Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Roberto Merhi

  • Merhi in at Mahindra

    Mahindra Racing have announced a change to their driver line-up for the remaining seven races of Season 9, as Oliver Rowland has departed the team. The team now welcome Spaniard Roberto Merhi, who recently drove for the team in the recent Berlin Rookie Test.

    Merhi will race for the Mahindra team, alongside Season 3 Formula E Champion Lucas di Grassi from the Jakarta E-Prix this weekend.

    The team stated that a “mutual agreement ” had been reached between Rowland Mahindra for him to step aside for the next seven races.

    Rowland has plenty of Formula E experience under his belt, with his first race being the 2015 Punta del Este E-Prix and has gathered 64 race entries under his belt. As well as achieving five Julius Baer Pole Positions and six podiums.

    However, Rowland currently sits 19th in the Drivers’ World Championship standings with nine points to his name in the new Gen3 era.

    Last time out in Monaco, Rowland had a great start to the race making up eight places. But, his race came to a premature end when a crash resulted in him sustaining a hard injury and being checked at a local hospital. Thankfully an X-ray showed that there was nothing serious and he was expected to race in the Indonesian double header.

    Roberto Merhi has a very impressive racing resume, having raced in Formula 1 with the Manor Marussia F1 Team in 2015, he also had success winning races in various championships including Formula Renault, Spanish F3, British F3 and Formula Renault 3.5 Series.

    As well as single seaters, Merhi also competes in endurance racing and finished the Asian Le Mans Series Drivers’ Championship in 2020.

    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.

    Merhi on the opportunity.

    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.

    Frederic Bertrand, Mahindra Racing CEO

  • Mahindra Racing choose rookies

    Mahindra Racing has confirmed Jehan Daruvala, Jordan King and Roberto Merhi will drive for the team at the Berlin Rookie Test.

    Merhi, who raced for Manor Marussia F1 Team during the 2015 season, joins the Banbury based outfit in Berlin for his first taste of electric motorsport.

    A successful single-seater career saw the Spaniard win races across Formula Renault, Spanish F3, British F4 and Formula 3.5 Euro Series before progressing into Formula One, first as a test driver and then a competing driver.

    Since then, he has advanced into sports cars and endurance racing, finishing third in the Asian Le Mans Series Drivers’ Championship in 2020.

    I’m very happy to make my debut in Formula E with the Rookie Test in Berlin. I would really like to thank Mahindra Racing for trusting me. I will put in all my effort to do a good job for the team. Adapting to a new challenge is exciting and I look forward to it.

    The 32 year old on the test.

    The Berlin test event will be Reserve Driver Jehan Daruvala’s first official outing in the M9Electro, after joining Mahindra Racing at the start of the season. He has since shadowed the teams drivers, Lucas di Grassi and Oliver Rowland in Diriyah and Hyderabad earlier this year.

    The young Indian racer has impressed in recent years competing in FIA Formula 2, scoring multiple wins and podiums, most recently achieving two third-placed finishes during the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix weekend.

    The GEN3 is the fastest Formula E car yet and I’m really excited to be given the chance to drive it in Berlin. My role as Reserve Driver means I have already driven laps in the simulator, and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the M9Electro for real. As an Indian, I’m especially proud to be driving for the only Indian manufacturer on the grid and I’m really grateful to Mahindra Racing for giving me this opportunity.

    Daruvala on the test.

    Formula 1 development driver, Jordan King has been Mahindra Racing’s Simulator and Development Driver since 2021.

    The 29 year old has enjoyed a strong single-seater career, wining the 2013 British F3 Championship and competing in GB2, F2 and IndyCar as well as working with the Manor Marussia and Alpine F1 teams.

    I’m really looking forward to getting in the car and continuing the development work we’ve been doing behind the scenes. It’ll be good to take the weekend’s simulator work straight to the track on Monday morning and carry on the progression and learning. As always, I’m grateful to the team for the opportunity to represent them and I can’t wait to get out there.

    King on the opportunity.