Mahindra commits to Formula E’s Gen4 era as full-fledged manufacturer

Mahindra Racing has revealed that it will continue to race in Formula E as a full-fledged manufacturer until the end of the Gen4 era in 2030.

Team principal Frederic Bertrand made the announcement during a special event in Bengaluru, India, on Wednesday, where Mahindra also unveiled the livery for the final season with Gen3 Evo machinery.

While Mahindra was the first manufacturer to commit to the ongoing Gen3 era back in 2020, its Banbury-based team was awaiting board approval to develop its own powertrain for the next phase of Formula E, which will begin in late 2026.

Although Mahindra had already stated its intention to stay on the grid until 2030, the team had been evaluating the possibility of switching to a customer powertrain for the Gen4 cycle.  According to Bertrand, the team’s upturn in form during the 2024-25 season, when it finished fourth in the standings after several difficult years, was instrumental in convincing leadership to commit to a full works programme.

“I can tell you that it’s a big, big joy for me because it has been a long, long negotiation [process],” Betrand told Autosport.

“When you come from where we were [in terms of performance], to bring people back at a confidence level that they think that you can win or make the brand proud and be totally in line with what is expected is a long journey, and you cannot expect people to take the decision overnight. 

“It has been a long discussion on the pros and cons. The goal of being in Gen4 was more or less always there, but competing as a customer was a study at one moment.

“For me, instead of just insisting we need to go as a manufacturer, [I chose to deliver on track]. Until I had proven that we can deliver a good car, I had no chance. 

“So it was a long [process], but in a way it was my own strategy too, to give time because I knew that the more we would be able to deliver, the more I would gain in credibility, the more I would be able to get the trust of everyone in the group and the more support I would get.

“With these types of projects, if you don’t bring the performance, it’s easy to kill [them]. The moment you start to bring [results], people start to believe that it makes sense and then you start to create enthusiasm, excitement.”

Other manufacturers recently completed their first private test for Formula E’s next era in Monteblanco, Spain, running either full Gen4 powertrains or a hybrid of Gen4/Gen3 hardware. 

Mahindra wasn’t among those present, but Bertrand insisted that it “never stopped” working on its Gen4 powertrain, hinting the team had begun laying the groundwork before receiving the greenlight for the project.

Although Mahindra missed the official cut-off date for registering as a manufacturer, Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds told Autosport that the deadline isn’t ‘hard and fast’.

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– The Autosport.com Team