Mahindra Racing is determined to turn their season around as Season 12 of the Formula E Championship continues at the Mexico City E-Prix this weekend, following a mixed debut in Brazil that showed both promise and frustration.
Glimpses of progress despite disappointing result
The team demonstrated genuine improvement with their newly developed M12Electro machine during the São Paulo opener. Their qualifying performance particularly stood out, as they achieved a unique feat by advancing both drivers into the knockout stages, a distinction no other competitor managed against fierce opposition from established manufacturers.
Mortara and de Vries secured third and fifth starting positions, validating the team’s development work. However, race day proved less rewarding. De Vries salvaged championship points whilst Mortara’s afternoon ended prematurely following collision damage, leaving the squad eager to demonstrate their true capabilities.
Mahindra’s drivers embrace fresh opportunity in Mexico City E-Prix
De Vries approaches the weekend with measured optimism, saying, “I’m looking forward to getting back to racing this weekend in Mexico.”
He acknowledged the difficulties in Brazil whilst maintaining perspective. “São Paulo was a tough start to the season, but there were plenty of positives for us to take away, and ultimately, it’s only one race – the season is long, and we have plenty of opportunities ahead of us.”
“This event always brings out a fantastic crowd. You can really feel the energy from the grandstands in the Foro Sol and around the paddock, so I’m also looking forward to being back in that atmosphere.”
Mortara emphasised the psychological reset after the festive period. “It’s always nice to have a little break over the festive period, so I’m feeling recharged and ready to get back to racing,” he said.
The Swiss-Italian driver stressed the importance of maintaining a long-term view. “As a team, it’s very important to keep São Paulo in perspective – it was a tough start, but we have 16 more races ahead of us, starting with Mexico, and we know we have the car and the team to compete for strong results.”
“Formula E is about having that little bit of luck, sometimes, so as long as we continue to work hard, develop and put ourselves in those positions, the results will come.”
Leadership confident in podium potential
Team principal Frederic Bertrand outlined the squad’s determination for immediate improvement. “It’s really important that we hit the ground running in Mexico City this weekend, and everybody is arriving recharged and refocused after a short winter break,” said Bertrand.
“In some ways, we played our ‘joker’ in São Paulo, with a difficult weekend, but there are a lot of positives for us to take away.”
He detailed specific areas of advancement, saying, “We know that we have made some steps forward in performance with the M12Electro, and are clearly stronger over one-lap pace, but also race runs – our energy efficiency in Brazil was another step forward from last year, so all the ingredients are in place to be successful.”
“If we can execute at the high level we now expect from ourselves, then there’s no reason why we can’t be in the challenge for the podium again this weekend.”
