Such was the momentum gained in the first third of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship season, Felix Rosenqvist emerged as a genuine title contender until lap 14 of the Mexico City E-Prix.
That catastrophic retirement from a comfortable lead was a descent befitting of the high-altitude circuit which left the Indian team gasping for air.
A similar situation happened just a month later when a further probable 25 points were lost at the Rome E-Prix.
These events changed the perspective of the team’s campaign and, although it still had a chance of claiming the title, there were later too many average race weekends during which caution and conservative strategy saw it finish with a whimper.
It couldn’t have been complete coincidence that, around the same time, the team’s Season Five efforts were being activated.
Were the capabilities of Mahindra compromized to an extent that affected its ‘here and now’ effort?
It’s a topic that team principal Dilbagh Gill acknowledges is likely to have had at least some impact.
“Whether it affected us is a question which kept me awake at night a little, yes” Gill told e-racing365.
“But the conclusion I came to was that we did as much as we could by having a separate technical director for the Season Five program.
“I think more of the issue was that we went a little too conservative. Paris and Berlin were bad weekends because the disappointment of Rome really took the wind out of our sails quite a bit.
“After Rome I made sure everything was tightened up on reliability and maybe this compromized us a bit. Then again, Berlin, I feel, was more about the drivers really who struggled.”
Gill, as honest a team principal as you will find, is never averse to appraising his team and his summary that the timing of its initial title surge conspired against its chance of title glory does seem plausible.
Rosenqvist was usually his brilliant self but, on occasion, he looked lost and made too many errors for a sophomore campaign.
The Swede was in high demand by the end of the season, but it still looks as if his Formula E career is set to continue, in some capacity, with Mahindra.
Nick Heidfeld had a strong start to the season with yet another third position in Hong Kong, but his performance soon faded considerably.
He failed to match his teammate’s pace and ended up involved in too many incidents, making it clear by season’s end that he would not retain his seat into 2018-19.
A stay of execution could yet come in the form of some races next term, should Rosenqvist embark on a dual Formula E and IndyCar schedule, however.
Revolution Follows Evolution Next Season
On the technical front, Mahindra simply refined its successful in-house Season Three package which brought it a win and several pole positions with Rosenqvist, but did begin to make some important changes.
Magneti Marelli continued as its motor supplier and the watchword was weight reduction, with even a part-painted livery being deployed in an attempt to lose some kilos.
The team will have a reset for the upcoming season and is expected to switch motor supplier for its new Gen 2 car.
It moved into its new design office base in Banbury late last year which it refined into a part R&D facility with an in-the-loop simulator.
It also formed a technical partnership with the famed Pininfarina design house, which allowed work to be carried out at its wind tunnel.
For Gill and his close-knit, highly motivated, team, the future must look slightly foreboding as more traditional racing manufacturers pour into the series, but he remains bullish about his team’s chances.
“We have to some extent deliberately built the team to be as strong as possible to withstand new rules and regulations,” he said.
“We are following an evolutionary period with a revolutionary one now. It is not easy but we have a very courageous team and the more experienced we get the powerful we become.”
Mahindra will indeed meet that challenge head-on and with as much technical and sporting armory as it can muster.
Its growth and capability in attempting to keep its impressive momentum going will be fascinating to observe in the next season.