Mahindra Racing has announced the formation of a strategic partnership with two of its wholly-owned entities; Pininfarina and Tech Mahindra. According to the sole Indian FE team, this agreement is set to give the Mahindra Racing Formula E team access to ‘Pininfarina’s globally renowned design expertise and Tech Mahindra’s digital technology prowess’.
The iconic Italian design house will also become a sponsor of the Formula E team. This will enable the team to leverage Pininfarina’s legendary design and technology expertise to enhance the performance of its M5Electro race car, currently under development for Season 5 of the Formula E Championship which begins in December 2018.
This partnership will also focus on other areas of design and technology, including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) work and help the Indian OEM with its ‘Race to Road’ strategy that involves the application of learnings from the race track into the development of new electric road vehicles, in due course. Mahindra Racing will also have access to Pininfarina’s testing facilities in Italy which will help the team enhance the aerodynamic efficiency of its race car.
“The Mahindra Racing Formula E team has had a very successful start to Season 4 leading both the Teams’ and Drivers’ Championships after the first three races,” commented Ruzbeh Irani, president (Group Communications & Ethics) & chief brand officer, Mahindra Group. “We are now delighted to welcome Pininfarina and Tech Mahindra as partners, as we gear up to meet the challenges of this new season and beyond. Combining their design, technology and digital skills will significantly augment Mahindra Racing’s existing capabilities and raise the bar as far as our performance is concerned. This strategic partnership is also aligned to Mahindra’s vision of FUTURise, a creative expression of how we are driving growth through world class innovation in all our businesses.”
“We are very proud to be part of the Mahindra Racing Formula E Team and to contribute with our know how and expertise to enhancing the performance of Mahindra Racing’s cars,” added Silvio Pietro Angori, CEO, Pininfarina. “This partnership enhances Pininfarina’s passion for racing and exceptional, environmentally responsible automotive performance. We also have developed a profound know how in aerodynamics: our cars have been said to be designed by the wind. We own one of the most advanced Wind Tunnel’s in the world, a centre of excellence for research and development in the aerodynamics and aero-acoustics field since 1972. Over the years many aerodynamic tests have been carried out in our Wind Tunnel for passenger cars, for Formula 1, for motorcycling and for the sports equipment of world-class athletes.”
