Nyck de Vries was pleased to “get back into a rhythm” during Formula E pre-season testing, following his return to the championship for season 10.

It was a massively compromised week for the Dutchman and everyone at Mahindra Racing, as the side were impacted by the battery fire which took place in the WAE (formerly Williams Advanced Engineering) garage during the lunch break on Tuesday.

Mahindra sustained “extensive damage” to their trackside operations and had no choice but to move to a new garage. De Vries’ car was also unable to continue in the test following the blaze. This came as a massive disappointment to the side.

However, the Banbury-based squad have been granted additional private testing time to make up for what they lost by only having one car available.

Prior to the fire which saw no on-track action take place on Tuesday afternoon or on Wednesday, De Vries ended the opening session in last place and two seconds off the leading pace. This was no concern to the Dutchman or the team though, considering that it was his first official test session since departing AlphaTauri in Formula 1.

Due to the damage to his car, De Vries wasn’t able to take part in Thursday afternoon’s session, which was the first to take place since the fire. He did take part in the full 10 hours on Friday, as he drove Edoardo Mortara’s car.

De Vries completed an impressive 112 laps of the Circuit Ricardo Tormo on the final day, whilst his best lap was good enough for P17. Whilst the position might not sound flattering, he was just under half a second behind Nick Cassidy’s leading time.

Given everything that Mahindra went through in Valencia, the amount of running De Vries completed is hugely impressive. He praised the team for doing a “great job” to at least get Mortara’s car repaired following the fire, so that data gathering was possible.

He revealed that despite being reduced to just one car, the Indian manufacturer successfully completed a “very extensive programme”, giving the outfit plenty to look through ahead of the Mexico City season-opener.

“It was great to get a full day of testing under my belt, having done a half-day on Tuesday,” De Vries said.

“Earlier this week, everything was a little bit compromised, so the team did a great job to get out there and run at least one car properly.

“It was good to get back into a rhythm, to get used to Gen3, we went through a very extensive programme, and I felt like we were learning good things and getting more comfortable with the car so it was a positive day.”

Mahindra Racing have released a statement confirming that they’ve suffered “extensive damage to our trackside operations”, with only one car to be used when testing resumes at 1pm GMT at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia.

The Banbury-based team’s garage was situated next to WAE’s (formerly Williams Advanced Engineering), where the fire took place. WAE’s garage blaze was caused by a battery which had been extracted from a DS Penske car on Tuesday, which was driven in the morning session by Robert Shwartzman. WAE supplies the Gen3 batteries and fast-chargers.

Due to the blaze, testing was cancelled on Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday and Thursday morning so that an investigation into the incident could take place. Following the conclusion of the investigation by the technical suppliers, testing has been allowed to resume on Thursday afternoon.

Mahindra are believed to be the only outfit impacted by the fire, as they’ve been forced to move garages due to damage to their equipment. It’s Nyck de Vries’ side of the garage which is believed to have been damaged in particular, with only Edoardo Mortara to complete on-track action in the first session since Tuesday morning.

Despite the damage to their equipment, Mahindra Racing Team Principal Frederic Bertrand has praised the Incident Response Team for their quick actions on Tuesday to minimise the extent of the damage. He also praised his side for managing to at least get Mortara’s car ready for action.

“First of all, I would like to extend my thanks to the Incident Response Team,” Bertrand stated. “Although we have sustained extensive damage to our trackside operations, without a doubt their quick actions helped to avoid a much larger incident.

“I would also like to express my gratitude to the FIA, Formula E and to each and every single one of our competitors. The support for Mahindra Racing at this difficult time has been unanimous and is a clear indication to me that we exist and compete as one family within the paddock.

“I am extremely proud of everyone at the Mahindra Racing team. It has taken a huge amount of time, effort, and dedication to get us to a position where we can resume testing with a single car in Valencia this week. Although this comes with some obvious sporting disadvantages, we are all looking forward to resuming our programme.”

Edoardo Mortara has stressed that Mahindra Racing can still make progress in season 10 despite the hardware being homologated until the end of the new campaign, with “so much” being possible “in terms of software”.

Mortara has switched from Maserati MSG Racing to Mahindra for the 2023/24 season, making many predict that he’ll be towards the back of the pack come Mexico City. This is because the Indian manufacturer’s powertrain was the weakest in season nine, with that being a part under homologation for another year.

Whilst energy efficiency wasn’t too big of an issue, one-lap pace was a huge problem for the Banbury-based team. As a result, it wasn’t a shock to see the four-Mahindra powered cars – two at Mahindra and two at ABT CUPRA – at the back of the grid.

This often left the likes of Lucas di Grassi with too much work to do during the races, to try and get amongst the top-10. As none of the hardware can be touched for season 10, it’s easy to predict that Mahindra will endure another troubling year before they can introduce their new powertrain in season 11.

