Berlin, Germany: The Mahindra Formula E Team leaves Germany following a challenging day of action in the FIA Formula E Berlin ePrix. Struggling with grip levels both Karun Chandhok and Bruno Senna finished outside of the points in 16th and 19th places respectively however both drivers reported their race pace to be strong throughout.

Lining up on the grid at 18th and 20th both Mahindra Racing drivers were looking forward to fighting for position around Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport. In the opening lap of the race Senna was unfortunate to lose out in a three way battle between his team mate and Antonio Felix da Costa - this left him 19th with Chandhok just ahead of him as they fought well to gain positions on those ahead of them.

Seeing Charles Pic ahead, Chandhok began to close the gap and attempted to line up an overtake, however an inter-team battle between himself and Senna was soon on the cards and the Mahindra Racing drivers swapped positions; before the mandatory car-change pit stop Senna was 17th and Chandhok 19th.

Both pit stops were smooth and quick meaning that the Mahindra Racing pair were able to jump Charles Pic during their time in the pit lane. However the Amlin Aguri drivers found themselves on the wrong side of a timing error during their stop which in turn left them both with drive through penalties.

Salvador Duran’s run through the pits elevated both drivers and they were then able to turn their attention to pole-sitter Jarno Trulli who had been falling back through the field at an alarming rate. This offered Senna the opportunity to blitz past him – and Chandhok was able to send his car up the inside on the very next lap clearly showing their race pace was strong.

However in the final laps Senna was unfortunately handed a drive through penalty for speeding in the pit lane which he took with the final lap in sight. As the flag fell it was 16th position for Chandhok and 19th for Senna.

Chandhok said, ‘It’s been a difficult day at the track for us here in Berlin. The track surface was completely different to anything we’ve driven on before, in that it was much more abrasive. The car in race mode was competitive, but not being up there after qualifying has proven to be our Achilles heel. We didn’t have the grip so we struggled.’

Senna added, ‘Unfortunately this circuit highlighted our weaknesses and we struggled throughout the day. Now we need to sit down and work on these issues to come back fighting and stronger for Moscow.’

Team Principal Dilbagh Gill added, 'We have been pushing hard and overall we didn’t get a result from the weekend despite our efforts and clearly showing our pace during the race. But as Bruno and Karun have rightly stated we will keep pushing even harder than before and get the result we rightly deserve.’