| Roberto Merhi | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Roberto Merhi.jpg | |||||
| Driver Details | |||||
| Nationality |  Spanish
| ||||
| P.o.B. | Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain
| ||||
| D.o.B. | 22 March 1991 | ||||
| Début |  2023 Jakarta E-Prix I
| ||||
| Formula E Career | |||||
| Entries | 0 (0 Starts) | ||||
| Wins | 0 | ||||
| Poles | 0 | ||||
| F.L.s | 0 | ||||
| T.P.s | 0 | ||||
| Podiums | 0 | ||||
| FanBoosts | 0 | ||||
| Duel Record | |||||
| Duels | 0 | ||||
| Quarters | Semis | Finals | |||
| W | L | W | L | W | L |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Roberto Merhi Muntan (born 22 March 1991 in Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain) is a Spanish racing driver whom competes in the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for Mahindra Racing.[1] A veteran of numerous junior formulae, including the oldest ever driver in the modern FIA Formula 2 Championship, Merhi got his FE debut midway through the 2022/23 season, after Oliver Rowland left the Mahindra squad.[1]
Background[]
Merhi's career began in karting, with the Spaniard winning several national championships before progressing to the Italian Formula Renault and Eurocup series in 2007.[2] The Spaniard's maiden season in a race car saw him end the former series in fourth place overall, earning him a seat in the West European Series for 2008 alongside a second season in the Eurocup.[2] Merhi would go on to finish as runner-up in the FR-WEC, fourth in the Eurocup, and complete a handful of races in the Spanish Formula Three Championship.[2]
Mercedes Motivation: 2009 - 2014[]
For 2009 Merhi moved into the renowned Formula 3 Euro Series, joining future Formula One employers Manor Motorsport.[2] After a successful maiden campaign, with Merhi standing on the podium four times, the Spaniard moved to Mücke Motorsport for 2010, ending that campaign in fifth having also competed in the GP3 Series.[2] A third move to Prema followed in 2011, which ultimately resulted in Merhi becoming the penultimate F3 Euro Series Champion having claimed eleven victories.[2]
Merhi's F3 success earned him a spot in the newly re-forged Mercedes-Benz Junior Team, an honour which also secured the Spaniard a seat in the DTM.[2] Unfortunately for Merhi his season with the customer Persson Motorsport team saw him fail to score a point in 2012, although the Spaniard was retained for the 2013 season.[2] For his second DTM season Merhi would move to the factory HWA squad, but, despite claiming a maiden podium finish at the season finale, the Spaniard would be dropped from the series at the end of the season.[2]
2014 saw Merhi join the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, with Mercedes still funding some of the Spaniard's racing for the time being.[2] A successful debut season saw Merhi end the season in the top three in the Championship, although the Spaniard would move to another team for 2015.[2] That move would coincide with Merhi's promotion to Formula One, with the Spaniard signed up to Manor for his maiden F1 campaign.[3]
Promise Unfulfilled: 2015 - 2020[]
Unfortunately for Merhi 2015 would not be a highlight of his career, for the Spaniard would lose his F1 seat before the end of the season, losing out to Alexander Rossi. Indeed, Merhi would end his maiden F1 campaign pointless, with a lack of funding for Manor, and himself, ultimately ending any hopes of a return for 2016. Furthermore, Merhi would earn himself a ban in Formula Renault, with the Spaniard deemed to have brake-checked Nicholas Latifi at the finish of a race in Austria, ending his season in FR prematurely. Regardless, 2017 saw Merhi move up the ladder to the FIA Formula 2 Championship, appearing at several rounds for Campos Racing and then Rapax.[2]
The Spaniard's exploits in 2017 earned him a full time F2 drive for 2018 with MP Motorsport, although after scoring just a single podium finish in the first half of the campaign, Merhi left the team.[2] The Spaniard would, however, compete at the final two rounds after a move to Campos, ending the season twelfth overall.[2] 2019 and 2020 saw Merhi step back from an active single-seater role, becoming a development driver for an unspecified F1 team, although the Spaniard would earn some success with a run to third in the 2019-20 Asian Le Mans Series, as well as making two WEC appearances in the LMP2 class.[2]
