Formula E - Sam Bird maintains his winning record in Saudi Arabia

ByReuters

Updated 27/02/2021 at 20:11 GMT

Jaguar's Sam Bird won in Saudia Arabia on Saturday night in the second round of the Formula E campaign to be held in the Kingdom. The Briton maintained his record of winning a race in every Formula E season since its inception, winning at the floodlit Diriyah street circuit near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Sam Bird (Jaguar Racing)

Image credit: Getty Images

Britain's Sam Bird won a red-flagged Formula E night race in Saudi Arabia on Saturday to maintain his record as the only driver to triumph in every year of the electric series' existence.

The Jaguar driver, who switched from Envision Virgin Racing at the end of last season, beat former team mate and pole-sitter Robin Frijns by 2.194 seconds around the floodlit Diriyah street circuit near Riyadh.

Twice champion Jean-Eric Vergne was third for DS Techeetah.

Diriyah ePrix

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The race, following on from Friday's season-opener, ended three minutes early after a safety car period following an accident involving Mahindra's British driver Alex Lynn, who was conscious but taken to hospital for checks.

Bird's victory, in his seventh season, was the 10th of his career and first with Jaguar.

Highlights: Sam Bird takes Race 2 of the 2021 Formula E season with victory at Driyah

"I was a bit emotional in the car, it was a big step for me leaving what was my family at Envision," said Bird, who retired from Friday's opener. "I didn't know what to expect at the beginning but I've come into a fantastic team."

Mercedes, winners on Friday with Dutch driver Nyck de Vries, and Venturi sat out qualifying after Venturi's Swiss driver Edoardo Mortara crashed heavily at the end of third practice.

Sam Bird handed win in strange circumstances after red flag

Monaco-based Venturi use the same powertrain as Mercedes and the cars were held in the garage as officials investigated the cause of the crash.

Both teams were allowed to race after Mercedes fixed an incorrect software parameter that had prevented the rear brake system from activating properly.

While Mortara was cleared to race after hospital checks, Venturi were unable to rebuild his car in time and he failed to start.