London, Mahindra Racing CEO and Team Principal Frederic Bertrand says Kush Maini has the potential to become team’s Formula E driver in the future but made it clear that they will not compromise on its competitive ambitions simply to have an Indian behind the wheel.
“Kush is doing a very good job but he needs to choose at if he will make his career in Formula E or in Formula 1,” Bertrand told PTI ahead of the Formula E season finale here.
“I didn’t look for someone wanting to be the star. I want the team to win. I want Mahindra to win the championship. This is the goal.”
Mahindra became a founding Formula E team in 2013 and has committed to remain in the championship as a manufacturer through at least 2030, entering the Gen4 era next season. Because everyone else is moving forward, you don’t stay stable in this game. “The main thing right now is consistency. “Every time you start not doing anything anymore, it’s going backward. Mahindra’s Indian connection extends beyond Maini. The timing could hardly be more significant for the Indian manufacturer.
Formula E champion Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara driver for Mahindra currently and Bertrand said both bring the level of experience and competitive ability that the team needs as it attempts to establish itself among the front-runners. The Frenchman said the objective when he arrived was to change the team’s mentality from one of merely participating to one of believing it could win. Consistency in the way we work, with the development side and with the performance,” he said. Bertrand said Indian engineers are working with the race team and taking knowledge back into the wider Mahindra Group, while the team also works closely with Mahindra’s technology operations on software and strategy tools.
