29 January 2024 12:40 (UTC)
"Even if it’s not a trophy just yet, I’m feeling happy"
"Even if it’s not a trophy just yet, I’m feeling happy"
Saturday, 27, January
Hear from NEOM McLaren Formula E Team drivers Jake Hughes, Sam Bird, and Team Principal Ian James after the Diriyah E-Prix II.
Free Practice 3 | 1:10.819 | P11 |
Qualifying | 1:10.994 | P6 |
Race | P4 |
“I’m buzzing after that race, my best finish in Formula E so far. It’s a track I really enjoy driving at, and after Sam’s P4 finish yesterday, I was really happy to back that up. The whole team did a fantastic job this weekend too. As always, there are parts that you think could’ve gone your way a bit more, which was the race yesterday for me.
“I had good pace today and was able to manage my energy well. As a team, we showed a really strong Attack Mode strategy. Even if it’s not a trophy just yet, I’m feeling happy and I’m looking forward to racing in Brazil in March.”
Free Practice 3 | 1:11.373 | P20 |
Qualifying | 1:11.165 | P12 |
Race | DNF |
“While I am disappointed with the result today and it’s not what we wanted, I have been massively encouraged by the pace, speed and efficiency we have shown this weekend. It has energised everyone at the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team. Looking ahead, I know that everybody is very excited to go racing in São Paulo in March. Bring it on.”
“That’s a wrap on the second of our two home races here in Diriyah. Today, there was almost a complete reversal of yesterday’s fortunes with Jake coming home in a very solid P4, with a superb drive from him. Sam showed good pace and energy management too, but unfortunately didn’t finish due to hitting the wall and damaging the car while running in a points position.
“Overall, I think it has been a solid weekend here for the team, and we have shown that we have pace and have actually taken a significant step forward in terms of our energy management compared to last season. That gives us cause for optimism as we head into the next race out in São Paulo. We now have some time to re-group and understand how we can extract even more performance from the package we have got.
“Great to see our powertrain supplier Nissan on the podium with Oliver - congrats to them. We're looking forward to sharing more success together.”
NEOM McLaren Formula E Team: P6 (30 points)
Jake Hughes: P10 (18 points)
Sam Bird: P12 (12 points)
