Mahindra Racing team looks to consolidate lead position in Formula E Championships

The iconic Harbourfront street circuit here has been a happy hunting ground for India's Mahindra Racing team in Formula E Championships with three podium finishes but its drivers and officials are not taking anything for granted in the race on Sunday.

Mahindra Racing's Nick Heidfeld finished third in 2016 and 2017 before joining the team as a support staff while Felix Rosenqvist won the race last season.

Currently, Mahindra Racing is leading the championships in team standings after four legs while Jerome D'Ambrosio is on top of drivers standings.

But the Indian team says it will start from the scratch in the fifth race of the season on Sunday.

"Past results will count nothing though we would love to continue our good show in Hong Kong. Anything can happen as we saw in the last leg in Mexico City. So, we will start from the scratch," Jerome said.

In Mexico City, which was the fourth leg of the season, none of the Mahindra Racing's two drivers could finish on the podium after three consecutive podiums in the first three races.

Pascal Wehrlein started from the pole but ended at fifth while Jerome was fourth. But Mahindra Racing and Jerome retook the lead in the team and driver standings respectively in Mexico City.

"The Hong Kong track will be tricky because of the rain. A wet track is always a difficult one but we will do everything to win on Sunday," said the experienced 33-year-old Jerome from Belgium, who is one of those on Formula E with F1 experience.

Heavy rain lashed Hong Kong on Saturday and rain is also predicted on Sunday.

Sunday will see the 50th race of Formula E since it started in 2014 and the fifth season has brought a whole lot of changes in the car and the race format.

All the 22 cars (of 11 teams) this season are of Generation 2 and unlike a mid-race car swap in the earlier four seasons, a driver will complete a full race of 45 minutes.

There are also split power modes for the new-look next generation car. Races now also last 45 minutes plus one lap to reach the chequered flag, instead of being measured only in a pre-defined number of laps.

Drivers are also able to use a higher power mode of 225kW, compared to the standard 200kW, once they pass through an activation zone, with the duration and frequency of use varying at each E-Prix.

"The cars are different from last year's and so it a new set up this season. So, we have to be at our best and not think about the earlier seasons," said Pascal, a 24-year-old German.

Both Jerome and Pascal are in their first season with Mahindra Racing which has been taking part in the championships since the inaugural edition in 2014.

Team Principal Dilbagh Singh said nothing can be taken for granted and his team must make amends of last season's mistakes if it has to win the championships this time.

"To be honest it (leading the championships) is frightening. Last year also we were doing very well after the third race but later we lost positions. So, that keeps you worried. In a way, it is easy to chase rather than set the pace," he said.

"We have been in top three in the last three seasons. It is not bad but we would like to correct last season's mistakes. We were leading initially but at later stages we were a bit under-resourced and our performances dipped."