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Formula E
Rosenqvist to partner Heidfeld at Mahindra in season three
Felix Rosenqvist will partner Nick Heidfeld in the Mahindra team in season three of the FIA Formula E Championship, which begins in Hong Kong on October 9.
Sam Smith
Published: Aug 22, 2016, 7:00 AM
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Rosenqvist will replace Bruno Senna in the team and drive the #19 Mahindra M3ELECTRO. He will be seen publicly for the first time in the car at the official Donington Park Formula E test, which starts on Tuesday.
The Swede’s drive with the Indian team comes after he impressed during private testing in Spain last month. Rosenqvist contributed to the team's season three development alongside Heidfeld, and soon became the number one target for the Indian-owned squad for season three.
“I did more or less half of the testing last month with Mahindra and it went really well,” Rosenqvist told Motorsport.com.
“From then we got a deal done and I am really happy to be joining Mahindra and I think we can achieve a lot together."
“Formula E has been on my radar, especially because it races only on street circuits, and I am strong on street tracks so that was a good reason to come to this championship,” continued Rosenqvist.
“You need to study Formula E quite a bit before you understand what it is all about but once you get that understanding it is really interesting.
"It is good, exciting racing with a high technical level so it challenges the driver. I think you have to be an extra computer in the car in Formula E and calculate a lot when you are driving, so I think I will like it a lot.”
Rosenqvist, who scored a point on his DTM debut last weekend, could dovetail his 2016/17 Formula E programme with a potential drive in the IndyCar series next season.
The 24-year-old tested last month for the Ganassi team after winning three Indy Lights races in his debut season so far this year.
One of the most decorated single-seater drivers over the last decade, Rosenqvist has taken three Formula Renault 2.0 titles, two Masters of F3 titles, two Macau Grand Prix victories and the 2015 FIA European Formula Three championship.
Rosenqvist, who is managed by former McLaren and Ferrari F1 driver Stefan Johansson, is flying direct from Moscow to the UK on Monday for the Donington tests and believes that partnering one of his boyhood idols – Nick Heidfeld - will be the perfect start to his Formula E career.
“It is true, I was a big Nick Heidfeld fan when I was younger,” Rosenqvist added.
“Now I am in the same team as him so it is quite cool. At the end of the day though we are all racing drivers and after the same thing. Nick is a really down-to-earth guy and easy to work with so it will be great competing with him in the same team.”
In addition to the Rosenqvist announcement, the Mahindra Formula E Team also confirmed a partnership with Swiss clothing company Errea.
Mercedes AMG drivers joining Formula E a "coincidence"
Rosenqvist’s confirmation at Mahindra Formula E team comes two weeks after fellow Mercedes AMG driver Maro Engel also joined the championship.
The Swede, however, has told Motorsport.com that he is unaware of any future direct involvement in the series by the German manufacturer.
“I think the fact me and Maro have joined Formula E recently is complete coincidence,” said Rosenqvist. “If Mercedes or HWA is interested in Formula E, then I honestly don’t know and haven’t heard it.
"Of course it would make sense for them to look at it for the future but at this point I haven’t really heard anything.”
Like most manufacturers, Mercedes-Benz has kept updated on Formula E’s future plans and has on occasion met with senior Formula E personnel.
Motorsport.com understands that the German manufacturer is unlikely to get involved until season five in 2018/19 at the earliest.
Formula E season three grid so far:
Team****Drivers Renault e.dams
Sebastien Buemi
Nicolas Prost
ABT Audi Sport
Lucas di Grassi
Daniel Abt
Dragon Racing
Loic Duval
Jerome d'Ambrosio
DS Virgin Racing
Sam Bird
Jose Maria Lopez
Amlin Andretti
Robin Frijns
Antonio Felix da Costa
Techeetah
Jean-Eric Vergne
Ma Qing Hua
Mahindra
Nick Heidfeld
Felix Rosenqvist
Venturi
Stephane Sarrazin
Maro Engel
NEXTEV TCR
Nelson Piquet Jr
Oliver Turvey
Jaguar
Adam Carroll
TBA
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