The 2020/21 Formula E season will be unlike any other that’s taken place before – it’s the first time the all-electric motorsport has been recognised as a World Championship by the FIA; making it compete with the likes of Formula 1 and a select few others.
For Season 7, Mahindra Racing, a UK-based racing team competition that has an Indian racing license, has today confirmed its new car and drivers. Taking the driver’s seats are two British drivers: Alexander Sims and Alex Lynn, both who have driven in previous Formula E seasons. Lynn raced for Mahindra in the Season Six Finale in Berlin, and Sims has a long-standing presence in the motorsport, where he drove for BMW i Andretti Motorsport in previous championships.
Nick Heidfeld continues in his role as the official test and reserve driver for the team; he has been part of Mahindra since Season 2.
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Alex Lynn said “I’ve had the opportunity of driving the M7Electro on numerous test days and we’re all pretty proud of what we’ve come up with. We won’t know our competitiveness fully until the lights go out in Santiago, but we are here to consistently fight for wins and podiums; that’s what the team go racing for and so do I. From that side, I’m extremely excited and focused to be delivering the results that this hard-working team deserves.”
The Formula E team also revealed the M7Electro, Season 7’s car. The vehicle retains its striking colour scheme of red, white and blue, but with an all-new electrifying livery design. Ahead of Season 6, Mahindra Racing announced a long-term technology partnership with ZF Friedrichshafen AG. Underneath the cover of the M7Electro is the first ZF developed powertrain.
Also new for Season 7 is a technical innovation for the M7Electro’s transmission system, in conjunction with team partner Shell. Working closely with Mahindra Racing and ZF, Shell has developed a dedicated e-Transmission fluid for the M7Electro. The e-Transmission fluid enhances the efficiency of the transmission to deliver further optimised on-track performance.
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The Mahindra Racing also welcomed Maurice Lacroix as its Official Timekeeper. The Swiss watch company has an objective to make its timepieces more accessible to the masses. World-leading Italian brand OMP Racing also joins Mahindra as the team’s official supplier of driver wear. OMP operates in the design and manufacture of safety components for motorsport and its products are used in global championships including F1, WRC, WEC, WTCC, Indycar and NASCAR as well as being an official supplier to the FIA. Its partnership with Mahindra Racing sees the brand joining Formula E for the first time. OMP has recently acquired both Bell Racing Helmets Group and Zeronoise, the latter of which is the company behind the innovative ‘Driver’s Eye’ camera footage in Formula E.
“I’ve spent the last few months embedding myself into Mahindra Racing, getting to know everyone and learning how everyone works, which has been great. We’ve done a lot of simulator testing, which has been extremely helpful, but it’s the track testing that we’ve done that has been invaluable and has gone well. It’s difficult to draw performance comparisons, but what I have got a feeling of is the system and software, which is crucial, and ZF have done a good job on the hardware side with the powertrain. Until we get to Valencia testing and the races, we won’t know where we are competitive-wise, but the initial feelings seem good and we are working flat out to continue to fine-tune and optimise our package. I am so looking forward to seeing what it’s like to drive in the races and getting our teeth into the season” mentioned Alexander Sims.
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Mahindra will continue its association with Voxdale, the Belgian-based company that has been a partner since 2017, to support the team’s design and engineering resources.
The team will test the M7Electro at the all-teams pre-season test from 28 November to 1 December 2020 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. The 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship kicks off with a double-header in Santiago, Chile on 16 and 17 January 2021.
