Mahindra Racing Team Principal Frederic Bertrand has assured that his side are “ready to bounce back stronger than ever” at this weekend’s inaugural São Paulo E-Prix, after deciding to pull-out of the recent event in Cape Town following safety concerns.
The Cape Town E-Prix was a disaster for the Indian manufacturer, as both Mahindra and customer side ABT CUPRA Formula E Team pulled-out following safety concerns with the rear suspension of the powertrain. It was an embarrassing moment for the team, given that it raised question marks of how long they’ve been suffering from the issue. Thankfully, the team have solved the issue during the recent four-week break, meaning they are back and ready to make up for lost time in Brazil.
Mahindra will be incredibly well supported this weekend, given that it’s Lucas di Grassi‘s first home race in his nine-year career in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. It’s a monumental occasion for Di Grassi, meaning there will be added importance on the team to produce a strong set-up, given the spectacular reception that would be received should the Brazilian finish on the podium.
Oliver Rowland will also be hoping for a strong weekend after finishing sixth in Hyderabad, India, which is the last race that the team participated in.
Whilst this weekend is the sixth round of the season, São Paulo is very much the end of the first part of Season Nine, given that the championship returns to Europe in April. With that in mind, Bertrand is hopeful that Mahindra can score “strong points” in Brazil, to give them “momentum” for the next phase of the season.
“We were, of course, not happy with how the events of Cape Town turned out, but the team have fully pulled together and are now ready to bounce back stronger than ever in Sao Paulo. We are aiming to put on a fantastic show for Lucas and his home fans as we know how hard he has worked to get this Formula E race to Brazil.
“Both he and Oliver have had strong showings in the early part of the season. The aim is to now get back to that with both cars scoring strong points to finish the first part of the season well, giving us the momentum as we head to Europe in April.”