Mahindra finally begins Gen4 testing after two-month delay
Mahindra Racing has finally put its Gen4 package on track, beginning a compressed preparation programme for the 2026–27 Formula E season after a two-month delay.
The Indian manufacturer completed the first shakedown of the as-yet-unnamed successor to the M12 Electro in mid-July. The car has since run virtually every week, with its first full test taking place on 4 August.
Mahindra accelerates Gen4 development
The initial running was divided between the Elvington and Abingdon airfields, with Abingdon also hosting the two full-fledged tests completed so far. Mahindra reserve driver Jake Hughes, the former Maserati and McLaren racer, has completed the majority of the mileage.
Edoardo Mortara also briefly drove the new car last week to provide additional feedback. Neither Mortara nor team-mate Nyck de Vries has been confirmed for the 2026–27 campaign, adding a driver-line-up question to Mahindra’s broader Gen4 preparations.
Mahindra had originally intended to begin testing in May, after the company’s board approved the programme in November last year. While groundwork had started before that approval, the May target already left the team several months behind rival manufacturers, which began testing hybrid Gen3/Gen4 packages as early as November 2025.
Supply chain problems and what Mahindra described as “programme risk-management decisions” caused further delays, moving the track debut to mid-July.
Team insists Race 1 target remains unchanged
In a statement issued to Motorsport, the Banbury-based team acknowledged that the late start had “increased pressure in some areas”. However, Mahindra insisted that the delay had not altered its overall development timeline or its target for the opening race.
“It simply means we need to extract maximum value and learning from every test,” the statement continued. “The programme remains challenging, as expected with such a significant new generation of car, but it is progressing at full pace.”
Further running is scheduled in the coming months before all manufacturers meet at Jarama from 16–20 November for the first official pre-season test. The 2026–27 season, which will introduce Formula E’s new 800bhp car, is scheduled to begin at Jeddah on 18–19 December, subject to the prevailing situation in the Middle East. The significance of the transition is also reflected in the London E-Prix season finale and Gen3 title fight, which marks the closing stage of the current era.
Mahindra enters the new generation with momentum. After finishing 10th in the championship during the first two Gen3 seasons, the team has climbed to fourth in 2025–26 with two London races remaining. Mortara has taken four pole positions, while de Vries returned Mahindra to victory lane in Monaco and Tokyo after a near-five-year drought.
Simone Scanu
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.