Mahindra Racing launched the 2021 Driven By Design competition last month in which fans had the opportunity to design the race suits of Mahindra Formula E drivers Alexander Sims and Alex Lynn. The chosen suit designs would be worn by the drivers for the London E-Prix on 24 and 25 July. The drivers had to choose from the sketches submitted by the participants in the competition.
Alex Lynn chose to wear Aiyappa’s design while Sims chose the design submitted by Viyol Ezekiel Crasto. Aiyappa told Mahindra that he had taken inspiration from different geographic locations and also inculcated the thought of different traditions and cultures. He put up the lion which was inspired from the English National team’s logo and also added the chakra and the tri-colours which paid homage to the Mahindra’s country of origin. He is a design graduate and plans on building a career in this field.
Here’s what Alex Lynn had to say about Aiyappa’s design “I love the lion and the dark navy colour too. I saw this design and was immediately struck by it – I love how the designer brought in all the different elements that mean something to me and the team, and it’s perfect for my home race. I’m really looking forward to wearing it at the London E-Prix, which is the first time I will race in my home city as a Formula E driver.”
Viyol had created the design by mashing up features from the UK flag and the Indian flag. He had come across the competition on social media and went for the opportunity. He had been learning graphic designing in his spare time and that helped him come up with the design. He also wants to be involved with the world of motorsport.
On choosing the design, Alexander Sims said “The quality of entries was really impressive and it was clear that people had put real thought and effort into their designs. For the winning design that I selected,I liked the combination of Indian and British colours as well as the cool integration of my logo. I liked the rectangles as well as it made lots of clean lines and boundaries which suits me.”
Both the drivers would be featuring the fan-designed suits for the home race, London E-Prix which is a double header. Viewers can see the suits and the race on Hotstar and the Formula E YouTube channel on July 24 and 25.