The driver from Castellón will participate in his first two races in the electric category in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Roberto Merhi will make his Formula E debut this weekend on the streets of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, which is hosting the tenth and eleventh rounds of the season. The man from Castellón, a former Formula 1 driver among many other categories, will take the wheel of one of the Mahindra team’s electric single-seaters, from which the British Oliver Rowland has emerged.
Merhi, 32, will be the teammate of the Brazilian Lucas di Grassi in a team that is currently in tenth place in the standings, far from the leader, Jaguar, which has no less than 175 points. All this despite the structure’s good start to the season, with a podium for Di Grassi in the first race, in Mexico.
Roberto had already driven the Mahindra in Formula E in the rookie tests a few months ago, and judging by the decision made, the man from Castellón did a great job in his first contact with the M9Electro.
“It is a great honor for me to represent Mahindra Racing at the Jakarta races. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity and I am determined to make the most of it,” said Merhi.
“I had the opportunity to drive the M9Electro in the rookie test in Berlin, but Formula E is very different to any of the other series I have competed in, so the learning curve will be tough. I feel prepared, excited and ready for the challenge,” he said.
Merhi participated in a large part of the 2015 Formula 1 season with the Manor team, one of the humblest on the grid, which prevented him from shining in his only opportunity in the premier class of motorsport.
Much of his career has been focused on single-seaters, having been European F3 champion. He has also competed in Formula 2, the DTM, the Asian Le Mans Series, the 24 Hours of Le Mans or the Japanese Super GT.
Merhi’s arrival on the grid puts an end to eight years of absence of Spanish riders in the championship, where in the past Jaime Alguersuari, Oriol Servià or Antonio García competed, although their presence was limited to the inaugural season, and in some cases for sporadic form.
Despite this, since this season, the Formula E grid has spoken Spanish thanks to the arrival of the CUPRA brand, which began its participation in the event this year.