Veteran Vibe: 2021 - Present[]
For 2021 Merhi would have a varied season, the highlight being a run to second in the S5000 Tasman Series, while also appearing in various rounds of the European Le Mans Series and WEC.[2] For 2022 Merhi moved to Japan to compete in the Super GT championship and Super Formula Lights, although the Spaniard would also make a six race cameo in FIA Formula 2 again, becoming the oldest driver to compete in the series.[2] 2023 saw Merhi return to compete in S5000, as well as have another run at the GT300 class in Super GT.[2]
Formula E History[]
Merhi was first linked with a drive in the FIA Formula E Championship ahead of the 2017/18 season, although the Spaniard ultimately failed to secure a seat despite reports in Spain to the contrary.[4] Merhi's name was not linked with an FE seat again until the 2022/23 season, when Mahindra Racing announced that he would drive for them at the 2023 Rookie Test in Berlin, sharing the #8 car with Jordan King.[5] That runout would then lead to Merhi taking over from Oliver Rowland ahead of the 2023 Jakarta E-Prix I, after the Brit left the Indian squad by mutual consent following a disappointing first half of the season.[1]
Full Formula E Record[]
Shown below are a series of tables outlining Roberto Merhi's career in Formula E in statistical form.
Formula E Entries[]
The list below includes all of the teams and cars, as well as overall finishing positions for Roberto Merhi during their FE career:
| Roberto Merhi's Overall Formula E Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Entrant | No. | Car | Pos. | Pts. |
| 2022/23 |  Mahindra Racing[1]
|
8 | Mahindra M9Electro | 23rd | 0 |
Career Results[]
Below is a table showing Roberto Merhi's full Formula E record.
| FIA Formula E Championship Record | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Rounds | Pos. | Pts. | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |||
| 2022/23 | 
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|
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|
|
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|
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|
23rd | 0 |
| 18th | 17th | Ret | 12th | Ret | 15th | 20th | ||||||||||||
| Results Key | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | |
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | |
| 2nd | Second | DSQ | Disqualified | |
| 3rd | Third | DNS | Did Not Start | |
| 7th | Points Finish | 16th | Non-Points Finish | |
| NC | Not Classified | CAN | Race Cancelled | |
| INJ | Driver Injured | Italics | Fastest Lap | |
| Bold | Pole Position | G | Group Fastest Lap | |
See Also[]
|
See related content on the Formula One Wiki |
| Roberto Merhi |
|---|
|
See related content on the Formula 2 Wiki |
| Roberto Merhi |
|---|
|
See related content on the DTM Wiki |
| Roberto Merhi |
|---|
References[]
Videos and Images:
References:
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 'Mehri, King and Daruvala to jump into the cockpit at Mahindra', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 17/04/2023), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/414401/mehri-king-and-daruvala-to-jump-into-the-cockpit-at-mahindra, (Accessed 17/04/2023)
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 'Roberto Merhi', driverdb.com, (Driver Database, 2020), https://www.driverdb.com/drivers/roberto-merhi/, (Accessed 22/12/2020)
- ↑ Freeman, Glenn, 'Roberto Merhi to race for Manor F1 team in Australian Grand Prix', autosport.com, (Haymarket Media, 10 March 2015), http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117975, (Accessed 10 March 2015)
- ↑ 'Roberto Merhi competirá en la Fórmula E a partir de septiembre', elmundo.es, (Elmundo, 07/04/2017), https://www.elmundo.es/comunidad-valenciana/castellon/2017/04/07/58e7b60822601d05208b462a.html, (Accessed 17/06/2023)
- ↑ 'Mehri, King and Daruvala to jump into the cockpit at Mahindra', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 17/04/2023), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/414401/mehri-king-and-daruvala-to-jump-into-the-cockpit-at-mahindra, (Accessed 17/04/2023)