Mahindra's Gen3 rise no fluke; best is yet to come in Formula E: Edoardo Mortara

London: Mahindra Racing's transformation from Formula E midfielders to genuine front-runners has been a three-year journey rather than a sudden breakthrough, according to driver Edoardo Mortara, who believes the Indian manufacturer can aim even higher when the championship enters the Gen4 era.

Mahindra heads into the London season finale with two wins and four pole positions, just one point adrift of third place in the Teams' Championship.

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For Mortara, however, the significance of the campaign goes beyond the numbers. The Swiss-Italian driver, who joined Mahindra three years ago alongside Nick de Vries, sees the team's rise as the result of sustained development that has gradually changed its standing on the grid.

"You have to analyse a little bit deeper than only this season. It's kind of like a journey that I started three years ago when we first joined with Nick," Mortara told PTI.

"If you look at the trajectory, the trajectory is very positive. We've been improving year after year, making more and more results. I think that this year has been the most successful one for Mahindra so far."

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Mortara believes the team has crossed a psychological barrier by arriving at the final weekend with a mathematical chance of fighting for the Teams' title.

"We are seeing contention actually for the team's championship. Mathematically, yes, but realistically maybe third or fourth. But that means that we are still in the fight. This is something that has never been achieved," he said.

"We have never come to the last race weekend being able to mathematically have a chance to fight for the title, so that means that a good job has been done and good progress has been done."

Mahindra's consistency at the sharp end of the grid has perhaps been the biggest change for Mortara. The team is no longer merely capable of producing an occasional qualifying surprise; its drivers have increasingly found themselves battling the established front-runners.

"I think there were almost no races where I was not a top driver in the top five or in the top three. I consistently started at the front, with the top contenders. And actually, as a driver, it makes a lot of fun. This is where you enjoy yourself because the most you are battling with the best," Mortara said.

The 38-year-old has himself been one of the standout performers, with four pole positions this season. He admitted, however, that Mahindra could have collected more points had circumstances gone its way.

"There is always the possibility to do better. As a group, I think that there were definitely some missed opportunities," he said.

A fire extinguisher issue in Sanya cost the team, while rain in Shanghai and Tokyo forced Mahindra to make conservative tyre-pressure decisions when it was running at the front.

"Probably during these days, we were too competitive, and we had to go for safe decisions. Unfortunately, sometimes in motorsports, it is like that. You need to also be, in some cases, a little bit lucky," Mortara said.

Yet he does not believe there is one simple fix that will turn Mahindra's strong qualifying pace into a regular stream of victories and podiums.

"In motorsport, it is always like many things that you need to do. At a certain level, especially when you go to the top, you have to work on various aspects in order to have even better results," he said.

That complexity becomes even more relevant with Formula E moving into the Gen4 era after London.

Mortara expects the new cars to be significantly faster and more powerful, with greater aerodynamic performance and new technical challenges for teams. The cars will feature front and rear differentials, while power modes will also change substantially.

"For the team, we are moving on to a new generation of cars. Even more complex, even more performant. There will be a lot more power, a lot more aero downforce," he said.

Mortara believes the experience accumulated during Gen3, particularly in software development, can provide a crucial foundation.

"The good part is that most of the work that has been done in terms of software development, where the difference is being made in Formula E, will be taken back for the generation," he said.

Mortara also stressed that Formula E success is not built around one ingredient. Efficiency, powertrain development, software, race strategy, and team operations, all have to work together.

"Speaking about efficiency, it is obviously the efficiency of the hardware. Speaking about the powertrain, technically you need to have the right technical solutions. You need also to have the right engineering work to develop software," he said.

And while the battle for Mahindra's third place in the Teams' Championship remains important, Mortara is not choosing between a personal podium and a team result.

"I would try to do the best result for myself because I know that this will also help Mahindra's team. If I can win the race, I will be very happy, the team will be very happy," he said.

Mortara also backed Indian racer Kush Maini, who is Mahindra's reserve and development driver and has regularly tested and driven the Formula E car.

"Kush has been driving the car quite often. He's been showing really great pace, good understanding of our very complex system," Mortara said.

"He is showing in Formula 2 that he can deliver very strong performances. Therefore, for the future, I'm pretty sure that he's going to be definitely someone to look for in the next years. From outside, I can definitely feel that he's a very good and complete driver," he added.