enable him to fight at the front of the field across both Rome races this weekend.
“The Rome E-Prix is a very special race for me, holding fond memories of my first win with Jaguar TCS Racing in 2019 and another podium last year,” said Evans.
“We know we have a really strong race package in our Jaguar I-TYPE 5 so I’m looking forward to getting back on track and hopefully delivering another strong result with the team.”
Mitch Evans has only one point to his name after the first three races of 2022 – Credit: Carl Bingham / LAT Images