Mahindra racing officially signed on the Gen 4 era of the Formula E which has guaranteed the company of the next phase of the electric racing championship which will be up till 2030. This was announced by the Team Principal, Frederic Bertrand, at a special event in Bengaluru India, which was a great milestone to the team. It not only ensured that they would be present in the championship once again, but it also underscored the efforts of Mahindra to come up with its own powertrain to get it through the next generations Gen4 which will come into place in late 2026.

The move marks the final culmination of a weighing act between Mahindra staying in Formula E or not. In 2020, the Indian manufacturer became the first one to invest in the current Gen3, although the creators of this move achieved significant success initially, the team had to struggle through a number of seasons of unsuccessful performance. These challenges made the Mahindra management question going into the Gen4 era as a complete manufacturer or they should move towards customer powertrain like many other teams were contemplating.

Sometime it appeared Mahindra could follow the customer direction, and purchase the technology of another supplier. Nevertheless, the reversal in shape in the 2024-25 season when the team ended up taking a commendable fourth place in the championship standings finally persuaded the board of Mahindra to whole-heartedly support the project and provide a green light to the team to establish their own powertrain in Gen4.

The decision was after a long and intricate negotiating process which Frederic Bertrand cogitated about. Well, I can say that it is a big, big joy to me, as it has been a long, long negotiation, Bertrand said. He clarified that performance of the team had been critical in restoring confidence among the management of Mahindra particularly given the long way the company had gone in terms of their past plight. To come where you were to rescue people to a certain level of confidence that they believe you are able to win or by making the brand proud is a long journey, here is what Bertrand said. People cannot be able to make that decision at once.

It did not take a short time to convince the top executives of Mahindra to dedicate their full body into the Gen4 project. Jeopardizing into the Gen4 era as a complete manufacturer had always been on the board, however the team needed to weigh out the advantages and disadvantages of every choice that may include the likelihood of utilizing a customer powertrain. Bertrand stressed that instead of being quick enough to announce his whole commitment, he was concentrating on providing results in the track. He could not get the opportunity before he had demonstrated that we are capable of delivering a good car, and then, he clarified, it was highly necessary that Mahindra would demonstrate that it could perform well and come up with exemplary performance before it has access to the resources needed to roll out a complete manufacturer program.

Performance is all in the motorsport field and more so in electric racing, which is changing very fast. The idea behind the approach by Bertrand has been based in the philosophy that action speaks more than speech. According to him, with such projects, in case you fail to bring the performance, everyone can kill the project.

One day when you begin to deliver results, people begin to think that it makes sense and the next day you begin to generate enthusiasm and excitement. This was the clear indication of what they could achieve and this success in the 2024-25 season despite the past unpleasant experience made the management of Mahindra believe in investing in the future with the full works program of Gen4.

The decision by Mahindra racing to embrace Gen4 by Formula E represents a fresh start of their journey towards electric racing. Having a new emphasis on performance and innovation, the team will be able to compete on the highest level in the further development of the Formula E. Despite not yet entering the market with the own powertrain, it is an ambitious move and pointing to Mahindra being sure in its capabilities and its desire to become a leader in the world of electric racing technologies. With the clock counting to the beginning of the Gen4 in 2026, Mahindra has invested in the future of Formula E and will be keen on proving that they are capable of competing with the old brands of racing in the new era of race.

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