Mahindra Racing is preparing for an action-filled 2023 season with the help of a new driver, a new CEO, and a new generation of cars. The team recently tested in Valencia and is well on its way to a successful 2023 season.

Oliver Rowland and Lucas Di Grassi hit the infamous track in Valencia in their Gen3 Mahindra M9Electro race cars for the first time last week, even taking part in the sport’s simulated race weekend. The sim included one practice session, a qualifying sim, and a complete race sim, giving the drivers a fair picture of the times to come.

Former Formula E champion Lucas Di Grassi joined the team for the 2023 season and finished the simulation race weekend in a respectable P15. The Brazilian driver is optimistic about his chances with the Indian team next year, claiming his team suffered no reliability issues.

The new Mahindra Racing driver said:

“It has been a long four days of testing but it has been very successful in my opinion. We had pretty much zero reliability problems with the car and we were able to do a lot of laps and race simulations so we are very happy. I’m enjoying working with Mahindra too. I’m understanding how everyone works and we are getting better every time I go out in the car. We are getting our heads around the Gen3 too, which is the main thing. It is very motivating for everybody and I hope we can arrive in Mexico with the same feeling that we have after this test.”

Mahindra Racing boasts a new CEO and livery update

A striking new red and copper livery will make its way onto the #8 and #11 Gen3 Mahindra cars, driven by Oliver Rowland and Lucas Di Grassi. The livery was made by Mahindra Advanced Design Europe and will feature on the team’s 2023 car.

Mahindra Racing chairperson Asha Kharga said of the new livery concept:

“I am delighted to launch our livery for the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship here in Valencia. The Gen3 livery takes inspiration from our Born Electric platform design language and marks the latest global colour trend in fashion, with the copper combining with the signature Mahindra red. Elements of the design pay homage to Mahindra Racing history and our previous successes, with others demonstrating our vision towards the Gen3 era of Formula E.”

The team is also preparing for a successful 2023 season with its new CEO Frederic Bertrand, who made his first appearance in the pre-season test in Valencia. Bertrand said of the team’s effort in Valencia:

“It has been a very long week, with lots learnt. It was a big team effort to get the cars on track and to understand everything with this new Gen3 car. I think we all feel quite satisfied with how the test went. All the team, including the support from ZF, did a great job. The team now has so much data that we can work with back in the factory in preparation for Mexico.”

It will be interesting to see how things develop for Mahindra Racing in 2023. The inclusion of 2016/2017 Formula E world champion Lucas Di Grassi will help spruce things up at the Indian outfit.