However, Mortara has stressed that this isn’t necessarily the case, given that software changes can be made. For Mahindra, this is where any improvement in performance will come, with the Swiss driver having explained to Motorsport Week just how much can be played around with before racing gets underway in Mexico City in January.

He acknowledges that software changes can “take really a lot of time” but that “it’s actually quite nice” just how much can be altered to try and discover some performance gains.

Of course, Mahindra aren’t going to suddenly become a frontrunning team in season 10, far from that in fact, but Mortara is adamant that just because a hardware homologation is in place, doesn’t mean the backmarker should disregard season 10 to fully focus on season 11.

“There is so much that you can change,” Mortara admitted to Motorsport Week. “I keep on having this comment and Formula E is one of these categories where you can change. Probably it’s the category where you can change the most.

“I do understand that you have the hardware that is homologated for two years, so season nine and season 10. But in terms of software, you can do so much, obviously, and this is really making the car more or less competitive.

“If you have really strong software and strong IDs there, you’re going to be able to really make the car really competitive. And this is something that I truly believe obviously this will take a lot of time because in order to implement, let’s say, software changes, you need to code, you need to have maybe different philosophy and stuff like that.

“And this could take really a lot of time, but there is so much that you can do in this category. It’s actually quite nice.”

Oliver Rowland has revealed that his mid-season exit from Mahindra Racing “was not my decision”, following his return to the Nissan Formula E Team for season 10.

The British driver departed the Japanese manufacturer for Mahindra at the conclusion of season seven, before embarking on a frustrating first campaign with the Indian manufacturer. Rowland’s first season with Mahindra was the last of the Gen2 era, with him having picked up a rostrum and a pole position in the Seoul season finale double-header.

His first campaign with the Banbury-based team was overshadowed by several retirements, eight to be exact. He failed to finish in exactly half of the season eight races, with Gen3 having been the 31-year-old’s chance to start fresh.

With Mahindra’s uncompetitive powertrain, it was hardly a fresh start for Rowland, who spent the majority of the nine races he started in 2022/23 towards the back. He salvaged just two top-10 finishes in the nine season nine races he entered, whilst he retired from two and failed to start one – Cape Town after Mahindra pulled out of the event.

The relationship just wasn’t working, with the decision to leave the side having “ultimately” been Rowland’s decision.

It was ultimately my decision,” Rowland told e-formula.news. “It just wasn’t (at Mahindra) the way I would have liked it to be. Honestly, I didn’t feel anything was going to change in the short term.”

What wasn’t Rowland’s decision, was leaving Mahindra mid-season, as he was keen to end season nine “in a good way” before departing. Being dropped from the team ahead of the Jakarta double-header came as a huge shock to the Briton, who was informed of the outfit’s decision “at relatively short notice”.

Despite being surprised by Mahindra’s decision, it didn’t impact the driver too much, as he “had plans up my sleeve anyway”.

“On the other hand, that was not my decision,” he revealed, in regard to leaving mid-season.

“I wanted to finish the season in a good way, but I didn’t have the chance to do that anymore. It was a bit of a surprise and came at relatively short notice, but all the better. I had plans up my sleeve anyway. I’m in a better position now and much happier.”

Having departed Mahindra mid-season, Rowland has had time to take a step back from Formula E, to ensure that he’s entering the sport’s centurion campaign in the right frame of mind.

Going back to Nissan – he competed for them from season five to seven – does seem like a smart move, given that he’s enjoyed plenty of success with the side. For the first time in his Formula E career, he’s even now the older team-mate, with Sacha Fenestraz only being 24 years old.

Nissan started season nine slowly but grew in stature towards the end of the first year of the Gen3 era, with their powertrain certainly being strong over a single lap in qualifying.

Being back in an environment he’s previously thrived in should work to Rowland’s advantage, with him believing that the switch from Mahindra to Nissan has saved his career in the all-electric series. In Formula E, it’s very easy for a driver to become “forgotten very quickly”, something which made Rowland realise that he needed to quit Mahindra and return “home”.

“Time will tell, but I firmly believe in it,” admitted Rowland. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have been so convinced to leave the situation I was in.

“If you don’t perform in a racing series like Formula E for two or three years, then you are forgotten very quickly. So I had to make that decision, be brave. In the end, it paid off.”

Mahindra Racing CEO and Team Principal Frederic Bertrand has revealed why Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara were signed for season 10, over other candidates.

The Banbury-based side are the only Formula E outfit fielding a completely new driver line-up for 2024, after Oliver Rowland left halfway through season nine and Lucas di Grassi departed ahead of pre-season testing to rejoin the ABT CUPRA Formula E Team.

