Mahindra Seeks to Generate Excitement for Formula E Through Racing Success: CEO Frederic Bertrand

The inaugural season of Formula E racing occurred from September 13, 2014, to June 28, 2015, commencing in Beijing and concluding in London. The series consisted of 11 races, featuring a total of 10 teams, including Mahindra Racing, which proudly represented India. Established in 2014 and headquartered in Banbury, United Kingdom, Mahindra Racing has been proudly competing under the Indian flag since its inception.

But if you ask youngsters across India about Formula E and Mahindra Racing, you’ll come across polarizing responses: some may be jumping with excitement, while others may not have heard of Formula E at all. Firstly, Formula E involves racing with electric cars, unlike the very popular Formula 1.

Despite this, one Formula E race was already held in India – in Hyderabad on 11 February 2023 – the fourth round of season 9 – which ended on 30 July 2023 in London after 16 rounds.

Season 9 was a tough one for Mahindra Racing. Even the early ‘home crowd’ support in Hyderabad didn’t help much. Team drivers Lucas Di Grassi and Roberto Merhi did their best and finished 18th and 20th.

During the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship Season 9, Frederic Bertrand, Managing Director and Team Principal, Mahindra Racing in an interaction with Debashis Sarkar, Editor-Tech, ReturnByte shared what it takes to grow the popularity of Formula E and get more Indians interested in the sport.

“Victory…Victory! That’s the only way to get recognition. That’s the good thing about sports. If we want people to recognize and be excited… we can just tell them – look how great it is, and yes, you should be excited. That’s not how sports work. The only thing that can work is the moment we meet expectations. When we (Mahindra Racing) start winning regularly and topping the table, people will start recognizing us,” Bertrand said.

“Winning…winning! That’s the only way to gain recognition.

He said: “Today we can be proud of what Mahindra has done since the beginning because it’s a really big thing for Mahindra to win the championship with the big names. But now we have to look at the next step – Mahindra not only competes but also wins. That’s our goal at Mahindra Racing .

While Mahindra is a big name in India, thanks to cars like the XUV, Scorpio, Thar and others; Outside India, Mahindra still has a lot to do to attract more eyeballs. Despite this, getting a racing team is definitely one way to go. “I think Formula E is a good way to talk about the kind of technical work that is being done in India regarding the electric platform and that Mahindra can make attractive cars and compete against big names like Maserati, Jaguar, Nissan, among others. brand more attractive worldwide.

We have to look at the next step- Mahindra is not just competing but also winning. That’s our goal at Mahindra Racing

Speaking about the team’s performance in Season 9, Bertrand said: “This weekend has been very similar to the whole season – full of ups and downs. We had a great start to the weekend with Lucas finishing sixth in the first race, but today’s race was more complicated in addition to the wet weather. Of course it would have been good to stay in the championship with our ninth place, but it wasn’t a place we were happy to be fighting for first. Next year is now the focus. We’re glad this season is over, but we’ll take what we’ve learned and move into a new phase for Mahindra Racing with a new structure and new support so we can be where we need, want and deserve to be.