BRITISH Formula E star Sam Bird has made the big switch from Virgin to Jaguar.
Bird, 33, has competed in every FE race since the all-electric series started in 2014 and is the only driver to have won a race in each season.
Sam Bird will join Jaguar at the start of next seasonCredit: Formula E
Bird will finish the remainder of this campaign with Virgin in what will be a six-race showdown in the space of nine days in Berlin before joining Jaguar for next season.
The experienced driver will join Jaguar’s current title contender Mitch Evans, who is second in the championship by 11 points.
Bird will say farewell to Virgin after being with the team for six years, since the first FE race in Beijing in 2014.
Bird said: “I am really looking forward to a new chapter in my Formula E career with Panasonic Jaguar.
“I have watched Jaguar’s growth and progress in the series and am very proud to be driving for an iconic British brand with such a successful racing DNA and joining an incredible list of drivers that have raced for the brand.
“I am incredibly hungry for success and I believe that together with Mitch we can achieve great things for the team and ourselves.
“I want to thank Envision Virgin Racing for everything we have achieved together and wish them well for the future.
“After Berlin, I can’t wait to test the Jaguar I-TYPE and be in the best place possible for season seven and beyond.”
Sam Bird will join title-contender Mitch Evans next season
Jaguar’s team director James Barclay is licking his lips at the prospect of having two title contenders next year.
Bird took the fight for the championship to the final race weekend in 2018 against two-time FE champion Jean-Eric Vergne.
Barclay said: “With Mitch and Sam we believe that we have arguably one of the strongest driver line-ups on the grid.
“With extremely close competition it is clear that to be successful in Formula E you need two drivers who can be competing for podiums at every race.
“We now have two proven race winners that are capable of enabling us to challenge for both team and driver championship titles next season.”
Formula E announce six races in nine days to complete season in Berlin
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
