Sam Bird answers your question you sent in to Formula E Zone.

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Do you think Formula E will become more competitive next season with 8 manufactures competing in the championship?

Absolutely, I think this championship is only going to grow bigger and larger. The cars will get faster and the competition will get more competitive and with the manufactures coming into the sport it is only going to bring good news to Formula E.

Avi Avikesh

Did you have to change your driving style for Formula E. Also how does a Formula E car feel compared to a WEC car?

You do have to change your driving style and you have to change your mentality, but for me it has got to a stage where it is automatic. I have my WEC hat and I have my Formula E hat and I can interchange between the two at will.

Jeff Pritchard

How do you manage the torque output on these cars? Are there any computer aids and what are your expectations for a wet event?

In the wet I think I have a car that will be competitive. The torque is very linear because as soon as you get on the throttle the response is instantaneous, but at the same time it is very manageable. However, the main thing as drivers that we have to manage is the energy consumption. This can be very tricky. This is because you can find yourself behind target in a race. If you go off your schedule it is very hard to get it back. That is the hardest thing we have to do as drivers in Formula E.

Also at the moment if you go above your target in your first car then you make your life harder for yourself in the second car. So it better to be under target then above target.

Nathan Stockdale

Do you intend on staying in Formula E next season. If so where do you think Virgin will make a championship winning car?

Absolutely and Absolutely. I intend of staying with Virgin Racing next season. Obviously I have to finish this one first, but I’m not thinking about next season just yet as we are only half way through this season.

I do think that Virgin have the capabilities of creating a championship winning car next year as a manufacture and plus we also have a race winning car this season, so a yes to both of those questions.

Paul Hensby

How hard was it for you to break into F1. You are the Mercedes test drive and you came so close to a GP2 title and you still could not get into F1. Your obviously good enough to have a chance?

It simple I did not have 20 million Euros in my bank. I think the two series’ I am involved in at the moment are in a far better state than Formula One. Formula E has managed to attract some of the best drivers in the world for their talent and not for their money and the same goes for the World Endurance Championship. We as driver are getting paid to drive their racing cars, but if you don’t bring an enormous cheque with you to Formula One then you will not be getting a drive.

Jack Pickering

Who do you think is the quickest driver on the FE grid (aside from yourself of course)?

I have a very quick teammate in Jamie Alguersuari. You could also look at Lucas Di Grassi and Sebastian Buemi. However, to be fair I could name 15 drivers. We have Sarrazin, Senna, Chandhok, Prost, Buemi, Di Grassi, Da Costa, Heidfeld. The list is endless. It is so competitive and we have a great grid of drivers and I believe this is the place to be.

Aaron Cooper

Did he ever consider Indycar?

Yes, Yes I did. I enjoy watching Indycar and I think it is a great category and the Indy 500 is something I would love to do before my career ends and I have looked good and hard at a future in Indycar. You do need to take a budget into Indycar, which is difficult for drivers like me. At the moment I am very happy with where I am at Virgin and at G-Drive.

Edward Hunter

What needs to happen for the London Formula E event to be a success? Do you think the public will warm to it considering there was a small campaign to prevent it going ahead and MP’s spoke out against it?

I think for it to be successful it needs a 28 year old British driver to win both events (He laughs). Then it will be successful. In all seriousness I think it will be a success, I think the public will warm to the sport and enjoy the buzz of the electric atmosphere that we will display. I think it will be a great event for the thousands of people that will come and they will get an insight into some great racing and this new technology. Also it will show people in London how cool and fast electric cars are and can be in the future.

Also London was voted one of the most coolest city in the world. For me as well it will be great as it is a home race. Myself and Virgin will be working hard to make sure that we have a great result, hopefully it will bring up some great rewards.