• Mahindra Racing's championship hopes bolstered by double podium in second New York City ePrix
  • Felix Rosenqvist led teammate Nick Heidfeld to the line in a Mahindra Racing 2-3 finish
  • Mahindra Racing strengthens hold on best-ever third place the Teams' Championship

16 July 2017, New York City: Mahindra Racing celebrated a commanding double podium today in the second race of the inaugural New York City ePrix weekend, the penultimate location of the 2016-17 FIA Formula E Championship.

Following on from the team's maiden win and double podium last month in Berlin, drivers Felix Rosenqvist and Nick Heidfeld put their mark on the race early on. The duo, driving the all-electric M3Electro racecar, both reached Formula E's unique Super Pole shootout session to start the race from 2nd and 5th place respectively.

Series young gun Rosenqvist took advantage of a clean starting line to pass eventual race winner Sam Bird into the first corner of the 49-lap feature. Heidfeld also made gains in the opening laps of the race to follow his teammate into the podium positions.

The team was unable to hold the lead, as Bird took back P1 shortly after lap 10 of the race. However, the impressive 2-3 podium represented a dramatic change in fortunes for the team after a disappointing first race on the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal circuit, which was run on Saturday.

The forgettable first race resulted in an uncharacteristic 15th place finish for Rosenqvist following an enthralling climb through the field from 17th on the grid to 5th, while Heidfeld was forced to retire from 7th position with suspension damage.

It wasn't enough to deter Mahindra Racing from storming to today's double podium result and extending its hold on third in the Teams' Championship with just two races remaining.

Core contingent in the Big Apple
For New York City's premier event on the all-electric series calendar, Mahindra Racing welcomed many guests and partners at the Brooklyn race venue, including Mahindra & Mahindra Chairman Anand Mahindra and the Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra, Dr Pawan Goenka.

Eat, sleep, race, repeat
In just two weeks Mahindra Racing will be back in North America for the final two rounds of the 2016-2017 FIA Formula E Championship. Heidfeld and Rosenqvist will have another chance to swipe some of the last remaining points on offer with a double-header in the centre of Montreal, Canada.

A word from the top

Dilbagh Gill, Team Principal: 'I am delighted to secure our second double podium result of the season in this inaugural New York City ePrix weekend. We cannot hide from the disappointment of the opening race on Saturday, but it made us even hungrier to get a fitting result in Sunday's extended race. This has been an important weekend for Mahindra Racing, so to end it with second and third place is really positive. We have shown that we can bounce back from a difficult race, and our aim now is to finish the championship on a high.'

Our second double podium of the season has really cemented our command of the M3Electro at the hands of our drivers Felix and Nick. Following our maiden victory in Berlin last month, it is so satisfying to be able to follow it up with another strong result.

Felix Rosenqvist: 'I'm thrilled to be back on the podium after a great New York City ePrix. It was feeling pretty good in the beginning and I had a very good start off the line. I thought we had the race under control with Sam. It was great we challenged him for the lead, and though he got past me again at the end of the first stint we were able to show that our car is capable of winning races. It's a great position to be in for the final two rounds of the season and I can't wait to get back in the car in Montreal.

Nick Heidfeld: 'It was a good race and quite exciting, to finish with another double podium is fantastic. I managed to gain a position from the start and was also pushed a bit from the back. Luckily the car stayed in one piece! After that I had very good pace, better than the cars in front but I tried to play it safe especially after what happened yesterday. It was important not to risk anything. With Felix's issue, I could move forward to try and put some pressure on Sam. It was also a great pleasure to win FanBoost today and thank you to all the fans for your votes.'

For further enquiries please contact:
Carrie Mathieson
+44 7766 2444 56
media@mahindrafe.com

About Mahindra Racing

Mahindra Racing is one of ten teams - and the only Indian team - to compete in the FIA Formula E Championship. It is also the first and only Indian team to participate in the FIM MotoGP™ World Motorcycle Racing Championship Series since 2011 and the Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (CIV) in 2012.

Mahindra Racing enters the third season of Formula E with its own electric powertrain to power its quartet of electric racing cars. The M3Electro, launched for season three, is already proving to be a competitive package netting its first ever win, eight podiums, two pole positions and two fastest lap awards from ten rounds. These results are underscored by the Mahindra Racing's current third place in the Teams' Championship standings. Together with drivers Felix Rosenqvist and Nick Heidfeld, the team has high technical and sporting ambitions in the ground-breaking, fully-electric championship.

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About Mahindra

The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise through solutions that power mobility, drive rural prosperity, enhance urban lifestyles and increase business efficiency.

A USD 19 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra provides employment opportunities to over 200,000 people in over 100 countries. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information technology, financial services and vacation ownership. In addition, Mahindra enjoys a strong presence in the agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services, defence, energy, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel, commercial vehicles and two wheeler industries.

In 2015, Mahindra & Mahindra was recognized as the Best Company for CSR in India in a study by the Economic Times. In 2014, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000, a comprehensive listing of the world's largest, most powerful public companies, as measured by revenue, profit, assets and market value. The Mahindra Group also received the Financial Times 'Boldness in Business' Award in the 'Emerging Markets' category in 2013.

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Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. published this content on 16 July 2017 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 17 July 2017 12:12:13 UTC.

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