Mahindra on Thursday, February 9, launched its Gen3 Formula E race car at the ongoing season 9 of the Formula E Championship, the worlds first all-electric street racing series, during a grand event in Hyderabad. The Mahindra Formula E and the Mahindra Advanced Design Europe (M.A.D.E.) teams collaborated on the livery design of the Gen3 car.
Mahindra Racing-- one of the founding teams and the only Indian team to compete in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship -- comes to India for its first home race this Saturday at the Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix.
The team consists of seasoned and accomplished drivers including Lucas Di Grassi who became the FIA Formula E Champion in 2016-2017 and has achieved three overall podiums at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and won the Macau Grand Prix in 2005.
Oliver Rowland is an established and respected single-seater champion and Formula E race winner. The 29-year-old British driver joined the Mahindra Racing outfit for Season 8 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, a media release said.
Mahindra Racing has also recently onboarded Jehan Daruvala, a young and accomplished racer, as the reserve driver, who is a protege of the Force India F1 team after being one of three winners of a 'One in a Billion hunt' organised by the team in 2011.
The Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix will be staged on the Hyderabad Street Circuit, located on the banks of the Hussain Sagar Lake.
"This is a momentous occasion as we get to race in front of a home crowd for the very first time. Mahindra Racing signifies our commitment to continue developing cutting-edge EV technologies and improving the next generation of consumer electric vehicles in the country," said Dr Anish Shah, Managing Director & CEO, Mahindra Group.
Asha Kharga, Chairperson, Mahindra Racing said: "As one of the founding teams of Formula E and after racing across the world, this is a proud moment for Mahindra Racing as we come home to India for the first time. This race will help build Formula E as one of the premier sports in the country. More importantly, it outlines the kind of possibilities in race technology that can potentially inspire our road cars."
Mahindra Racing has an impressive stats sheet and is a multi-race winning outfit after scoring its breakthrough victory at the Berlin E-Prix in 2017.
It was the first Formula E team to be awarded the FIA Environmental Accreditation Three-Star rating and is the only team to be certified Net Zero Carbon footprint, demonstrating best practice and excellence in sustainability practices.
Celebrating the first Formula E race in India, Mahindra also unveiled the XUV 400 Formula Edition with a special livery inspired by the racing spirit.