Mahindra Racing have endured a challenging start to the Gen3 era, yet this hasn’t stopped the side from receiving a “few requests” to race for the team in 2024.
Formula E ‘silly season’ is very much upon us, with lots of rumours circulating up and down the paddock. Several teams are set to boast a new line-up in season 10, including Mahindra.
The Banbury-based team have endured a horrific season, with their shock pole position and rostrum at the season-opener in Mexico City having been no reflection of their true performance.
A lot of the team’s struggles aren’t actually their fault, with the side having been on the back foot before the season even got underway. Mahindra failed to complete the required amount of testing ahead of season nine, due to issues receiving parts from suppliers.
As a result, they’ve been playing catch up for the entirety of 2023.
“It was a difficult first year,” Mahindra’s Lucas Di Grassi told Motorsport Week ahead of this weekend’s London E-Prix.
“The car is new, the car is very complex. Mahindra built a car from scratch. We had a little bit of delays from suppliers. We didn’t do all the testing required or all the testing necessary to bring the car to the maximum performance.
“So we are still running behind time, we are still trying to catch the others up. So we were never in a position since the beginning of the season to win the championship.”
Due to their pre-season woes, Mahindra have had no choice but to embark on a “long-term” project to get back amongst the leading teams in the all-electric series, a target they’re aiming to achieve in 2025 or 2026.
The side do have at least one seat available currently for 2024 (season 10), with Oliver Rowland having departed mid-season after reportedly having become frustrated at how uncompetitive Mahindra’s Gen3 powertrain was.
Ex-Formula 1 driver Roberto Merhi has been fielded by the Indian manufacturer since Rowland’s exit; however, he’s not expected to receive the second seat alongside Di Grassi. There had been some reports that even Di Grassi was looking at other options; however, he’s expected to stay with Mahindra.
According to Team Principal and CEO Frederic Bertrand, Mahindra have a variety of drivers interested in racing for the team, and are well aware that next season will be another “challenging” one.
Bertrand revealed that Merhi and current Formula 2 and Mahindra reserve driver Jehan Daruvala are contenders for the seat, with the pair having been used by the team in the Berlin rookie test. Daruvala was due to compete for Mahindra in a rookie session in Rome, only for technical gremlins to stop him from taking part.
Interestingly, the Mahindra boss also revealed that some other drivers who took part in the rookie test for rival teams are also in contention for the second seat, as well as some drivers who are yet to even get behind the wheel of Gen3 machinery.
Some “experienced drivers” in the paddock are also supposedly keen on a move to Mahindra, in a bid to be part of their project, something Bertrand believes is “not so common” in Formula E. Nissan’s Norman Nato is reportedly one of the paddock members interested in the seat.
“Right now we have three different types of drivers,” Bertrand told Motorsport Week ahead of this weekend, when asked who’s in contention for the vacant seat.
“You have some experienced drivers wanting to move from where they are, and they are interested in Mahindra because we have a long-term plan, and that’s not so common right now. So they are happy to come and join for the full project.
“They know that season 10 will still be a difficult or challenging season, but they expect eleven and twelve to really bring the team to a higher level, and they are happy to participate. Then you have drivers we have tested or who have already tested as rookies in some of the teams, not only ours, but some others.
“So for sure, you have Roberto and you have Jehan on our side, but you have a lot of additional rookie drivers who tested in the rookie test who are interested, and then you have ones who have not tested at all up to now and are still interested in joining, coming from F2 and F3.
So season 10 is a good season for many drivers to join us for the moment. So we have a few requests,” he revealed.
