Driver Reveal: Meet Mahindra Racing’s New Mavens
THRILL ZONE
Posted on: 05 November, 2018
New season. New race car. New sponsors. And new drivers!
That's right. After a few years with the dynamic duo, Felix Rosenqvist and Nick Heidfeld, who both delivered many 'firsts' for passioneers, we are set to begin a new journey.
A new journey that sees Jérôme d'Ambrosio and Pascal Wehrlein in the hot seats in the Gen2 race car which has already taken the racing universe by storm.
JÉRÔME D’AMBROSIO
The more experienced of the duo, Jérôme comes to Mahindra Racing on the back of four seasons in Formula E – having taken part in every race in the electric street racing series since its inception.
The Belgian has electrified Formula E, with two wins and seven podiums to his name. The first two years were especially impressive as he thundered along to finish in the top five in both seasons.
It was two decades earlier that Jérôme's obsession with racing started while holidaying at the age of eight.
The Etterbeek-born driver enjoyed a good deal of success during his karting days, including victories in the Junior Monaco Kart Cup and the World Cup Formula A.
Formula Renault and Formula Renault 3.5 followed, but Jérôme's first major triumph in single-seaters would come in 2007 when he claimed the International Formula Master crown in its inaugural season.
After being a test driver for Renault, d'Ambrosio got a break in Formula One with Virgin Racing, where he would go on to finish 16 out of 19 races.
In his free time, D'Ambrosio likes to listen to music and work on his fitness.
PASCAL WEHRLEIN
Born in Germany with dual German-Mauritian citizenship, Pascal has been hailed as one of the most promising race drivers around.
Pascal began catching the attention of racing enthusiasts as early as 2009 when he took part in the ADAC Kart Masters. After a promising start to his career, Wehrlein moved to the ADAC Formel Masters where he won the 2011 title at the age of 16.
I believe this is one of the most exciting and dynamic driver line-ups on the grid, packed full of talent.
Dilbagh Gill, Team Principal
Pascal's achievements didn't go without attention as he moved to the Formula 3 Euro Series, where a top showing in his first season saw him finish second in the overall standings.
What followed next would be the biggest turning point in Pascal's career. He was roped in to race in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) as its youngest ever driver and boy, did he deliver!
In 2014, the then 19-year-old would go on to create history by becoming the youngest ever driver to secure a race win in DTM. He didn't stop there! In fact, the next season there was no stopping him at all as he became the youngest ever driver to claim the DTM title. Just 20 and Pascal was already turning heads in racing circles.
Just like Jérôme, Pascal also rolls into the team with Formula One experience behind him. On the back of his success in DTM, he was signed up as the development and simulator driver for Mercedes AMG Petronas in 2014.
2016 was a big year for the Sigmaringen-born racer as he joined Manor Racing and took part in all 21 Formula One races that season, scoring the team's only point. The season after, Sauber F1 came calling where he scored five points in the 2017 season.
Earlier this year, Pascal returned to DTM with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Petronas before signing up for team Mahindra Racing.
Outside the race track, Pascal's interests include football, snowboarding, mountain biking, and swimming.
With these two exciting racers lined up for Season 5, we can't wait to get started and race into an electrifying finish across e-street circuits around the world. The thrill begins at Ad Diriyah on December 15. Watch out passioneers, it's going to be another extraordinary journey!
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