Merhi will race for the Mahindra team, alongside Season 3 Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi, from the Jakarta E-Prix next weekend. The team stated that a “mutual agreement” had been reached between Rowland and Mahindra for him to step aside for the next seven races.
Rowland has plenty of Formula E experience under his belt, with his first race being the 2015 Punta del Este E-Prix and with 64 race entries to his name. In that time he won Round 10 of Season 6 in Berlin, as well as achieving five Julius Baer Pole Positions and six podiums. However, Rowland currently sits 19th in the Drivers’ World Championship standings with nine points to his name in the new GEN3 era.
READ MORE: The full Jakarta preview
Last time out in Monaco, Rowland had a great start and made up eight places just laps into the race. But, his race came to a premature end when a crash resulted in him sustaining a hand injury and being checked up at a local hospital. Thankfully after an X-ray it showed that there was nothing serious and he was expected to race in the Indonesian double header next weekend.
Roberto Merhi has a very impressive racing resume. Having raced in Formula 1 with the Manor Marussia F1 Team in 2015, he also had success winning races in various championships including Formula Renault, Spanish F3, British F3 and Formula Renault 3.5 Series. As well as single seaters, Merhi also competes in endurance racing and finished the Asian Le Mans Series Drivers’ Championship in 2020.
“It’s a huge honour for me to step in and represent Mahindra Racing for the races in Jakarta,” Merhi said about the news. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and I’m determined to make the most of it.
“I had a chance to drive the M9Electro at the rookie test in Berlin but Formula E is very different to any of the other series I’ve raced in so the learning curve will be steep. But I feel ready, excited and up for the challenge.”
“We are delighted to welcome Roberto to the Mahindra Racing team,” Mahindra Racing’s CEO, Frederic Bertrand, said about the new signing. “Roberto has impressive experience in top-level racing and a good track record in major championships.
“He had a great run with us at the Rookie Test in Berlin last month and we could see he had the potential to become a great asset for the Mahindra Racing team. It’s not easy to jump in mid-season, but Roberto has experience of working with the team, so I’m sure he will slot into the team brilliantly.”