Replacing the duo is De Vries and Mortara, two drivers who are both proven race winners in the all-electric series and are very experienced. Deciding who would race for Mahindra in season 10 wasn’t just about finding quick and experienced drivers though, with Bertrand having devised certain criteria that he wanted candidates to meet.

Despite the Indian manufacturer having endured a massively disappointing start to the Gen3 era, several drivers from multiple categories were interested in racing for Mahindra. With their initial Gen3 package not being the most competitive, the side are very much on a long-term journey to try and return to the front, something Bertrand stresses must be supported by the drivers.

Bertrand wanted two drivers “able to embrace the project” Mahindra have embarked on, which will continue into season 11 and 12, when they’ll use their Gen3.5 powertrain. The outfit are already working towards an improved powertrain for when the hardware homologation ends at the conclusion of season 10, meaning they needed drivers who are prepared to stick around.

This is why De Vries and Mortara have been given multi-year contracts, as it truly allows the team to look at and plan for the future. The Team Principal wanted drivers prepared to work for the team, rather than just for themselves.

He more than gets this in De Vries and Mortara, who have both been part of successful outfits. De Vries was a key member of Mercedes-EQ in season six, seven and eight, with the German manufacturer having won the Constructors’ Championship in their final two campaigns in the series.

Mortara was also a huge part of Venturi’s rise in Formula E, with him having worked tirelessly to make the team a frontrunner. He even secured their first ever victory back in season five at the Hong Kong E-Prix.

Both drivers are more than prepared to persevere through the hard times with Mahindra to get to the good, making Bertrand convinced that they’re the “right people to lead the journey”.

“I wanted people able to embrace the project,” Bertrand exclusively told Motorsport Week. “You don’t necessarily look for drivers coming for themselves only.

“You need team players, you need strong performers, you need people with high-level background, knowing what winning races means, knowing what winning titles mean, knowing what working with a top team means. So these were all the criteria which were very important to me.

“The one which is not on an excel sheet is how you feel with the people, how you feel that it will be the right people to lead the journey and make sure that you will have moments where it’s sometimes difficult, sometimes very good. But you will always find one thing in common is that we have the same goal and we share the same values behind that.

“So that was clearly the important part for me to identify and to find. And it was quite clear with Edo’s background and with Nyck’s background, there was really no question to really ask on this. It was quite obvious.”

Whilst Mahindra did receive plenty of interest in their two vacant seats, Bertrand admits that it was a “quick” decision to sign the season seven World Champion and Mortara. It wasn’t just the decision to sign them which was fast, with both drivers having also understood the “project” in rapid fashion, vital in helping Mahindra “climb the big mountain”.

“So I would say the fit was quick,” added Bertrand. “What was quick, in a way, what was then necessary, is that they also know all about the project and that they understand what we want to do and how we want to do it and where we are and how we are.

“Because for sure I don’t want them to be disappointed or badly surprised when they arrive. They still have surprises, to be honest.

“But the good thing is that they knew about the project, they knew about the challenges, and they come really strong in their mind and in their motivation so that we can go through all the challenges and make sure that we climb the big mountain we have in front of us.”

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.

Roberto Merhi will make his debut in the ABB Formula E World Championship next weekend, competing for Mahindra Racing.

The team has parted ways with Oliver Rowland, who has raced for the team since the 2020-21 campaign.

Mahindra says it reached a “mutual agreement” with the Briton, who has six podium finishes including a race win in the all-electric series.

The team did not specify who would fill the seat beyond the Jakarta double-header round.

Merhi has experience with Mahindra, as he was present with it at the rookie test from Berlin last month.

“It’s a huge honour for me to step in and represent Mahindra Racing for the races in Jakarta,” Merhi said. 

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and I’m determined to make the most of it. 

“I had a chance to drive the M9Electro at the rookie test in Berlin but Formula E is very different to any of the other series I’ve raced in so the learning curve will be steep. But I feel ready, excited and up for the challenge.”

Merhi, an ex-Formula 1 driver, has most recently been competing in GT and endurance categories.

He also made several appearances in the 2022 Formula 2 series, scoring a podium at the Feature Race from Austria.

Mahindra Racing CEO Frederic Bertrand added: “We are delighted to welcome Roberto to the Mahindra Racing team. 

“Roberto has impressive experience in top-level racing and a good track record in major championships. He had a great run with us at the Rookie Test in Berlin last month and we could see he had the potential to become a great asset for the Mahindra Racing team. 

“It’s not easy to jump in mid-season, but Roberto has experience of working with the team, so I’m sure he will slot into the team brilliantly.”

Roberto Mehri and Jordan King will join team reserve driver Jehan Daruvala as part of a three-driver lineup for the Berlin rookie test on Monday.

Mehri and King will share a car while Daruvala will complete the full day of testing for the team.

