As of now, Mahindra is the only homegrown carmaker with international motorsport participation, in the Formula E series, not to mention they were one of the 10 founding manufacturers of the series. And now they also have an Indian Driver in the lineup! Kush Maini joins the team as a reserve driver, marking a historic moment for Indian motorsport with an Indian Driver on an Indian team in the top-tier international motorsport scene.
Mahindra Formula E team currently has Dutchman Nyck de Vries and Swiss Edoardo Mortara as the main drivers, however, Maini being the reserve driver means he may need to step in the shoes of either of these driver’s at a moment’s notice to drive. He will also be doing quite a bit of work on the simulator alongside his other charge which is his curriculum at the Alpine Academy.
Mahindra is coming off a weaker season than usual, as their showing in season 9 leaves some room for improvement, but the team is aware of that and Frederic Bertrand mentioned that a large number of behind-the-scenes changes are taking place to get them back on the race pace. Meanwhile, Kush had a stellar performance in the 2020 season of British Formula 3 championship as a runner-up with 3 wins and 12 podiums. He drove in the F3 Asian Championship before moving to FIA Formula 3 for 2022 and then graduating to F2 for the 2023 season.
Formula E, apart from MotoGP, is the only top-tier international motorsport event with a race in India as well, so we hope to see Kush Driving the Mahindra racecar at the Hyderabad street circuit and if that happens we will have witnessed one of the most epic moments of motorsport in India.
