Just four rounds into the current Formula E season, Mahindra Racing has already scored more points than it did in the first 12 rounds last year. The Indian squad currently stands sixth in the 2025 standings with 41 points.
After three difficult years, it finally looks like the team has found its way back to being a consistent points scorer. But team principal and CEO Frederic Bertrand insists that, given all the sweeping changes that have been made, the team is still very much on a learning curve. Recently, at the Jeddah E-Prix, we had the chance to catch up with Bertrand to discuss these key changes and learn more about the team’s resurgence plans.
-
Mahindra Racing is currently in P6 in standings with 41 points
-
It’s looking for more collaboration with Mahindra Auto, Tech Mahindra
Mahindra M11Electro: What’s new?
Formula E’s two-year homologation rule meant that Mahindra had to field the same car in 2023 and 2024. So, for 2025, the biggest change is the car itself, with the new M11Electro getting an all-new powertrain, new hardware, suspension and gearbox.
“In the last 18 months, we’ve been able to design for performance for the first time,” said Bertrand. “I think the previous [car] was designed for cost in a way that does not work in motorsport, unfortunately.”
“We went back to something much more rational. We have no fear to take something that looks a little bit simple but works. Of course, we can dream of better, and we keep that on the side. But first, we deliver what we need,” he added. “It was never a problem of ambition; it was a problem of matching ambition and means. So, we probably improved the way we invested the money.”
One area that Bertrand did choose to invest in is suppliers, along with close project management, which means flying members down to work closely with its USA-based suppliers. Bertrand said this is something that he picked up from his past experience in the automotive business. “It’s costly, but it’s a good investment because if you have your engineers based in the factory of the supplier, I can tell you the level of attention is very different.”
Creating a customer team mindset
Another key change is that Mahindra Racing now has separate teams focusing on development (headed by technical director Josef Holden) and performance (headed by performance director Jeremy Colacon). Bertrand cites Envision Racing and Andretti’s success in the 2023 season, where they outscored their respective manufacturers, Jaguar and Porsche, as inspiration for this.
Bertrand also highlights that this is precisely why bringing in Colacon, who joined the team in 2024 after previously working with Maserati and Venturi, was key. “Internally, it creates a nice challenge for the development team,” he explained. “That’s why I like having Jeremy [Colacon]; he was in a customer team before. So, he was used to managing the relationship with an external manufacturer and fighting against the manufacturer’s race team.”
“I wanted to internally create that kind of behaviour. He’s now managing Josef [Holden] in the same way he was managing Mercedes or Stellantis in the past. And that relationship is super good because you have those two guys trying to push each other.”
Another part of the equation is the drivers – Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara – both of whom understand the long-term nature of the plan. “We need to make sure that we don’t make mistakes [when it comes to execution]. Now that we have a better car, if we don’t make any mistakes, that makes the driver really feel empowered to be making a difference,” Bertrand added.
“They have no excuses anymore; it’s their job [to deliver]. And that’s where we have two very good drivers for that. They really like the challenge; they are bringing a very good spirit – open-minded, taking and bringing a lot of information.”
“The way we work with the drivers has improved a lot because of the two guys we have now; everybody knew where we were. So, last year, even if the season was difficult and had a lot of challenges and frustrations, at no point did it become a subject of frustration for them.”
More collaboration with Mahindra Auto
“Probably what has changed the most between the Mahindra before and the Mahindra now is the way we work is much more data-driven than model-driven,” Bertrand stressed. The team has hired over 60 new people in the past 18 months, and a lot of these have been younger hires.
“We take in a lot of young guys because we are training them the way we want,” explained. Bertrand. “It’s very interesting because when they come to us, even if they come with a very strong background, they discover things which are very specific to racing – the level of reactivity, you need a solution before you get the problem.”
Bertrand also revealed that Mahindra Racing has an exchange program in place with R Velusamy’s (president, Automotive Technology and Product Development, Auto Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra) team. And going ahead, he’s hoping to further strengthen collaboration with Mahindra’s automotive division, with AI (artificial intelligence) being a potential avenue.
“Right now, AI is definitely one area where we have a big potential, and Tech Mahindra and now M&M have a strong background in AI,” he said. “I think altogether there is a big potential there for us to analyse more data, get a more accurate understanding of some issues, and then treat them with more options.”
“What we love is to have options, test the options and get trained before anything happens. This is why AI is so good for us; it gives you all the parallel possibilities. You train the guys on the simulator, but if you can simulate even more scenarios, then it’s even better.”
Mahindra Racing expectations for Formula E 2025
Rather than hitting the ground running and chasing podiums, Mahindra is keen to use the ongoing Season 11 to understand its new car better. As Bertrand puts it, “As long as we can manage to deliver exactly what we say, we get additional credibility.”
In line with that, the team’s goal for the 2025 season remains to finish P5-P6. “If we achieve that in Season 11, then in Season 12, we can be a bit more ambitious because we will have understood more about the car,” Bertrand said.
The 2025 Formula E season will resume with the Miami E-Prix on April 12.
Also see:
Nissan, DS Penske win Formula E Jeddah E-Prix; Mahindra in top 10
Formula E: Nissan’s Rowland defeats Porsche to win Mexico City E-Prix
