Mahindra Racing appoints Frederic Bertrand as CEO

In this role, Frederic will lead Mahindra Racing, one of the founding outfits and the only Indian team to compete in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, which is entertaining its ninth season.

File Photo: Frederic will be based at Mahindra Racing’s headquarters in Banbury, England and will report to the team’s chairperson, Asha Kharga. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Indian motorsports team Mahindra Racing on Monday appointed Frederic Bertrand as its new chief executive officer.

He will be based at Mahindra Racing’s headquarters in Banbury, England and will report to the team’s chairperson, Asha Kharga.

In this role, Frederic will lead Mahindra Racing, one of the founding outfits and the only Indian team to compete in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, which is entertaining its ninth season.

“Frederic brings with him an excellent combination of automobile industry expertise coupled with a specialised focus on motorsports. This is an exciting time, as we get into Season 9, which will feature the all-new Gen 3 car,” Mahindra Racing chairperson Kharga said in a statement.

“This is also an especially important year for Mahindra as a founding Formula E team. For the first time in Formula E history, India will host its first race in Hyderabad in February 2023. We remain committed to our electric mobility agenda, which is a strong marker of our sustainability credentials.” Frédéric joins Mahindra Racing from the FIA, where he was Director of Formula E and Innovative Sport Projects.

He joined the FIA a decade ago as the Head of the Federation’s Sporting Department, where he worked on strategy and development across a wide range of disciplines from single seaters to touring cars, truck racing, drag racing and alternative energy.

He was then appointed Director of FIA Circuit Championships -- a position in which he was charged with structuring and promoting official FIA circuit racing series on an international scale.

Frederic also spearheaded the development of the governing body’s e-sports programmes. He was also a driving force behind the FIA Motorsport Games, which recently concluded its second edition in Marseille (October 29-31).

Speaking about his appointment, Frédéric said, “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.”