Saturday, 25 May 2024

Hear from NEOM McLaren Formula E Team drivers Jake Hughes, Sam Bird, and Team Principal Ian James after Round 11 in Shanghai.

“I had a difficult race today. It was different to the last few races where we were a bit stronger but unlucky with damage.

“I had a good start to the day in Qualifying and I started the race in P5. The race was going well for the first eight to ten laps, however during the Attack Mode cycle we lost out, and ended up in no man's land.

“We’ll review tonight to see what we can improve for tomorrow, but we have a quick car, which we have to remember.”

“It was a difficult day for us today, not scoring any points. However, there are positives to take away from the race. Firstly, it is great to be back with the team and back in my race car. I’m also very happy with how my race started, however it was a shame that a collision with a competitor affected my race.

“We’ll keep our heads up, work hard and try to maximise our race day tomorrow in Shanghai.”

“With Jake starting in P5 and Sam in P19 for today’s race, we had an opportunity to run two very different strategies in order to get both cars finishing in the points. The fact that we have failed to achieve this, means that we need to learn quickly from our day today, in order to put ourselves in a better position tomorrow.

“Although we will be focussing on elements of the race which did not work out as planned, we also need to understand what worked well. In particular, the fast progress which Sam was able to make through the field, until the incident on Lap 15 which sent him backwards, shows that we have the ability to manage this style of racing.

“Not one member of this team is satisfied with the outcome of today’s race. However, we will not dwell on this, and have already shifted 100% of our focus onto tomorrow.”

Championship Standings

NEOM McLaren Formula E Team: P7 (68 points)

Sam Bird: P10 (38 points)

Jake Hughes: P12 (25 points)

Taylor Barnard: P21 (5 points)