Jake Hughes named as Mahindra Racing Reserve and Simulator Driver
- Teagan Crump
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Written by Teagan Crump, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Former McLaren and Maserati Formula E driver Jake Hughes has been announced as Mahindra Racing’s Reserve and Simulator driver for Season 12, alongside Formula 2 racer Kush Maini.
Hughes competed in Formula E for three seasons from Season 9 until Season 12. During his Formula E career, Hughes initially raced for McLaren alongside former Audi racer René Rast, claiming pole in only his second race weekend in Diriyah.
However, a podium finish eluded him in his debut Formula E campaign, coming only at the Shanghai E-Prix weekend in Season 10.
Hughes then switched over to the Stellantis fold, driving for Maserati alongside Season 8 champion Stoffel Vandoorne, and claimed a podium for the team in Round 4 at Jeddah. He eventually scored 40 points, with the Stellantis board opting for a reset as Maserati left the series, paving the way for Citroën Racing’s Formula E debut.
Additionally, Hughes also set a Guinness World Record for indoor speed in the GENBETA concept car during the 2023 London E-Prix weekend, hitting 135.9 mph (218.71 kmh) in the indoor section at the ExCel Arena.
Before joining Formula E, Hughes raced in Formula 2 for three years but never completed a full season. His best result was fourth in the first Sprint Race at Sochi in 2021, as well as in the 2022 Jeddah Feature Race.
In response to the news, Hughes said:
“I’m excited to begin this next chapter in my Formula E career with Mahindra Racing. What Mahindra have built over the past few seasons is very impressive, and it’s clear that the team is on a really positive trajectory.
“I’m looking forward to playing my part and helping to move this team – which is one of the championship’s iconic names – back towards the front of the grid.”
Hughes’ role at Mahindra Racing has already begun, with him helping to develop the Mahindra M12Electro in the simulator alongside Mahindra’s other Reserve Driver, Kush Maini. The Banbury-based team anticipate that the work of Hughes and Maini will assist their success and help them with their goal of fighting for the championship.
Mahindra Racing CEO and Team Principal Frederic Bertrand, supported the team’s decision to welcome Hughes:
“It’s fantastic to welcome Jake to Mahindra Racing as our new Reserve and Simulator Driver. Jake gives us additional strength in depth in our driver line-up, and equally a very experienced, talented driver who can make a significant contribution across our GEN3 Evo and GEN4 test programmes.
“We’re very excited to work with him and, alongside Nyck, Edo and Kush, believe this gives us one of the most complete and experienced driver line-ups in Formula E.”
Formula E returns on January 10th 2026, for the highly anticipated Mexico City E-Prix, held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Comments