The British driver’s time of 1m12.773s secured the top spot, narrowly edging out Stoffel Vandoorne from DS Penske by almost one-tenth of a second. The session saw intense competition, with less than half a second separating the top 10 drivers.
Nick Cassidy, the championship leader, initially led the timesheets with a time of 1m13.849s, closely followed by Nico Muller from Abt. However, the order shuffled as the session progressed, with Maximilian Guenther from Maserati MSG and Pascal Wehrlein putting in competitive performances.
As the session approached its midway point, lap times continued to drop, with Norman Nato from Andretti and Wehrlein setting the pace. Reigning Formula E champion Jake Dennis broke the 1m13s barrier, further intensifying the competition.
Ultimately, it was Vandoorne who emerged fastest in the final minutes, only to be surpassed by Bird’s impressive lap time of 1m12.773s. However, the session was briefly halted by a red flag caused by Edoardo Mortara from Mahindra, disrupting the flow of proceedings.
Despite the challenges, Oliver Rowland from Nissan secured the third position, with Dennis, Wehrlein, and Antonio Felix da Costa from Porsche completing the top six. Mitch Evans from Jaguar faced early setbacks due to technical issues, highlighting the unpredictable nature of motorsport.