Showcasing fighting spirit and remarkable skills behind the wheel, Sam Bird produced a sensational win at the Formula E São Paulo E-Prix, and now all he can do is hope that his beloved Manchester United can pull off a showing of the same quality against Liverpool.
In possibly the most dramatic finish motorsports has seen in a long time, the NEOM McLaren star burst past Mitch Evans at the last to secure his first victory since 2021 in New York.
The remarkable achievement served as a magical moment that defined not just brilliant driving but also a will to win that very few can rival. Over the last two years, Bird has struggled to maintain his confidence, often taking to heart some of the nastier things that have been said in the press. But in a testament to his never-say-die attitude, rather than letting the weight of the world drag him down, he’s used it as fuel to his fire to bounce back better than ever.
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He confessed: “There’s been times where it’s been tough. I’ve done a lot of soul-searching. There’s genuinely been times when I’ve fought I’d never be a winner again. But after joining NEOM McLaren and seeing the progress, I thought, ‘We’re doing really well’ I believe in the team, and they believe in me, so we can get some good results. We had two great races in Saudi Arabia. The points weren’t there to showcase how close we were to getting podiums. And today, we’ve got a win.”
“I knew Mitch was struggling with temperature and derating, and his lifts were getting earlier and earlier. The lift in the second-to-last corner was really early, and I still had a little bit of energy left. I thought, ‘If I’m going to do it, I’ve got to go now,’ and luckily, we made it work.”
And now the race is out of the way, the 37-year-old and his teammate Jake Hughes will look to continue their momentum into one of the most eagerly-anticipated events in racing history – The Tokyo E-Prix.
But before he jets off to Japan for an event that will undoubtedly live long in his memory, he will switch his attention to Manchester United’s clash against Liverpool. Alas, as much as he loves his side, he’s not overly optimistic of a positive outcome.
He conceded: “I was more sure of my win than a Manchester United win. What is our philosophy? Are we an attacking team, do we play on the break, do we control the ball? I don’t know what we do. But I love Man U. We are no longer a top four team, those days are gone. People need to accept that we are in a period of transition, a bit like Liverpool were for twenty years. There’s a cycle. We might not be back at the top for ten years. It’s a tough time to be a United fan.”
Fans can watch the Formula E Tokyo E-Prix, live and exclusively on TNT Sports on March 30.
Featured Image Credit: Formula E / Getty