Mitch Evans is set to have a new teammate for the 2021 Formula E season with multiple sources reporting Sam Bird is set to make a surprise switch from Envision Virgin to Jaguar.
An official announcement is expected soon and the vacant Envision seat could open the door for a possible entry by Nick Cassidy who tested for the team at a recent rookies’ test at Marrakesh.
Bird will then replace Evans’ current teammate James Calado who has struggled across the truncated 2019/20 season while his Kiwi stablemate has risen to prove himself worthy as a title contender.
Calado has so far scored only 10 of Jaguar’s 66 points with a best qualifying position of 10th.
A nine-time race winner, Bird has been in the sport since its inauguration in 2014 and currently sits 10th in the standings having claimed victory in the season-opener in Diriyah.
It is understood that Jaguar have refused to renew Calado’s contract and has pursued the Brit who has enticed their interest since 2016.
Bird has come close to inking a deal with the team in the past but nothing ever came to fruition.
A deal with Bird will likely be until at least the end of the Gen2 era in 2022 after which Jaguar have yet to confirm their commitment to the Gen3 regulations.
Evans, meanwhile, committed his faith to Jaguar at the start of the currents season by agreeing to a multiyear deal.
The Kiwi was second in the standings before the coronavirus-induced postponement of the season, 11 points adrift of Antonio Felix da Costa.
Bird is set to begin testing with the team at the conclusion of the season which resumes with a string of six successive races in Berlin starting August 5.