Sam Bird takes Pole Position ahead of the Long Beach ePrix

Sam Bird takes Pole Position ahead of the Long Beach ePrix after Antonio Felix Da Costa is disqualified

DS Virgin Racing driver Sam Bird will start in pole position for the Long Beach ePrix, after Antonio Felix da Costa was stripped of his pole position.

The Portuguese driver set the fastest time during the Super Pole shootout, and got both himself and Team Aguri their first pole position on Formula E. He was disqualified after the qualifying session as it was found that his rear left tyre was just 0.05 below what is allowed.

But qualifying did bring up some surprises however. While Nick Heidfeld was able to get into the Super Pole group, and will be starting fourth for the race, both championship leader Sebastien Buemi and his teammate Nico Prost missed out on the chance to grab pole position. For the first time this season, Renault e.dams weren't in the Super Pole group with any of their drivers.

This then gave the pole position to Bird, who was also on pole position for the Buenos Aires ePrix earlier in the year. The Brit was the second fastest in qualifying, but will grab the three points on offer from the session which could prove vital in the championship battle.

Da Costa will start from the back of the grid as a result of being disqualifed, but the race is still going to be a tense affair, with championship leader Sebastien Buemi needing to make moves to get close to Bird and Lucas di Grassi.

Meanwhile current Formula E Champion Nelson Piquet Jr has picked up a ten place grid penalty after changing a motor on his car for the second time this season. With Piquet jr starting the ePrix in fifteenth place, he will have to take the penalty during mandatory car swaps.

Sarah Jones- @jonesy_laaa