Mahindra Racing appoints Frédéric Bertrand as its new CEO

Mahindra Racing is on a mission to get back up the competitive ladder of Formula E, and for that, it is making a host of new changes. Frédéric Bertrand has been appointed as the new CEO of the team, replacing Dilbagh Gill, who recently left his role. Bertrand will report to Mahindra Racing Chairperson, Asha Kharge, and will be based at the team headquarters in Banbury, England. 

Bertrand comes off a storied career, especially with his involvement with the FIA in various roles. He started with the organisation a decade ago as the Head of the Sporting Department. In more recent years, he has spearheaded the organisation’s appeal to the modern generation, with a focus on e-sports and the partnership with the Olympics to create the FIA Motorsport Games. He has also been the Director of Formula E in a previous appointment. 

Speaking about his appointment, he said, “I am delighted and extremely excited to be joining Mahindra Group to lead its racing activities. I have been privileged to witness the growth of the Mahindra Formula E team and feel proud to have now been entrusted with driving the team to even greater performance and results. The coming months will be tough and will require a lot of hard work, but the goal is clearly to be on the pace in what promises to be an ultra-competitive field of manufacturers and teams. It is a new chapter and major challenge in my career, and I cannot wait to get started!”

Mahindra Racing has slowly slipped down the order in Formula E since its high of third in the championship in 2016. To recover, it has made many investments recently, with upgrades at its Banbury base and a partnership with the ABT Sportsline team to provide customer engines for the first time. For the new Gen 3 regulations in 2023, it will field champion Lucas Di Grassi and Oliver Rowland as its drivers. Bertrand’s appointment will surely hope to continue the upward rise for the team.