Two Brits at Mahindra
The Banbury-based Mahindra team endured a disappointing season six, but the Indian EV specialist has every reason to be optimistic for a bounce-back this year with its all-British driver pairing of Alexander Sims – formerly a race winner with BMW – and ex-Williams development driver Alex Lynn.
For the latter, the Mahindra chance follows a promising stint with the team at the six-race Berlin residency last year. The 27-year-old didn’t find his spark in Formula E during his spells at DS Virgin and Jaguar, but this Le Mans GTE Pro class winner has much more to offer. “It does feel like a fresh start,” says Alex, son of seasoned historic racer and Goodwood regular Shaun Lynn. “The team is expanding in a big way, [team boss] Dilbagh [Gill] has a lot of big plans. We have a brand new powertrain with a new partner in ZF and they are putting a lot of effort into making this a really good partnership. There’s a lot riding on this new car for the team. And for myself as well. I want to prove myself in this category. It’s a good marriage because we both feel like we have a lot to prove.”
Given his family background and deep roots in motorsport, Lynn is well placed to understand the diehards’ cynicism about Formula E and offers some insight into just how Formula E cars compare to conventionally powered single-seaters. “It is different, but the same rules still apply,” he says. “You need to brake as late as possible, carry as much speed through the corner and get on the gas as quick as you can. The elements of driving haven’t changed and you set up a Formula E in much the same way you would a conventional racing car. The only difference is in the race, with the energy saving. In qualifying it’s business as usual, then in the race it is totally different because of the tactics that go around saving energy. That’s the biggest difference. Someone described it as a really fast game of chess, and in a way that’s right.”