Sam Bird is poised to challenge Jean-Eric Vergne for the 2017-2018 Formula E championship in the two races of the New York City ePrix.
Heading into the 10th race of the 12-race 2017-2018 Formula E season, the Zürich ePrix, Techeetah’s Jean-Eric Vergne led the driver standings by 40 points over DS Virgin Racing’s Sam Bird in second place.
Vergne had not finished any race lower than fifth up until that point. However, in the Zürich ePrix, he finished in 10th place and scored just one point, while Bird finished in second for his eighth top five finish of the season, and he scored 18 points in doing so.
As a result, Vergne’s lead in the driver standings over Bird shrunk from 40 points to 23 points with two races to go. Those two races are the two race of the New York City ePrix, which could play to Bird’s favor.
More from Formula E
- 5 ways the McLaren Formula 1, IndyCar situations could play out
- Formula E champion responds to comical social media mix-up
- NASCAR not the only series with devastating sim consequences
- Formula E: 5 things we learned upon return in Saudi Arabia
- Change to Beyond the Flag power rankings for 2020
Bird is the only driver who has ever won a race of the New York City ePrix, which was added to last season’s schedule, as he won both of last season’s races around the 13-turn, 1.21-mile (1.947-mile) Brooklyn Street Circuit in Red Hook, Brooklyn New York. Vergne finished in second place in the first race and eighth in the second race last season.
Bird collected 25 and 28 points in the first and second races of last year’s New York City ePrix, respectively, while Vergne collected 18 and four, giving Bird 53 points and giving Vergne 22. As a result, Bird gained 31 points over Vergne in those two races.
If that happens this weekend, Bird will be the 2017-2018 Formula E champion by eight points over Vergne. While there is certainly no guarantee that what happened in the two races of last year’s New York City ePrix, Bird comes into the weekend knowing that he is the driver to beat at the Brooklyn Street Circuit, as he is two for two at the track.
If Bird can win both races this weekend and Vergne, who is coming off of what was by far his worst race of the season, does not manage to finish right behind him in both, the odds of Bird winning this season’s Formula E championship will skyrocket.
Bird is poised to challenge Vergne for this season’s championship, and he may very well steal it away from him despite the fact that Vergne has dominated the season thus far.
Next: Top 5 manufacturers looking to join Formula E
Will Jean-Eric Vergne hold off Sam Bird to win the 2017-2018 Formula E championship, or will Bird use the two races of the 2018 New York City ePrix to his advantage to win the title? Tune in to Fox at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 14 and Fox Sports 1 at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 15 to watch the live broadcasts of both races of the New York City ePrix.