Hugh Bird
{{short description|British engineer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Hugh Bird
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| nationality = British
| other_names =
| citizenship =
| education =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Race engineer
| years_active =
| employer = Red Bull Racing
| known_for = Formula One engineer
| height =
| title = Suspension Group Team Leader
}}
Hugh Bird is a British Formula One engineer. He is currently the Suspension Group Team Leader and was the race engineer for Sergio Pérez at Red Bull Racing.{{cite web|url=https://www-infobae-com.translate.goog/america/deportes/2021/09/13/quien-es-hugh-bird-el-ingeniero-que-habria-perjudicado-a-checo-perez-en-red-bull/?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc|title=Who is Hugh Bird, the engineer who would have hurt Checo Pérez at Red Bull|publisher=infobae}}
Career
After graduating from Cambridge University, Bird started his career in motorsport in 2012 as a simulation and analysis engineer for Red Bull Racing.{{cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugh-bird-56990446/?originalSubdomain=uk|title=Hugh Bird|publisher=Linkedin}} He then became a simulation performance engineer from 2015 to 2017. For the 2018 Formula One World Championship he was appointed as Max Verstappen's performance engineer in a spell where the Dutchman scored seven victories and several podium finishes.{{cite web|title=WATCH: How Red Bull F1 Mechanics Saved Max Verstappen's Race in Hungary|date=16 January 2021 |url=https://www.essentiallysports.com/f1-news-watch-how-red-bull-f1-mechanics-saved-max-verstappens-race-in-hungary/|publisher=essentially sports}} He was appointed as Sergio Pérez's senior race engineer for the 2021 Formula One World Championship, coaching the Mexican to one victory and fourth place in the Drivers' Championship. He continued to be Pérez's race engineer in 2022, guiding Perez to victory at the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix and where Pérez finished in third in the Drivers' Championship. In 2023, he guided Perez to finish in second in the Drivers' Championship, along with victories at Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia along with podiums in Bahrain, Miami, Austria, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Italy and Las Vegas. He would remain in the role until the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix where he went on a paternity leave.{{cite web|title=Sergio Perez set for Race Engineer switch as he returns from summer break 'Refreshed and Ready'|date=20 August 2024|access-date=27 June 2025|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/perez-set-for-race-engineer-switch-as-he-returns-from-summer-break-refreshed.2QPANcZkMWQtKP746Ua4nQ|publisher=Formula1.com}} He was subsequently replaced by Richard Wood temporarily until the United States Grand Prix where he returned as Perez's Race Engineer{{cite web|title=F1: Regresa Hugh Bird, el ingeniero de Checo Pérez|date=17 October 2024 |url=https://www.espn.com.pe/deporte-motor/f1/nota/_/id/14318158/austin-gp-2024-f1-checo-perez-red-bull|publisher=ESPN}} where he served until the end of the year when Sergio Perez was released from Red Bull. Following Perez's departure, Bird was moved back to the Milton Keynes Factory to the role of "Suspension Group Team Leader".{{cite web|title=Red Bull find new position for Perez's former race engineer|date=3 February 2025|access-date=27 June 2025|url=https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/red-bull-finds-new-position-for-hugh-bird.html|publisher=GPblog.com}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{RBR}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bird, Hugh}}
Category:Formula One engineers