BATTLING BIRD
Hong Kong ePrix: Brit Sam Bird wins from seventh place after controversial contact with Andre Lotterer leads to victory with ONE lap remaining
Lotterer missed out on his first Formula E win and finished last after his tyre exploded
BRIT SAM BIRD made up FIVE places on the opening lap before going on to win the Hong Kong ePrix with one lap remaining.
The Virgin driver put Andre Lotterer under immense pressure on the wet and windy street circuit and made contact with the German before taking the lead.
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Lotterer then plummeted from first to last place in 14th as his rear-right tyre exploded due to the contact as he missed out on his maiden win in Formula E.
Bird is now top of the drivers championship as he recorded his second win of the season after glory in Santiago.
The incident between the two was immediately under investigation, leading to muted celebrations from the Virgin team on the podium.
Bird said: "It’s a shame, for me I tried to go down the inside and Andre defended.
“It’s very slippery down the inside and I slipped and locked up.
He added: “It’s a big shame, my heart goes out to him, he drove a good race and it’s a shame.”
Andre Lotterer says Brit Sam Bird targeted his tyre in a controversial collision to win the Hong Kong ePrix with one lap remaining
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Bird, 32, leapfrogged three drivers after the opening corner before going on to make up two more places on the first lap after starting in seventh.
The London-born racer then overtook the pole sitter Stoffel Vandoorne for second place as he trailed fellow Brit Oliver Rowland.
The race was then red flagged after both Mahindra drivers Pascal Weihrlein and Jerome D’Ambrosio were caught in a pile up after Felipe Nasr went into the wall – with all three drivers retiring.
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At the restart Rowland lost his lead to Bird but the Virgin star lost his lost position almost immediately to Lotterer.
Bird then aggressively applied the pressure on Lotterer and was able to push him hard as he had more energy than Lotterer.
And when Bird made a move down the inside of Lotterer, his front wing went into the back of the Lotterer’s car, which allowed Bird to take the lead with one lap remaining.
Edoardo Mortara finish second as he appeared on the podium again after finishing third last time out in Mexico City, while Lucas Di Grassi finished third.
Felipe Massa scored points again after finishing seventh, while Vandoorne retired from the race following a great qualifying session.
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