Formula Eteams continue to make key moves ahead of season 9 of the series, which will see the debut of the Gen3 car, described by the competition’s promoters as the most powerful electric car in the world.
Mahindra Racing announced the hiring of Frederic Bertrand as the new Team Principal. Bertrand will bring with him all his experience after 10 years at the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).
During his tenure at the world governing body of motorsport, he served as director of Formula E and innovative sports projects. In addition, he oversaw the integration of the Gen3 era in the championship as one of the main representatives of the organization.
Additionally, the Frenchman was also involved in the initiation of the FIA Motorsport Games project, which recently completed its second edition at Paul Ricard.
Following the aforementioned scroll, Bertrand will be in charge of overseeing Mahindra’s fortunes during the Gen3 period, in which the team opted for a revised driving lineup, adding 2016-17 Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi, who will pair with Oliver Rowland.
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Motivation for the New Challenge
Following his appointment, Bertrand expressed his excitement at joining the team and leading an ambitious project within a series that is evolving year by year.
“I have had the privilege of witnessing the growth of the Mahindra Formula E team and I am proud that I have now been entrusted with leading the team to even better performance and results,” he said in statements released by Autosport.
The manager acknowledges that the task will not be easy in preparing everything concerning the new era of Formula E. “The next few months will be tough and will require a lot of hard work, but the goal is clearly to be up to speed in what promises to be an ultra-competitive field of manufacturers and teams.”
“It’s a new chapter and a big challenge in my career, and I can’t wait to get started,” he added. Bertrand’s previous involvement in the development of the Gen3 car is likely to be a bone of contention between other teams and Mahindra, although the route from the FIA to join a competing team has happened before within motorsport.
Through an official statement the FIA can confirmed that Bertrand resigned from his position to pursue other opportunities.