After six Formula E campaigns with the same team, it was confirmed last week that Edoardo Mortara had moved sides for the first time in his career in the all-electric series, with him admitting that himself and Maserati MSG Racing “both understood” their time together was coming to an end.
It was confirmed last Wednesday that Mortara had completed a surprise switch from Maserati to Mahindra Racing, where he’ll partner Nyck de Vries in what is an all-new driver pairing at the Indian manufacturer.
The move brought Mortara’s six-year stint at Maserati to an end, although the side had been known as Venturi for the first five seasons of their relationship. Mortara played a key role in the Monte-Carlo-based side’s rise in the championship, with him having been responsible for claiming their first victory in the season five Hong Kong E-Prix.
A lot of who the side are today is thanks to the Swiss driver, who secured six victories for the outfit overall. In season seven and season eight, he was even a contender for the title, only to fall short on both occasions. Mortara finished P2 in the 2020/21 standings, before finishing P3 in the 2021/22 Drivers’ Championship.
Venturi’s off-season rebrand into Maserati ahead of the Gen3 era just appears to have not worked for Mortara, who was widely expected to remain with the famous manufacturer for season 10.
Mortara slumped to 14th in the season nine Drivers’ Championship, with it having been a massively disappointing campaign. He salvaged just seven top-10 finishes in 2023, whilst he retired from five races.
Consistency wasn’t seen by the 36-year-old, who admits that both himself and Maserati felt like their “chapter together” was close to concluding.
“It’s always difficult to answer this question. I think that it’s a bit of a feeling that you have,” Mortara told Motorsport Week, when asked why the time felt right to leave Maserati.
“I think after last season with Maserati, we both understood that we were getting to the end of like a chapter together and we were willing to move to new challenges. And both them and I, and I think that it was like a pretty simple and easy decision from their side and from my side. And we did part ways and I’m very much looking forward, actually, to the new challenge.”
Switching to Mahindra is certainly a brave move, considering that the Banbury-based team arguably had the worst powertrain in the first season of the Gen3 era. The general expectation is that season 10 will be another challenging campaign for the side, although season 11 could be incredibly promising, with the introduction of Gen3.5.
Mahindra Team Principal Frederic Bertrand has stressed that the team are on a long-term project with the end goal of returning to the front of the field, something which appears to excite Mortara.
With the driver having signed a multi-year deal, it shows in many ways that he’s committed to the team’s project, whilst it also gives him a sense of security for the future.
Venturi were by no means a backmarker side when he joined them in season four, but he still embarked on a six-year journey with them. He, therefore, has experience of being part of a project, although Mahindra’s current road to recovery is in many ways the toughest challenge Mortara may face in his career.
The prospect of being part of a big project is incredibly attractive for Mortara, with him revealing that he’s already discovered that he shares a “lot of values” with those working for the team.
“I think I never joined a team that was actually right at the back or already doing [good] results,” Mortara noted. “And yeah, I obviously like these challenges. I share a lot of values with the people here and I see a lot of determined, motivated, skilled people here and you know, I’m looking forward to working with these guys.”
