MEDIA GUIDE HONG KONG FIA FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP MahindraRacing mahindraracing

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1 MEDIA GUIDE R1 HONG KONG FIA FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP MahindraRacing mahindraracing

2 NEW FOR SEASON 3 Series changes hint at best Formula E season yet Mahindra Racing returns for season three of the FIA Formula E Championship with high technical and sporting ambitions in the ground-breaking, first fully-electric global championship. The team will visit 10 different countries for 12 races from October through to July 2017, kicking off with the brand new 1.860km circuit in Hong Kong s Central Harbourfront area on October 9. A new race in Marrakesh has joined the calendar as well, taking place a few weeks later on November 12. Early next year the series returns to Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Monaco, Paris and Berlin before the final five new races Brussels and two double-headers in New York and Montreal. Taking to the street circuits will be the M3Electro, featuring an allnew Mahindra-developed powertrain for the season. The completely redesigned package aims to transfer more power to the wheels. Each of the team s four M3Electro cars is lighter with the FIA minimum weight restriction lowered to 880kg, includes a fullycustomisable steering wheel with greater data visibility for drivers and also sports a striking new curved front wing. Under the revised sporting regulations, energy harvesting (known as regeneration or regen) has been increased from 100kW to 150kW. Piloting each car will be new Formula E driver and rising Swedish star Felix Rosenqvist alongside returning German driver Nick Heidfeld as the team s full line-up for the season. FACTS & FIGURES The new M3Electro completed 4,100km in testing Nick and Felix clocked up 478 laps at Donington The livery of the M3Electro was selected from 281 competition entries from Mahindra Racing fans 2

3 RACE PREVIEW First look at Hong Kong for Mahindra Racing Mahindra Racing travels to the Hong Kong for the first race of the FIA Formula E Championship with high hopes following a successful pre-season test programme. The team welcomed back German Nick Heidfeld, returning for his third season in Formula E and second with Mahindra Racing, before signing series newcomer, Swede Felix Rosenqvist. The 2015 European Formula 3 Champion, Rosenqvist has an enviable record on street circuits including back-to-back wins at the Macau Grand Prix. In preparation for season three, Mahindra Racing completed over 4,100km of testing in the team s new M3Electro. Featuring a completely redesigned Mahindradeveloped powertrain, the M3Electro is in a position to build on the team s success. Mahindra is where we wanted to be at the beginning of season three and I think we are going into this season the best prepared we have ever been since the start of the championship. Dilbagh Gill, Team Principal After 2,200km were amassed during 15 private days across Spain in July, the team took on the 4.003km Donington Park Circuit to complete a total of 478 laps over a further six days. While the championship s British home is a far cry from the city centre street circuits that make up the 12-race calendar, it was still a chance to gain a rough indication of where the team might feature come October 9. Mahindra is where we wanted to be at the beginning season three of the FIA Formula E Championship and I think we are going into this season the best prepared we have ever been since the start of the championship, says Dilbagh Gill, Mahindra Racing Team Principal. Our rookie driver, Felix, has completely settled in to the team and Nick has contributed massively to our new M3Electro development all the way through. Race one in Hong Kong presents a new circuit and challenge for the team, but we are totally satisfied that our preparations put us in a strong position for the new Formula E season. 3

4 I feel very well prepared for Hong Kong and the challenge of Formula E s street circuits. With the M3Electro, it is very interesting for me as a driver because the series is very hands-on and involves a technical element at a completely different level than what any other category can offer. It s going to be a tough learning curve to adapt to the high-pressure, single-day format street races of Formula E, but a challenge is what I love. Our pre-season testing went well and the M3Electro has been very reliable. The Mahindra Racing-developed powertrain seems to be competitive so far compared to the other teams, but the real test will be to see what we can do during the first race. I m excited to get started. I m looking forward to getting underway with the new season and hopefully moving Mahindra Racing forward in the championship. Dilbagh Gill, Team Principal It s going to be a tough learning curve to adapt to Formula E, but a challenge is what I love. I am happy with how pre-season testing has gone with the new M3Electro. There have been some big changes with the new Mahindra Racing powertrain. The rear end of the season three package looks very nice and sleek. We completed a lot of kilometres in pre-season testing both in private and then at the combined tests at Donington, but we will have a lot tighter corners and bumps at the races. The street circuits of Formula E are what make this championship very exciting and challenging for a race driver and Hong Kong will be no different. I m looking forward to getting underway with the new season and hopefully moving Mahindra Racing forward in the championship. 4

5 Formula E: First Race Hong Kong eprix, 9 October 2016 Born: 7 November 1991, Värnamo, Sweden Height: 170cm / Weight: 66kg Career Overview: 2016 FIA Formula E (Mahindra Racing), Indy Lights, Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup, DTM (test and reserve driver) 2015 FIA Formula 3 European Championship: Champion Macau Grand Prix: two-time winner FIA Formula 3 European Championship 2010 ATS Formula 3 Cup 2009 Formula Renault 2.0 Sweden / NEZ: Champion 2008 Formula Asia 2.0: Champion 2007 Asian Formula Renault: Rookie of the Year Dilbagh Gill, Team Principal Formula E: 20 Races, 2 podiums, 1 Fastest Lap Born: 10 May 1977, Mönchengladbach, Germany Height: 167cm / Weight: 62kg Career Overview: FIA Formula E (Mahindra Racing), 24h Le Mans LMP FIA Formula E (Venturi) 2014 World Endurance Racing LMP1 Endurance Trophy: Champion 2013 Petit Le Mans: 1st place h Le Mans LMP1: 4th overall Formula 1: 13 podiums; 5th 2007 Drivers Championship 1999 FIA Formula 3000: Champion 1997 German Formula 3: Champion 1995 Formula Ford 1800: Champion 1994 Formula Ford 1600: Champion 5

