India race is high on the priority list: Formula E CEO

MUMBAI: Mahindra Racing has been part of FIA Formula E World Championship since the competition's inception in 2014-15 and while they've had some decent results and managed to generate a tremendous amount of interest for the sport in India, it still hasn't captivated a wider audience.
Hosting a race in the country could change that and Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle told TOI from Riyadh on Tuesday that his team "wouldn't be fulfilling their duty if they weren't trying to figure out a way to make that happen."
Reigle, who has worked with Manchester United in the English Premier League and Los Angeles Rams in the NFL, said that India will most certainly be a venue contender during the Formula E Gen3 era, which begins with the 2022-23 season.
"We know we must prioritize India as a strategic market. It's a large market with young consumers who are also mindful of climate change. For most of the youngsters, their first car will probably be an electric car. And Formula E is a very exciting sport. We have so many rule changes to try and make it exciting season after season. We want to increase the number of races in Gen3 and India is high on the priority list though we haven't drawn up anything concrete yet," Reigle said.
Mahindra Racing, on their part, are geared up for the season's opening double-header this weekend in Saudi Arabia, which will also see the competition's first-ever night race.
Mahindra slumped to ninth in the teams' standings last year after failing to score a podium all season, with a mid-year change of gearbox supplier being identified as the biggest reason behind its downturn in performance. But the team has been working hard on a new powertrain since the start of Season Six, and they believe this could allow it to return to the front of the pack.
They have a strong driver line-up comprising Alexander Sims, last year's Diriyah E-Prix winner, and Alex Lynn, who has been a very consistent performer in qualifying.
Mahindra team principal Dilbagh Gill says their new powertrain is showing plenty of positives.
"I think this might be one of the biggest upgrades we've ever done. We are pretty satisfied with the numbers we've seen both on track and off track," he said.