The Mahindra Racing Formula E team will be back in action this weekend as the FIA Formula E Championship gears up to tackle the streets of Putrajaya, Malaysia. Karun Chandhok and Bruno Senna will both jump back into their Mahindra Racing electric chargers as they look to once again challenge for position in the competitive field.
Following a long two month gap the FIA Formula E Championship will be taking over the streets of Putrajaya, racing between some of the most impressive buildings in the city, as the second round of the championship sees Mahindra Racing fighting once again for top honours. The city has built an impressive infrastructure to welcome the teams and drivers complete with a double storey pit building and entertainment areas – giving race fans the best opportunity to see the brand new racing series in full swing.
The race weekend in Putrajaya will take a slightly different shape to the previous round in Beijing with times being brought forward to factor in the anticipated arrival of afternoon rains within the country. This in turn will see an extended single practice session and an earlier than usual qualifying session and race start.
Last time out it was Indian racer Chandhok who came away securing the first batch of points for the team – clinching an impressive fifth position during what was a hard fought race for the Mahindra Racing driver. However fortunes were different for Senna who suffered an unlucky qualifying and race however the Brazilian proved his storming speed during practice to set the fastest overall lap time around the streets of the Olympic Park in Beijing.
Looking ahead to the second round Bruno Senna said, ‘We’re really looking forward to Malaysia after a big break since Beijing. We know we had good pace in Beijing, although luck conspired against me, and I’m aiming to convert that pace into a strong finish in Malaysia. The Putrajaya track looks very interesting and the weather could be a factor there as well. The race has been moved forward to avoid potentially the worst weather, as we know heavy rain is common there in the afternoon, which is a good move.’
Karun Chandhok added, ‘After getting the first points on the board in China, two months has felt like a long time to get back racing. But we’ve worked hard in between the races and I've even had a chance to visit our engineers in Bangalore. I’ve driven the circuit on the simulator and it seems to be more flowing with less chicanes than Beijing. It’s also wider and I think there are quite a few good opportunities for overtaking. The racing was very exciting in Beijing and I think that we can hope for more of the same in Malaysia.'
