Mahindra Racing Finishes Third At Hong Kong Formula E Race

The season 3 inaugural race of the FIA Formula E Championship that was held in Hong Kong has turned out to be an impressive one for Mahindra Racing. German racecar driver Nick Heidfeld finished third in the race securing a podium finish for the team at the Hong Kong ePrix. The win was a nail-biting one, as the electric racecar’s battery was almost at zero per cent as Nick took the chequered flag. Moreover, Felix Rosenqvist, who is the second driver for Mahindra Racing managed to secure the fastest lap timing in the second half of the race. 

The Hong Kong ePrix comprises of 45-laps around the 1.86 km circuit, wherein Heidfeld started at 10th position on the grid. In the first lap itself, he took advantage of the chaos and managed to jump to the fifth position. Managing the charge in his first M3Electro racecar, Heidfeld was able to manage a mid-race car swap which allowed him to move to the third position. In the second half of the race, the German driver concentrated on completing clean laps as he finished the race just behind the second car.

Commenting on his win in the Hong Kong ePrix, Nick Heidfeld said: “I'm very happy to be back on the podium in this Formula E season’s opening race. It’s something you don’t expect when you start 10th on the grid! It is a nice result for the team considering all the hard work over the last couple of months. The pace of the car pre-season was encouraging but you never truly know where you stand until the full race. I had a great getaway from the start and gained more positions in turn one by going around the outside. There was an issue with the energy and lap data, but good communication with the team enabled me to do everything manually. We also made a good call on pit strategy during the safety car period and I was able to overtake during the car swap. After that, I was in third position, with Nico Prost catching up quickly from behind, but toward the end of the race I was able to pull away which is really promising considering they are one of the strongest contenders." 

Nick Heidfeld’s teammate, Felix Rosenqvist, who made his Formula E career debut with Mahindra Racing, unfortunately, was not that lucky. Starting from sixth place on the grid, the Swedish rookie got caught up in early race traffic. Later, his car suffered damage due to a high-speed spin causing him to land in the last position. Unluckily, Rosenqvist had to resort to an early car swap in the race but he gave his best shot by registering the fastest lap of the race. He finished 15th. 

In the FIA Formula E Teams Championship, Mahindra Racing currently stands at fourth position. The next race will be held in Marrakesh in Morocco on November 12. A total of 10 different countries will be visited by Mahindra Racing during the third season of the Formula E Championship.