Formula E Season Two Review: Mahindra

In what was a disappointing debut season in the series, Mahindra came back fighting in season two.

Nick Heidfeld replaced the departing Karun Chandhok, who scored points in just two races in season one. Bruno Senna retained his spot with the Indian team.

After finishing eighth in the Teams’ Championship in season one, Mahindra were desperate to improve for the second season. A change in powertrains and improvement in the driver line-up proved to be a good decision for Mahindra, as they scored points more consistently.

They also had two podium finishes, the first at the season opener in Beijing with Heidfeld in third, and the second being at the first London ePrix with Senna finishing second. The pairing of Heidfeld and Senna was evenly matched with the former outscoring the latter by just a single point.

Mahindra will be encouraged by their progress over the past couple of seasons but further progress is required if they are to take that first win in Formula E.

Nick Heidfeld

Championship Position: 10th

Points: 53

Best Finish: 3rd

The former BMW-Sauber F1 driver was incredibly consistent scoring in seven of the nine rounds he participated in. His best result of the season came at the season opener in Beijing, finishing behind eventual title challengers Sebastien Buemi and Lucas di Grassi.

The German was ruled out of the Punta del Este ePrix after undergoing surgery to repair ligament damage in his wrist after a crash at the previous race in Putrajaya. He was replaced by GP2 star and reigning Formula Renault 3.5 champion Oliver Rowland.

A fourth position at the Long Beach ePrix was the German’s best result in the latter part of the season.

Bruno Senna

Championship Position: 11th

Points: 52

Best Finish: 2nd

Like Heidfeld, it was a solid but unspectacular season for Senna. He started the season slowly with only one points finish in the first three rounds. Five consecutive finishes in the top ten followed by a strong end to the season in London meant Senna finished just behind his teammate in the Drivers’ Championship.

Mahindra have yet to confirm their driver line-up for next season but both Senna and Heidfeld were solid performers last season. It would make sense for the team to retain these two for another season as they look to win their first race in the series.