Mahindra is the only team to field three drivers in the test and is one of few teams to field their test or reserve drivers as part of the test.

Daruvala joined the Indian team at the start of the season, pairing his reserve duties with his fourth Formula 2 campaign with MP Motorsport. The Indian driver left the Red Bull junior programme and when speaking to Motorsport Week earlier this year, affirmed that Formula E is his current goal.

 “My role as Reserve Driver means I have already driven laps in the simulator, and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the M9Electro for real. As an Indian, I’m especially proud to be driving for the only Indian manufacturer on the grid and I’m really grateful to Mahindra Racing for giving me this opportunity.”

King will have his first outing in Formula E machinery after acting as the team’s sim and development driver for the past two years. King has previously taken part in both WEC and IndyCar as well as acting as a development driver for Manor and Alpine Formula One team. The Briton will be able to bring a wealth of experience from two years in the simulator to the track.

“It’ll be good to take the weekend’s simulator work straight to the track on Monday morning and carry on the progression and learning. As always, I’m grateful to the team for the opportunity to represent them and I can’t wait to get out there.” 

Mehri has bounced around the single-seater series over the past few seasons, making appearances in Formula 2, Super Formula Lights and S5000 as well as campaigns in Super GT. The Spaniard had one season in Formula One in 2015 with Manor, before leaving and heading to WEC.

“I will put in all my effort to do a good job for the team. Adapting to a new challenge is exciting and I look forward to it.”

Mahindra announced the withdrawal of their cars from the Cape Town E-Prix, as well as their customer team ABT Cupra.

After not running in the group Qualifying session with limited explanations from either team, the manufacturer has confirmed they will not run in this afternoon’s race.

Citing safety issues on their suspension, the Mahindra-powered cars of ABT Cupra will also not run this afternoon, with Kelvin van der Linde missing out on his home race.

“A thorough investigation on the suspension elements of the Mahindra M9Electro race cars will take place on the team’s return to the UK.

“The safety of our drivers and extended teams is of utmost importance at this point in time.”

The bumpy characteristics of the track have plagued many teams this weekend, with several having issues putting laps together or even finding themselves in the wall.

The team will have a month between the action in Cape Town and the race in Sao Paulo to find solutions to their issues.

Jehan Daruvala belives that his upcoming FIA Formula 2 campaign will aid his Formula E hopes for the future.

Announced as Mahindra Racing’s reserve driver at the end of November 2022, Daruvala will embark on a combined programme of simulator work and race weekends with the team on site.

The former Red Bull Junior will also run for his fourth season in FIA Formula 2 with reigning Teams’ and Drivers champions MP Motorsport, as he looks to mount a title challenge once again.

“There are a lot of things that are working well, and combined with my Formula E reserve role, it was definitely the best option for me,” Daruvala told MotorsportWeek.com. “To stay race fit, to be fighting in a championship which is at a super high level.”

Darvuala believes he is in the best place to develop his career, alongside experienced drivers in Lucas di Grassi and Oliver Rowland.

“It’s definitely good to have two drivers in the team who have a lot of experience – it’s probably the best team to be in and to be learning from two experienced drivers, they don’t keep anything from me.”

Daruvala’s relationship with Rowland dates back to his days in Formula Renault, where the Briton was Daruvala’s driver coach. Their existing relationship will likely benefit the team’s progression as they aim to make positive steps in understanding the Gen3 package.

The Indian driver is not the only Formula 2 talent to have looked to Formula E for their big break when Formula 1 seemed off the cards. In recent seasons, the likes of Sergio Sette Camara, Dan Ticktum and Jake Hughes have all jumped across to the all-electric racing series with positive results.

“It gives me good confidence, as well as it, gives teams good confidence that the guys coming from Formula 2 is at a good level and can compete right at the front,” Daruvala said.

Most recently, Hughes secured his first pole in Formula E after quitting Formula 2 halfway through the 2022 season to concentrate on his role as a reserve driver with Mercedes EQ. Daruvala believes Formula 2 is the perfect training ground for success in Formula E.

“Although they are different cars at the end of the day we have a lot of pressure in Formula 2. The experience does help and carry forward into Formula E.”

The championship has introduced mandatory rookie FP1 outings this year, similar to F1’s system that was utilised last year for the first time.

Formula E’s session is looking likely to be held at the Berlin E-Prix, with Daruvala expecting to make an outing at the German round.

“The plan will be to do the rookie session in Berlin. I’ll be at quite a few races that don’t clash with my F2 calendar. It’s going to be a busy year for me. It’s a new step in my career and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Looking ahead to the first home race event for both himself and the team this weekend in India, Daruvala added: “It’s going to be a huge event for the team and also the biggest event for me in the year, I’m looking forward to it for sure.”