Sam Bird

Bird attended Milbourne Lodge School from the age of six until thirteen, and was later educated at Charterhouse School until GCSE level. He then moved to Millfield School in Somerset to complete his education. Bird is a keen football fan and supports Manchester United F.C.

Bird began his single-seater racing career in Formula BMW, finishing fourteenth overall in his debut season and second in the rookie cup. He improved to second overall in 2005, and fourth in the Formula BMW world final, a race won by Marco Holzer. In 2006, Bird transitioned to British Formula Renault, where he won four races and finished fourth in the championship, 111 points behind champion Sebastian Hohenthal.

In 2007, Bird raced in the British Formula 3 Championship with Carlin Motorsport, securing sponsorship from BP. Mark Reader, BP's UK Fuels Marketing Manager, commented on the sponsorship, stating, “Sam’s an incredible prospect and we’re excited to be getting into a relationship at this stage of his career.” He was also elected to the Motor Sports Association Race Elite Scheme in April 2007, and participated in aerodynamic tests with the AT&T Williams F1 Team.

Bird moved to Manor Motorsport in the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2008, finishing eleventh in the championship with 23 points. He achieved two second-place finishes at Catalunya and Le Mans. In 2009, he joined Mücke Motorsport alongside Alexander Sims, Christian Vietoris, and Marco Wittmann, earning his first pole position and fastest laps, but failing to win a race, finishing eighth in the championship.

Bird joined ART Grand Prix for a GP2 Asia Series test at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, missing the final round of the F3 Euroseries season. He raced in the 2009–10 GP2 Asia Series for the team, finishing seventh overall with a second place in the final round. In 2010, Bird contested the 2010 GP2 Series with ART, securing his maiden win at Monza and three fastest laps, despite facing frequent technical issues and collisions.

In the 2011 GP2 season, Bird moved to iSport International, initially leading the Drivers’ Championship alongside Romain Grosjean, before finishing sixth overall. In 2013, competing for Russian Time, Bird enjoyed a successful season, taking five wins and finishing second in the championship, with Russian Time also winning the GP2 Series constructors’ championship.

In 2014, Bird made two guest appearances for Ferrari AF Corse in the World Endurance Championship, achieving third place in the GTE Amateur class at Silverstone and taking pole position in the GTE Am class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. During the Le Mans race, he collided with Audi and Toyota LMP1 cars in wet conditions on the Mulsanne Straight.

Bird began driving for Richard Branson's Virgin Racing in the 2014–15 Formula E season, claiming third place in the Beijing ePrix and winning the Putrajaya ePrix. He won his home race at the 2015 London ePrix after Stéphane Sarrazin received a penalty. He finished the season fifth in the championship with 103 points. In the 2016–17 season, Bird achieved back-to-back wins in New York City, finishing fourth in the drivers' standings. He secured his first pole position and fastest laps during the 2017–18 season, finishing third in the championship with 143 points. Bird won the 2019 Santiago ePrix, becoming the first Formula E driver to win a race in every season of the championship.

He moved to Jaguar Racing for the 2020–21 season, winning the second round of the Diriyah ePrix and finishing sixth in the championship. After struggling with consistency in the 2021–22 season, he missed the Seoul ePrix due to a broken hand. In 2023, he achieved podium finishes in Diriyah, São Paulo, Berlin and Rome. Bird joined McLaren for the 2023–24 season, securing McLaren’s maiden Formula E victory at the São Paulo ePrix, but was forced to miss the Monaco ePrix due to a hand injury. He continued with McLaren for the 2024–25 season before departing as the team exited Formula E.

Bird became a Nissan reserve and development driver for the 2025–26 season. His all-time Formula E stats include 141 race starts, 12 wins, 27 podiums, six pole positions, 916 championship points, 12 fastest laps, and 318 laps led across 11 seasons.