Formula E

Mahindra presents Jordan King as replacement for Nyck de Vries at the Berlin E-Prix

Svenja König

Svenja König

Just like Envision Racing, Mahindra also has to reschedule its personnel for the Berlin E-Prix due to a scheduling conflict with the WEC. Nyck de Vries is contractually obliged to prioritise his involvement in the World Endurance Championship with Toyota. As a result, one of the Mahindra replacement drivers Jordan King will be used and will contest his first Formula E race in May after the rookie practice session on Friday afternoon in Misano.

On the European stage, King has made a name for himself primarily in junior series such as Formula 2, its predecessor GP2 and Formula 3. In 2018, he was part of the American Indy Car Series. He has been a reserve driver for Alpin in Formula 1 and Mahindra in Formula E for several years now, during which time he has already completed eight full test days and countless drives in the simulator with the Indian team.

"It goes without saying that I'm really looking forward to making my Formula E debut in Berlin next month," says Jordan King. "It's a team that I know inside out after four years of working with them, and a car that I'm already incredibly familiar with and that I helped develop. My focus is on maintaining the team's momentum on the development front and, of course, enjoying the opportunity to race again."

"Whilst it is frustrating to lose Nyck for a weekend due to a scheduling conflict, he has existing commitments that he needs to honour so we have known for some time that we needed to find a solution," explained Team Principal Bertrand. "Jordan is the perfect solution for us. He knows both the car and the team and has already played an important role in our development so far this season, so there is no familiarisation process."

Kush Maini tests in Berlin

When it came to selecting the replacement drivers for the Berlin E-Prix, he was given preference over Kush Maini, who currently drives in Formula 2 and has achieved several pole positions and podium results in six races. He will be on site as a reserve driver in both Misano and Berlin and will also be in the car for the rookie test on Monday.

"There is a really good synergy at the moment between the work that Nyck, Edo, Jordan and I are doing, but to a large extent that has been in isolation as we all have different schedules and commitments," says Maini. "So it will be very beneficial not only for the team but also for me as a driver to have all four of us in the same room on race weekends and contributing to the development of the team."

"For Kush, Misano is a great opportunity to establish himself in the race team and then we can start preparing for the rookie test in Berlin, where he will be in the car for the first time. We are very much looking forward to having him there with us and helping him to develop in a car that is new to him," continued Bertrand.

The only one for whom nothing will change over the two weekends is Edoardo Mortara. He will be in the car as planned.

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