After the first 6 races of the year, Mahindra's best results include Albert Arenas' fourteenth place in Spain and Lorenzo Dalla Porta's fourteenth place at Le Mans. Its Peugeot sub-brand dominates it with 5 points against 4 in the manufacturers' ranking, thanks to the eleventh place obtained by Jakub Kornfeil in France
Kornfeil is the best placed Peugeot-Mahindra driver in the Championship, with twenty-fourth place and 5 points, ahead of Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Albert Arenas tied for twenty-sixth with 2 points each. According to several other teams and manufacturers, Mahindra will have disappeared from the Grand Prix paddock next year.
At Mugello, the Indian manufacturer's Technical Director Davide Borghesi distributed new airboxes (only one update is authorized for the year) to the six drivers concerned, four at Mahindra and two at Peugeot. As Arenas fell and injured himself, the ranking of the others was as follows: 17. Bezzecchi (CIP Mahindra). 19. Dalla Porta (Aspar Mahindra). 20. Kornfeil (Saxoprint Peugeot). 22. Pagliani (CIP Mahindra). 27 and last Pulkkinen (Saxoprint Peugeot).
“We want to achieve more victories in the 2017 season than the previous year said Mühaddal Choonia, CEO of Mahindra, rarely seen on the racetrack, in February. In 2016, Pecco Bagnaia (Mahindra) won at Assen and Sepang, John mcphee (Peugeot) won the Brno race.
Some team leaders using Mahindras this year, such as Jorge Martinez, Ingo and Florian Prüstel, have started discreet negotiations with other suppliers KTM and Honda.
Photos © Team Aspar and Saxoprint
Source: Günther Wiesinger for speedweek. com
