26 January 2024 22:00 (UTC)
"We brought home some good points for the team with a fourth-place finish and a fight for the podium"
"We brought home some good points for the team with a fourth-place finish and a fight for the podium"
Friday, 26, January
Hear from NEOM McLaren Formula E Team drivers Jake Hughes, Sam Bird, and Team Principal Ian James after the Diriyah E-Prix I.
Free Practice 2 | 1:14.253 | P13 |
Qualifying | 1:13.147 | P9 |
Race | P4 |
“I’m delighted to have scored my first points for the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team. We have just finished our first race of the week under the lights in Diriyah and brought home some good points for the team with a fourth-place finish and a fight for the podium. We had a very competitive package, and I can’t wait to see what we can try and do tomorrow.”
Free Practice 2 | 1:14.404 | P16 |
Qualifying | 1:13.207 | P10 |
Race | P11 |
“In the end, that race didn’t turn out how we wanted on my side of the garage. Having said that, I think we executed a very strong race – one that didn’t involve a lot of overtaking though, meaning your qualifying position likely determines your finishing position. I think we were very good on Attack Mode strategy; however, I got stuck behind a car that was struggling, which really impacted my race.
“In a different scenario, I think P7 was on the cards, but in the end, I was running in P10, tried a move but that didn’t come off and I finished outside of the points. From a team point of view, we played the race well, but I was unfortunate with the car I got stuck behind. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
“That’s the end of the first of two home E-Prix for us this weekend in Diriyah. It’s been a day where we’ve seen progress throughout all sessions, but it is safe to say that we felt mildly frustrated by the fact we missed out on the Duel stages of qualifying for both drivers by the narrowest of margins.
“Starting P9 and P10, we knew that we wanted to bring the cars home in the points and bring the fight to those in front of us. For Sam, he achieved that and more: driving an absolutely superb race to come home in P4. It was great for him to get his first points on the board with the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, and a real testament to the work he has done since Mexico City together with his team.
“For Jake, it was a challenging race to fend off some stiff competition. Unfortunately, right at the end, he was pipped to the post and finished in P11. This means he’ll be hungry to achieve a good result in tomorrow’s race. To that end, the team is now working hard to find more performance ahead of tomorrow’s E-Prix here in Diriyah.”
NEOM McLaren Formula E Team: P6 (18 points)
Sam Bird: P8 (12 points)
Jake Hughes: P10 (6 points)
