Mahindra Racing Team Principal Dilbagh Gill has declared that the Indian marque should not be underestimated as the ABB FIA Formula E Championship approaches the half-way mark of the 2018/19 season.
After five rounds, Mahindra sits in third in the Teams' Championship while Jerome d'Ambrosio occupies second in the Drivers' Standings, trailing current leader Sam Bird by one point.
From Ad Diriyah – Santiago, the team enjoyed a run of strong performances, with d'Ambrosio taking a podium finish in the first race of the season before winning in Marrakesh while Pascal Wehrlein claimed the runner-up spot in the series' Chilean leg of the championship.
A five-second time penalty for Wehrlein in Mexico City robbed the team of a fourth consecutive podium finish while a disappointing weekend in Hong Kong marked the nadir of the squad's fifth season of electric racing, with both drivers failing to see the chequered flag following a crash on lap 2 with GEOX Dragon's Felipe Nasr.
"Having two Asian races back-to-back in such a short amount of time is an intense turnaround, but we've regrouped, and we're focused on having a strong race weekend in Sanya," said Gill, looking ahead to Formula E's next round.
"We know the competition is strong this season, but we're fast approaching the halfway point and we've shown that we're not to be underestimated.
"We’re still close to the top in the championships so we're looking forward to getting back out on a new track and finishing the race in the best possible position."
With Mahindra's struggles in Hong Kong being evident from the outset, with neither d'Ambrosio or Wehrlein placing higher than 17th in all sessions during the weekend, the prior Belgian is confident that the team will once again be fighting for podiums in Sanya, given Mahindra's previous strong performances in China, marked by a top-five finish in 2014 and a podium finish in 2015:
"When I have raced in mainland China in the past, it’s always gone well for me and we will try to score some big points in Sanya," said d'Ambrosio.
"We need to focus on doing our best at every race; we’ve always had the pace and been fast in the dry, so I expect us to be back fighting for the podium again this weekend.
"Going to a new circuit is always a challenge, but it’s something you get used to racing in Formula E and we are not going unprepared, having done a huge amount of work on the sim ahead of going there."
Wehrlein added: "We know we have the pace and we’re strong in dry conditions, but it's really difficult to make a prediction because we’ve had a different winner at every race weekend this season so far.
"Qualifying will play a big part on race day; we need to make sure we put together the perfect lap. I’m looking forward to going to China; the fans are enthusiastic and they love racing, so now we focus on fighting for the podium again."
