Bird undergoes surgery while Barnard steps in at McLaren for the Formula E races in Berlin

On May 2, 2024By Vaseline

The Brit broke a bone in his left hand after crashing in the first practice ahead of the Monaco E-Prix last weekend, after hitting the barrier in Sainte Devote.

The injury occurred to the same hand that Bird broke at the 2022 London E-Prix and kept him out of the season finale in Seoul while he underwent surgery and recovery.

After being assessed in Monaco, where it was confirmed that Bird had broken another bone in his left hand, he traveled back to Britain and underwent successful surgery earlier this week, with the team confirming that he “can now look forward to a speedy recovery and a return to racing soon”.

Team principal Ian James said: “We are very pleased to report positive progress in Sam’s recovery, with a successful operation on his hand supporting his journey back in the car.

“Taylor did a great job during his last-minute call-up in Monaco, as did the team, who gave him great support and guidance throughout.

“He will now be able to build on that experience while Sam works on his recovery – with the full support of the team.

“We look forward to having Sam back in the car soon.”

Taylor Barnard, NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, e-4ORCE 04, Antonio Felix da Costa, Porsche, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

At 19, Barnard became the youngest starter in a Formula E race when he took part in the Monaco E-Prix last Saturday, after being told he would be replacing Bird only 20 minutes before the second practice session.

After completing just one 30-minute session before qualifying, where he finished last in his group but just 1.730 seconds behind the leading time, Barnard put in a confident ride to eventually finish 14th of the 20 finishers.