Mahindra Racing has announced that former Formula One driver Roberto Merhi would once again race for the team in next weekend's inaugural Portland E-Prix. After Oliver Rowland left Mahindra and the Banbury-based team, Merhi made his Formula E World Championship debut in the Jakarta E-Prix double-header. After learning how to "adjust my driving style" to the all-electric series, the Spaniard turned in a solid performance in his first race. Merhi placed 18th in the first race of the Jakarta doubleheader then recovered to place 17th in the second. Next weekend he will be driving for the team once again, and he hopes to improve his speed of adaptation in order to help the team win. Although Roberto Merhi's first Formula E race was in Indonesia, he did participate in the Berlin Rookie Test with Mahindra earlier this year, thus this will be his second race with the team.
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Roberto Merhi Racing Career
Roberto Merhi's track record is unparalleled. Before joining the Manor Marussia F1 Team in 2015, he competed in Formula Renault, the Spanish F3, the British F3, and the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, all of which he won, before moving up to Formula 1. Merhi participates in both single-seaters and endurance racing and in 2020 he won the Asian Le Mans Series Drivers' Championship.
Roberto Merhi on his Mahindra return said, “I am very happy to be back in Portland with Mahindra Racing. After Jakarta, I now have more experience in the car, which will help me a lot and I will be able to keep improving from where we left off. I think the fact that is a new circuit to everyone will be beneficial as everyone will start with the same experience level on the track.
“I have been working hard with my engineers and the team to learn to adjust my driving style to the unique Formula E car. Let’s see how it goes in the next race, but I am optimistic that we can make a good step forward. I would like to thank Mahindra Racing for the confidence and support in me,” he added.
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Formula E: Portland E-Prix
The championship showdown for Formula E is heating up in Portland. The scheduled race date is June 24. Since its first season in 2015, the all-electric racing series has held events in Long Beach, Miami, and New York.
The race will take place at Portland International Raceway. For the Formula E race, the circuit layout may undergo some small adjustments. With the introduction of the E-Prix in 2023, Green Savoree Racing Promotions will have produced three major auto races at PIR: the IndyCar Grand Prix of Portland, the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pacific Office Automation 147, and now the E-Prix
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