Sunday, 21 July 2024

Hear from NEOM McLaren Formula E Team drivers Jake Hughes, Sam Bird, and Team Principal Ian James after Round 16 in London.

Free Practice 3	1:10.889	P21
Qualifying	1:10.797	P15
Race		P10*

“That marks the end of Season 10, with our second race in London completed. It was another frustrating day. I feel for Sam and his side of the garage, being in a points-scoring position and finishing with a DNF.  

“My race was looking promising, until I was involved in an incident which damaged my front wing and had to try and recover, which we managed to do. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get back in the higher points-scoring positions, which I think we would’ve been able to do today. 

“The potential of the team this year has been much better than the points we have scored. It’s no excuse, but that is racing sometimes and I have no doubt that will be corrected next season.” 

*Jake received a point for the fastest lap of the race. 

Free Practice 3	1:10.626	P14
Qualifying	1:10.598	P8
Race		DNF

“And with that, Season 10 has come to a conclusion. This second race in London did not end the way I wanted it to – I DNF’d after an incident with a competitor, which resulted in me hitting the wall. 

“However, there are still lots of positives to take away from the season as a whole. My win in São Paulo is a particular highlight, and securing NEOM McLaren’s first win has been very special.” 

“The whole team have worked incredibly hard this year, and I wish it had been possible to give them a better end to the season.” 

“The final race in London brought plenty of drama and provided world-class entertainment for the fans. It was also fantastic to see so much support for the papaya family. 

“However, the race also reflected our season so far, where so many times we seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is not an excuse – we need to ensure that we put ourselves in the right place at the right time, in order to achieve the consistency of results which are necessary to prevail in this Championship. 

“That being said, there have been some real highlights this season and I’m immensely proud of the whole team. We will now reset and prepare for the changes coming next season which will bring us opportunities to put the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team in contention. 

“As always, thank you to all of the team, our partners and our fans for the support throughout.” 

Final Championship Standings

NEOM McLaren Formula E Team: P7 (101 points)  

Sam Bird: P13 (48 points)

Jake Hughes: P14 (48 points) 

Taylor Barnard: P22 (5 points)