@MahindraRacing Capitalise on Manic #MexicoePrix to Claim Double Points
It’s an ill wind that blows no good, and certainly that was the case for Mahindra Racing Formula E team as they were one of the teams that benefited from the exclusion of Lucas di Grassi after the Mexico ePrix. The Brazilian driver’s disqualification meant that all drivers moved up one place and meant both Mahindra drivers finished in the points, maintaining fifth position in the FIA Formula E Team standings. Nick Heidfeld finished in P8, scoring four Championship points followed by Bruno Senna in P10 earning a further point.
Watched by a near capacity crowd, the inaugural Mexico ePrix was the first ever Formula E race to be held on a permanent racetrack at the historic Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
#23 Nick Heidfeld said: “It was a tough race to earn four points. Of course, I expect us to be finishing much further up the field and this will come. The circuit was very bumpy and testing for all the drivers and we saw so many incidents and mistakes during the race. It’s a tough circuit physically on the arms because some parts that are flat are not straight so you are turning all the time.”
“The difficulty today was energy management. We saw that the pace of the car was good but I had to push and defend a lot in the first stint. I had to coast more than the cars around me which we are trying to understand at the moment because usually we are very strong on energy use in races. This meant I had to be careful with my energy strategy on the final laps but it was an enjoyable battle.”
Bruno Senna who had contact on his qualifying lap, started the Mexico ePrix from P16 and using a strong energy strategy and a clean car swap, gained 6 positions during the race. He finished just outside the points scoring positions in P10.
#21 Bruno Senna said: “This was a tricky day for me as I was always going to have a difficult race after my spin in qualifying, but that’s racing. We had a strong set up and I believe we could have started and finished in a much higher position. It was an exciting race for the fans and I would have liked to bring home more points for the team, but it was enjoyable to compete with the other drivers on a circuit that has such heritage. I hope that the Mexico ePrix continues to be part of the Formula E calendar for years to come.”
“With five rounds complete, we have reached the half way stage of the season and I think we have gradually connected all the dots. We have an efficient, reliable car, a strong team and now also a skilled and practiced car swap strategy. The pit stop was fantastic again today. We still have to find some extra raw pace so we start further forward, but I am confident that we are gaining ground and building toward a strong second half of the season.”
Dilbagh Gill, Team Principal of Mahindra Racing Formula E Team, said: “This was a disappointing race for us. We expect to be competing closer to the front and scoring regular points in both cars. I am pleased that having worked so hard on quicker, cleaner pit stops, that this has now become an advantageous stage of the race for us, one which allows us to gain positions. The target for us is to improve our qualifying pace and hit the ground running in the second half of the season.
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