Mahindra celebrate 'special' season-best result

Edoardo Mortara has described Mahindra's season-best result in the opening race of the Portland E-Prix double-header as "special", after finishing fourth at the Portland International Raceway. 

The opening race was, as expected, a chaotic Formula E affair. The peloton racing was on display, which caught out several lead drivers in the championship. 

Mahindra was not one of the sides to be caught up in the chaos, as Mortara salvaged a season-best P4 finish. It marks Mahindra's latest significant step forwards in its return to the front.

“This result has come at a really great time for the whole team," said Mortara. "It’s another important sign to us that we are making progress and taking steps in the right direction.

“We have shown, and we are demonstrating that, when everything aligns, we can achieve something special as a team. Today we executed a great race, kept our heads in what is often a chaotic race, and we’ve come away with a good haul of points.

“Of course, progress never stands still, so I’m looking ahead to tomorrow, and the opportunity to keep the team’s points-scoring run going.”

Boss 'proud'

As well as being another step in the right direction for the Banbury-based outfit, it is the latest tick on team principal Frederic Bertrand's masterplan. 

Since Bertrand explained his masterplan to RacingNews365 in Berlin, Mahindra has started scoring regular points. The team is 10th in the teams' championship but only five points behind customer team Abt Cupra. 

Bertrand recognises how challenging scoring points in the all-electric series is, making Mortara's P4 extra special. 

“Every single point in Formula E is hard-fought, and to pick up anything from a race, everything has to be as close to perfect as it can be," Bertrand said. 

“Today, in Portland, we showed what we can achieve as a collective when everything comes together.

“I’m hugely proud of the entire team’s performance today – from the drivers to everybody in the garage and back at base in Banbury. We have a long way to go, but we continue to make progress in the right direction, and we want to carry on in this fashion.”