Formula E is Indian car giant Mahindra’s first foray into international single-seater racing, and it has been committed to the series since its inaugural campaign. The company is a manufacturer of electric cars and utilises its competition in the championship as a fast-paced test-bed to develop and refine its groundbreaking electric vehicle technology through its 'Race to Road' programme.
The team scored its breakthrough win in the 2016/17 campaign and in 2017/18, went on to score two further victories thanks to Swedish driver Felix Rosenqvist, who raced alongside German driver Nick Heidfeld.
In the 2017/18 season, the team got off to a strong start before technical issues reduced Felix Rosenqvist's title hopes to nothing more than a distant dream. The team finished fourth overall, one place behind where it finished at the end of 2016/17.
In Season 5, the team was fronted by long-standing Formula E, and former Dragon driver Jerome d’Ambrosio as well as rookie driver Pascal Wehrlein. Another victory followed as d'Ambrosio scooped a win in Marrakesh, and was denied a second of the season in heartbreaking fashion in Mexico City as Wehrlein saw the winner's champagne stolen from his grasp at the last by Lucas di Grassi just metres from the finish line.
After a strong Season 5, Mahindra headed into the 2019/20 campaign with the new M6Electro. Jerome D'Ambrosio closed out a two-year stint with the team with 16th in the standings and four top ten finishes over the season, seeing him edge former team-mate Pascal Wehrlein's Berlin replacement Alex Lynn by just a point. Lynn's exploits at Tempelhof were impressive. Three Super Pole appearances were backed up with good points in the final three rounds on the way to 17th in the Drivers' table.
Such was the intensely competitive nature of Season 7 that Mahindra found itself down in ninth spot in the Teams' table. A stunning maiden win on home soil for Alex Lynn - as well as an expert suplex by Team Principal Dilbagh Gill in celebration in the pit lane - crowned a glorious weekend for the team in London. A string of five retirements in 11 races stunted Alexander Sims' progress after an encouraging podium in Rome. He wound up ninth with Lynn finishing the season 12th in the Drivers' running thanks to podiums in New York and Valencia, on top of that victory in the UK capital.
It was an all-British line-up again for the team in Season 8, with Oliver Rowland joining Sims for 2021/22. A difficult season did bring a higher finish in the team standings, but it was Mahindra's lowest points haul since the first season. Rowland saved their best to the end in Seoul, an impressive qualifying performance saw the Brit take his first podium with the team.
For Season 9, Rowland continued with Mahindra as Sims stepped aside to focus on sports cars. The bespectacled Brit was replaced by Mr Formula E and one of the most successful drivers in the series; Lucas di Grassi. Di Grassi's stint with Mahindra began in spectacular fashion, as the Brazilian speedster claimed third place in the season opener in Mexico City, after starting on pole.
Despite a strong start to the campaign, Season 9 proved to be a tricky one for the Indian outfit. Neither Di Grassi nor Rowland could make it onto the podium again, with both drivers not able to do better than a P6. Rowland also departed the team midway through the season, with his stand-in Roberto Merhi unable to get up to speed with the car and failing to score a point in his seven races. This saw the team limp to a 10th-place finish, with their eyes firmly cast on Season 10.
A fresh new line-up for Mahindra followed with Nyck de Vries partnering with Edoardo Mortara for the 2023/24 campaign. The season was full of teething problems for the new squad, but after initially struggling, there was a glimmer of hope as Mortara put the car on the pole in Berlin, and there were points-scoring efforts for both the Swiss-Italian and de Vries across the season.
GEN3 Evo and a new season beckons for Mahindra, and they'll keep the same race-winning line-up for Season 11, with de Vries and Mortara continuing with the Indian outfit.