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The fourth race of the Formula E season is fast approaching and it’s the first in a run of three solo races across the next six weeks which will also take in Cape Town and Sao Paulo.
First, though, the all-electric championship is heading to Hyderabad, a first-ever street race circuit in India and FE’s debut in the nation too.
It also means a long-awaited homecoming race for Mahindra, involved in the championship from the outset almost a decade ago and now hoping to add to the sole podium position they’ve managed to claim in the new campaign so far.
Mahindra CEO Frederic Bertrand acknowledged his team have been “preparing a long time” for the race and is excited to give back to the fans who have supported from afar. “Ever since it was announced that Formula E would head to Hyderabad, the team have been excited to be able to put on a show for our amazing Indian fans. We hope we can reward them for their support,” he said ahead of the weekend.
Their iconic driver Lucas Di Grassi, who claimed third in Mexico City, highlighted how this weekend will be more of a level playing field, as a new circuit is added to the mix along with the still-new Gen3 car.
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“It is important for us to have a good race in India – not only for the fans, but for the championship as well. It’s a new track for us, as it is for everyone up and down the grid,” he said. It needs to be a good weekend for us. We are going to try very hard and push to the limit to get the best out of the car.”
That theme of everyone starting from scratch doesn’t quite apply across the grid, given the excellent starts for Andretti’s Jake Dennis and Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein in particular, but a handful of teams are eager to get significant points on the board after something of a false start.
Chief among them are perhaps Maserati, so impressive in pre-season testing but yet to really find their groove in competitive action. Team principal James Rossiter acknowledged the season hadn’t “started in the way that we hoped”, but insisted that the upcoming run could make a big difference.
“[These races] mark the start of one of, if not the most, challenging periods on the calendar, in which we visit three brand new host cities, all of which are long-haul,” Rossiter said ahead of the Hyderabad trip.
“This will make for a steep learning curve, but since every team is effectively starting from zero at each track, the playing field should be levelled.”
Drivers Edo Mortara and Maximilian Guenther are both expecting improved fortunes, following two DNFs for the former so far and a DNS for the latter in Diriyah.
“After spending some time in the simulator, it’s a really interesting circuit to drive. Like other races this season, I expect qualifying to be very important, but the heavy braking zones in Turns One and Three should promote a lot of overtaking,” Mortara said.
“Because the circuit is new, it will be very important to maximise our available track time in practice, and I think that whichever team is able to adapt and evolve the fastest will be the one to beat.”
Meanwhile, Mitch Evans is hoping history repeats itself for Jaguar. “Last year was the first time I’d raced in Jakarta and Seoul, and I won both races, so if we could replicate our winning streak at Hyderabad this weekend, then we can secure some solid points on the table,” he said.
Teammate Sam Bird is looking for more of the same after claiming third and fourth place and 28 points in total across the Saudi Arabian double-header, which lifted him to fourth in the overall standings.
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“I am really pleased with my performance in Diriyah, securing a podium and the fastest lap across the double-header weekend. I’m taking that confidence and channelling it into motivation to do even better in round four in India,” British racer Bird said.
:: Buy tickets for the 2023 Hankook London E-Prix on Saturday 29 & Sunday 30 July by visiting the Formula E website.
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