Formula E's championship format is built around narrow street circuits, leaving little room to maneuver between walls in the case of a crash. When a driver spins mid-corner, that can leave the track clogged to all traffic. If someone spins on a high-speed stretch, the consequences of the narrow track can be much more frightening. Jaguar driver Sam Bird saw the worst of it today.
Bird was running fourth when he spun on his own in a fast, sweeping curve. With little room to navigate around the spun car, Bird is first struck on the rear wing structure by Envision Racing's Sebastien Buemi as he attempts to go around the outside. That violent hit moves the car to the middle of the track, leaving cars to choose between narrow windows on either side of Bird. Maserati driver Edo Mortara arrives to the scene late and ultimately piles into the side pod of Bird's stopped car, just behind where Bird himself is positioned in the car's tub. The series reports that all three drivers involved are okay.
The impact shows the risks of racing through such narrow streets, but that risk may have been compounded by available signals to drivers. In the replay angle above, a window for a steward with a yellow flag and a light that can flash red are both seen in the distance. When Bird first spins and when he is hit by Buemi, the light is dark and the flag is not visible. While those two signals may not represent other signals that could have been active for drivers to see before coming to the scene of the crash, the light is not blinking and the flag is not active until just as Mortara actually hits Bird. Add in the visibility concerns that come with curves on a street circuit and drivers are put in a precarious position.
