Oliver Rowland has left the Mahindra Formula E team for the rest of the season, as Roberto Merhi has been roped in for Jakarta weekend.
Mahindra Racing today announces that Roberto Merhi will join its Formula E team as race driver for next weekend’s ABB FIA Formula E World Championship races in Jakarta. Roberto will race the #8 Mahindra M9Electro alongside Lucas Di Grassi in the #11.
A mutual agreement has been reached between Oliver Rowland and the team for him to step aside for the next seven races. Roberto will race in Jakarta, enabling him to gain valuable race experience.
Roberto, who raced for Manor Marussia F1 Team during the 2015 season, joins the Banbury based outfit after his first taste of electric racing at the Rookie Test in Berlin last month. A successful single-seater career saw the Spaniard win races across Formula Renault, Spanish F3, British F3 and Formula Renault 3.5 Series before progressing into Formula One, first as a test driver and then a competing driver. He has also raced in DTM and FIA Formula 2, before advancing into sports car and endurance racing, finishing third in the Asian Le Mans Series Drivers’ Championship in 2020.
Roberto Merhi said: “It’s a huge honour for me to step in and represent Mahindra Racing for the races in Jakarta. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and I’m determined to make the most of it. I had a chance to drive the M9Electro at the rookie test in Berlin but Formula E is very different to any of the other series I’ve raced in so the learning curve will be steep. But I feel ready, excited and up for the challenge.”
Mahindra Racing CEO, Frederic Bertrand, said: “We are delighted to welcome Roberto to the Mahindra Racing team. Roberto has impressive experience in top-level racing and a good track record in major championships. He had a great run with us at the Rookie Test in Berlin last month and we could see he had the potential to become a great asset for the Mahindra Racing team. It’s not easy to jump in mid-season, but Roberto has experience of working with the team, so I’m sure he will slot into the team brilliantly.”
The double-header Jakarta E-Prix takes place next weekend on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th June.
Here’s news on David Beckmann in at Andretti
[Note: The story is as per press release]