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Exclusive: Why did De Vries pick Mahindra for Formula E comeback?
On Wednesday morning, the Banbury-based team announced the signing of De Vries and Edoardo Mortara for the 2023/24 season on multi-year contracts. This keeps them in the team until at least the end of season 11. After leaving AlphaTauri in Formula 1 early, it was widely expected that De Vries would return to Formula E, but not necessarily with Mahindra. He was linked to stronger teams like Maserati MSG Racing, the Nissan Formula E Team, and Andretti Formula E. However, Mahindra had a tough start to the Gen3 era and finished as the backmarker in the previous season. Their powertrain was weaker compared to other manufacturers, resulting in poor one-lap pace. They also had to withdraw from the Cape Town E-Prix due to safety concerns. Starting from the back of the grid was a regular occurrence for Mahindra in season nine, leaving Lucas di Grassi with too much work to do. Team Principal Frederic Bertrand acknowledged the need to improve and emphasized their long-term project to regain competitiveness in seasons 11 and 12. De Vries found the team’s future roadmap and existing fundamentals encouraging, and despite the challenges of the upcoming season, he sees it as an exciting new chapter.
Source: Motorsport Week
