Bird storms through the field after disapointing qualifying

DS Virgin looked to be dark horses heading into qualifying for the Putrajaya ePrix, with Sam Bird running close to the front in practice. However, when it came to crunch time neither car had the pace to compete with the leaders. Sam Bird was just 14th when he began a charge up to the podium.

Efficient driving saw the Brit creep up to the top 5, before taking full advantage of Loic Duval’s collision with Robin Frijns, and a suspension failure for Jerome D’Ambrosio to secure 2nd place.

“This really is one for the team!” he said, “The boys at DS Virgin Racing worked incredibly hard to fix the problems we had in the immediate lead-up to the race. They were under huge time pressure not to mention having to work in baking hot conditions. We know that this Championship is about speed but it’s also about getting to the finish and we did that superbly today.”

Team Principal Alex Tai said: “We are delighted to claim another podium here in Putrajaya after Sam’s victory last year. His tenacity together with the reliability of the DS drivetrain gave us a great result today. I’d also like to praise the effort of the entire team, who put in a huge effort to replace two car components shortly before the race.”

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