Hedifeld replaces Chandhok at Mahindra Formula E

Former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld will partner Bruno Senna at Mahindra Racing during the second season of the FIA Formula E Championship, it has been announced.

Nick Heidfeld raced for the Venturi squad in the inaugural Formula E season, and finished on the podium in the Moscow round of the championship. Prior to foraying into this all-electric series, Heidfeld competed in Formula 1 for over a decade, with a string of third place results for Sauber, Williams, BMW and Lotus being the highlight.

Heidfeld’s appointment officially brings Karun Chandhok’s tenure as a race driver at Mahindra to an end. The Indian driver started his Formula E campaign with a fifth place finish at Beijing, followed by a sixth place finish in Malaysia.

However, the results headed downwards since then and the Indian was never seen in the top 10 again. He finished the championship in 17th position and is now considering a switch of focus to sportscar racing.

Chandhok's teammate, Bruno Senna, in contrast, was able to convert some low key qualifying performances into points results with impressive race craft. Along with his nationality and famous surname being a boon for Mahindra's effort to market itself in major automotive markets outside of India, his season performances were deemed enough to extend his stay at Mahindra for another season.