6 TECHNICAL PREVIEW Vinit Patel, Chief Engineer It s good that we are finally getting to the first race in Hong Kong for the start of the FIA Formula E Championship. Based on all the work we have done this calendar year on the M3Electro, we know we made a very good revolutionary step over the M2Electro. But we re not sitting back and assuming this takes us a long way forwards against the competition because we know everyone else has made a really big step too. While we had the combined tests at Donington, it s an unrepresentative circuit from a Formula E street race perspective. So we still only have a small indication of our pace and potential for this season, however, the general consensus is that we will be in the mix with the regular points scorers in and around the top ten. It is here that the competition will be toughest. I think we ll see that a very small amount of time, even 0.1 of a second, could be the difference between being second on the grid and qualifying in 10th. I predict it s going to be very, very close in these first few races of season three. Since the second test at the start of September, we have worked through our race day procedures to refresh our minds ready for the race. Formula E races all happen on one day, so there s no time to recover if you get it wrong. While the cars were shipped to Hong Kong just after the combined testing at Donington, we have spent the interim time working on progressing the team and sharpening everyone up to a militarised operation. On race day in Hong Kong, we could have a few curve balls to juggle. It s typhoon season in the area at the moment and while the temperature will climb to around 30 degrees Celsius, rain showers are highly likely. Whatever happens, we are confident our preparations will enable us to move Mahindra Racing another step forward to begin to challenge regularly towards the sharp end of the grid. 6

7 The straight leads into a very tricky and technical slow speed section between turns three and nine. RACE CIRCUIT Hong Kong eprix Weather Forecast: C Predicted Lap Times: Qualifying (200kW) 58.9s Race Mode (170kW) 60.3s Race Mode Lap Time with Energy Saving: 62-65s depending on strategy Track Length: 1.860km Corners: 10 Tyre Operating Tempature C The chicane at three and four will be a place where everyone is going to have to look for time, especially in qualifying. We won t know the exact nature of the kerbs until we arrive but taking risks in attacking them will reward the brave drivers. The layout of the Hong Kong eprix itself is potentially going to throw up lots of overtaking opportunities into turn one and turn two. The key part to the circuit will be maximising what you can on the long straight one of the longest FE will go to. Based on our simulation work it will have the second-highest end of straight speed that we have come across so far. It s a case of balancing where you save energy by coasting or using power regeneration against being attacked by cars around you who are trying to overtake you. KEY: Corner Number Regen Area Hong Kong will be the 22nd Formula E race The main straight is 555m long Rain showers are highly likely!

8 RACE TIMETABLE RACE POSTER Click to download in high resolution Sunday 9 October Practice Practice Qualifying Group Qualifying Group Qualifying Group Qualifying Group Super Pole HKT Hong Kong eprix 5

9 TOP SPEED 225KPH ALL-NEW POWERTRAIN 0-100KPH IN LESS THAN 3 SECONDS M3ELECTRO OVERVIEW Revolutionary changes for season three of the FIA Formula E Championship With increased ambition in the world s first fully-electric racing championship, Mahindra Racing set about developing an all-new powertrain for the third season of the FIA Formula E Championship. The M3Electro project was initially born from over 2,500 hours of work and successfully completed 4,100km in testing since July Mahindra Racing s own technical team, its partner Magneti Marelli and a host of top flight suppliers have contributed to a big step forward in the car s specialised electric and mechanical components for the new season. All new Mahindra Racing-developed multispeed powertrain Minimum weight including driver lowered to 880kg Updated carbon-fibre front wing Next generation Michelin-supplied Formula E 18-inch tyres New fully-customisable race steering wheel Permitted energy regen increased from 100kW to 150kW Williams-supplied batteries (350kg, 600V, 28kWh capacity) Spark-supplied FIA Formula E chassis: Overall length 5,000mm Overall width 1,800mm Overall height 1,250mm Track width 1,300mm Ride Height 75mm 6

10 HONG KONG Race 1 - Central Harbourfront The FIA Formula E Championship makes its first visit to Hong Kong this season with a spectacular opening round in the Central Harbourfront area. The season features 12 races in 10 different exciting locations. Hong Kong is one of seven new races for the third season of the series, which includes a visit to Marrakesh in November. From February 2017, Formula E visits a further eight countries with new circuits in Brussels followed by two double-headers in New York and Montreal. R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 Hong Kong 09 OCT 16 Marrakesh 12 NOV 16 Buenos Aires 18 FEB 17 Mexico City 01 APR 17 Monaco 13 MAY 17 Paris 20 MAY 17 Berlin 10 JUN 17 Brussels 01 JUL 17 New York 15 JUL 17 New York 16 JUL 17 Montreal 29 JUL 17 Montreal 30 JUL 17

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