14.08.2022 – Seoul, South Korea

Mahindra Racing achieved a pole position and second-place finish in the Seoul E-Prix on the same weekend that it celebrated 100 FIA Formula E race starts and marked the end of the Gen2 era.

As the 22 FIA ABB Formula E World Championship cars crossed the finish line of the second Seoul E-Prix race, two huge milestones were reached for Mahindra Racing, the Greenest Team in Motorsport: it celebrated contesting all 100 championship races with net zero carbon and the race-winning Gen2 M8Electros were formally retired from duty.

The Gen2, which took multiple podiums and race wins for Mahindra Racing, will make way for Gen3, the fastest, lightest and most sustainable electric race car ever built. Four M9Electro Gen3 cars will contest the 2023 championship and beyond, with Mahindra Racing entering two and former championship winners ABT Sportsline running a pair of the Mahindra Racing powered by ZF machines.

Although the race two results in Seoul weren’t as hoped – 12^th place for Alexander Sims [GBR] after a 60-place grid penalty plus 10-second drive-through and a DNF for Oliver Rowland [GBR] – the team, which recently announced Lucas Di Grassi as a replacement for Sims, reflected on the past and focused on the future.

Dilbagh Gill CEO and Team Principal at Mahindra Racing commented: “When you are a forward-thinking company constantly driving forward technological advancements, it’s essential to always be looking towards the future but we sometimes have to be reminded to stop and look at how far we’ve come. Milestones like this provide a good opportunity to pause and reflect for a moment before we go full steam ahead into the next phase of development.

“As a team we can be very proud of what we’ve achieved over the past 100 races. We firmly placed India back on the motorsport map; we’ve positioned Mahindra as a global leader in EV technologies; and we’ve celebrated many great victories. From the very first race in Beijing, which is still one of my fondest moments – finally seeing this forward-thinking concept become a reality – right up to the pole position and podium yesterday, we have worked tirelessly and with unwavering passion and dedication.

“But all of this has simply been a foundation. Since Formula E was first founded, we’ve known this was a long-term project with huge ambitions and we’re now, just eight years later, which is really not long in a new motorsport, at the precipice of where we always wanted to be: Gen3. So yes, the last 100 races are important to our history, but the next 100 will be where history is made.”

Alexander Sims commented: “It wasn’t the way I hoped my final race weekend with the team would go but I would like to thank everyone I have worked with in the last two years – my engineers and crew have worked incredibly hard and are people I’ll consider friends for life. I wish the team the best of luck for Gen3 and I hope to see them lifting that World Championship trophy in the next few years.”

Oliver Rowland added: “It was great to get my first pole position on Saturday and translate that into the team’s first podium of the season. It was a shame to end the race early today after receiving contact, but we can still look at the positives from yesterday. I look forward to contributing to the Gen3 era going forward. It’s also fantastic achievement for the team to reach 100 races, now it’s on us to make the next 100 something really special.”

Round 15

– Oliver Rowland: Qualifying – 1 / Race – 2 / Points – 21

– Alexander Sims: Qualifying – 21 / Race – DNF  / Points – 0

Round 16

– Alexander Sims: Qualifying – 22 / Race – 12  / Points –  0

– Oliver Rowland: Qualifying –18  / Race – DNF  / Points – 0

Season 8

Mahindra Racing [8th] 46pts

Oliver Rowland [14th] 32pts

Alexander Sims [16th] 14pts

Season 8 Stats

Wins: 0

Podiums: 1

Pole Positions: 1

Duel Appearances: 6

Fastest Laps: 0

The full 2023 FIA Formula E World Championship calendar:

January 14: Mexico City
January 27-28: Diriyah (x2)
February 11: Hyderabad
February 25: TBD
March 11: TBD
March 25: Sao Paulo
April 22: Berlin
May 6: Monaco
May 20-21: Seoul (x2)
June 3-4: Jakarta (x2)
June 24: TBD
July 15-16: Rome (x2)
July 29-30: London (x2)

Gen3 M9Electro Facts:

FASTEST: Top speed: 200mph / 320 kph.

MOST POWERFUL: Max Power: 350kw /470bhp (up from Gen 2 250kw / 335bhp).

LIGHTEST: 840kgs (Over 60kg lighter than Gen2)

Powertrain: The first ever Formula car with both front and rear powertrains. (A new front powertrain adds 250kW to the 350kW at the rear, more than doubling the regenerative capability of the current Gen2 car to a total of 600kW).

Fast charge: designed to take a 600kW ultra-high-speed charge for additional energy within race (almost double the energy of the most advanced commercial chargers in the world).

Regenerative braking:  The first formula car that will not feature rear hydraulic brakes with the addition of the front powertrain and its regenerative capability. More than 40% of the power used by the car in a race is generated by the car during the race.

Software engineering: a new key battleground for performance upgrades through software updates delivered directly to the car’s advanced operating system.

Motor efficiency: electric motor achieves over 95% power efficiency vs c.40% for an internal combustion engine.

Batteries: Amongst the most advanced, sustainable batteries ever made consisting of sustainably-sourced minerals while battery cells will be reused and recycled at end of life.

Bodywork: Linen and recycled carbon fibre will be used for the first time in a formula car in bodywork construction featuring recycled carbon fibre from retired Gen2 cars. All waste carbon fibre will be reused for new applications through adoption of an innovative process from the aviation industry.

Tyres: Natural rubber and recycled fibres will make up 26% of new Gen3 tyres. All tyres will be fully recycled after racing.

Suppliers: All Gen3 suppliers must operate in line with top international standards to reduce environmental impacts of manufacturing (ISO 14004) and are FIA Environmental Accreditation 3-Star rated.

Race to road: Road relevant areas of car are focus for development by teams and manufacturers.