Auto enthusiast and renowned actor Gul Panag recently got behind the wheel of Mahindra Racing‘s M4Electro in Barcelona, becoming the first Indian woman to drive a Formula E car. So we caught up with her for an exclusive interview to learn more about her drive experience on the race track. We also got to ask her about her garage and her prized possessions and here’s what she has to say.
Below is the edited transcript of the interview:
Q: How are you feeling after having an adrenaline filled drive in the Mahindra M4Electro Formula E race car? How was the experience behind the wheel of one of the most exciting machines on the planet?
A: The Mahindra M4Electro is like my E2O plus, supercharged and on steroids. So the experience is essentially similar for somebody who has been driving an electric car. The powertrain and the speed of power delivery don’t take you by surprise because you are already in the electric world. So, being driving electric cars, it doesn’t shock me that it moves this fast and in my head I am aware of what it does. Of course, it is way faster than mine. But it didn’t shock me as much as I thought it would. Of course it’s a lot of adrenaline because you are driving very fast. I still have adrenaline pumping through my veins. I am very excited and I am also aware of how I am one of the very few people in the world including, the motorsport world, to have access to this test car today on its second outing. So I feel very privileged.
I consider myself as an electric ambassador and it’s my mission everyday to convert one person. That is the bigger aim of what we are doing here today – to get more people aware that electric mobility isn’t a toy. For somebody who considers herself as an advocate of electric mobility, this is the greatest honor. Street electric cars today have fast charging options and in 20 minutes you can get half a charge which would give you, depending on the car you have, 50-60 kms in a small range car, or about 200 km in the bigger electric cars.
Q: You must’ve undergone rigorous training before the drive. What were your preparations?
A: I spent sometime in the simulators. Fortunately, sitting so low in the ground wasn’t an experience that was new to me and because the first time you get into a Formula E car, that’s what dominates your senses. It can keep you from experiencing a lot more. I was on a Formula circuit once before in France and there were people who refused to drive. They saw the car and they said, “I can’t sit in this car.” I just couldn’t believe that you are so lucky to be brought here and then you don’t want to drive. They said it felt like a coffin. But I think, in my head, the very first time I sat in the Formula car, the lying down thing bothered me. But I just let my senses takeover. I don’t overthink it and I just try and look ahead and think what’s coming next. Its an instinct honed by learning how to fly. You can’t think of what’s right now, you already have to be planning on what’s going to happen next.
So I think when you are thinking like that, these smaller things about the fact that you are sitting in a coffin like position or that you are so low on the ground, they seem irrelevant, because you are looking far ahead. So the rigorous training was really the getting to terms with the simulator and it was a great tool. I can’t say it enough, it’s not a video game, it’s actually a very advanced piece of technology to help you understand and improve your performance in cars which is why aircraft manufacturers spend millions of dollars on simulators. I would like to mention here that the simulator was quite uncomfortable because the kind of way the 3D screen is constructed, you get more visions than you can process, and also because you don’t have any relative motion. The only motion which you are seeing is the screens which can disorient you a bit. Felix said I was going to be sick. I thought he was joking but I came quite close to being sick.
Q: You once said that speed never thrilled you and that your wish list for a motorcycle was topped by a cruiser. After driving the Formula E car, has this changed, even by a small margin?
A: I think it’s definitely changed my opinion because you are actually driving the future. I am not a fan of driving/riding fast on a road, because I don’t think that excites me, which is why my preference in motorbikes has always been cruisers over sports bikes. It’s about enjoying the moment. But here, you are driving the future, this is the kind of stuff we, the kids of 1980’s, grew up watching in science fiction movies. The sound, how quick this car is actually mind blowing.
It’s a lot harder for internal combustion (IC) engines to deliver the power on a 0-100 spec than it is for a electric car. In an electric car, it’s the base and you start from a very quick power delivery because of powertrain being the way it is whereas in the IC engine, big manufacturers spend millions of dollars to get a 0-100 in a respectable time. So, when you drive fast and I don’t know what the data is, I didn’t have the time to take my eyes off the road and look at the telemetry to check the speed, but because you are doing something that’s so special, its literally what space travel must have felt like, in the 30’s and 40’s. You are so ahead of the curve in terms of mobility and transport. So, to answer that question, it has changes and its only an exception for electric mobility and its only on the track. If I am able to work my way around Dilbagh Gill cleverly enough, I can make myself reach the test track 14 more times in a year and maybe get my hands, one more time doing another lap.
Q: Motorsport is slowly gaining momentum in India. What are your views about the motorsport scene in India?
A: I think the motorsports scene in India is going to gain momentum and electric mobility and Formula E will be the catalyst in trying to make real cars that are small scaled down versions of race cars. Unlike conventional motorsports, in a country like ours with massive socio-economic inequities, the middle class can still aspire to drive an electric car, whereas they cannot ever aspire to be in the inside of the car that will have motorsport technology in it. So the fact that its relatable, its achievable, and if I must say so, even democratic in a way, because its accessible, Formula E will be the catalyst that will actually make our people look at motorsport in entire different way.
The reason why motorsport hasn’t actually got on is because it’s seen as something which is very elitist, which is for the super rich. Here, when you and I can buy an electric car in the A segment, we will see a lot more because of the Formula E and electric drive that is currently taking over the country. India is on a mission to be relying more on electric cars than on IC cars, by 2030.
Lots of petrol heads say what’s so big about sustainability, you are charging these cars from the power that comes from thermal energy, thermal sources – Coal. But that is only momentarily because India will be largest producer of solar energy in the next five-six years, and then that argument will not hold. The issue of lithium batteries and their disposals is the one where the jury is still out but from sustainability’s perspective, given the fact that we are poised to be the largest producer of solar energy. I think there won’t be a better, affordable option for mobility than electric in about three-five years.
Q: What message would you give to aspiring women racers in India?
A: I am not in a position to give a message to the aspiring women racers in India, but I am definitely in a position to tell them not to allow the societal notions about what they should and shouldn’t do to let go off their ambitions, whatever it is. What society decides for you should not guide you in terms of pursuing what you want. Societal values, notions which are largely patriarchal in a society like ours, shouldn’t be the ones guiding you, you should do what you want to do because ultimately the choice is yours, it’s your life. I don’t think you should have any limits to what you can dream about. Don’t just dream, convert them into goals and go out there and achieve them. You have to convert them into goals and take that first step towards actually doing something about that.
Also Read – Actress Gul Panag heads out to Ladakh in a Mahindra Scorpio
Q: You’re an auto-enthusiast yourself. Tell us a little bit about your garage.
A: The garage is dominated by E2O Plus. I have just acquired the new E2O Plus and now it is in its eighth week with me. Before that I had its predecessor, the E2O, which was a 2 door version. I also have an Audi, an Toyota Innova, and a customized Mahindra Scorpio Getaway which is an ultimate expedition vehicle. It’s the ultimate adventure vehicle that I could ever have hoped for and a fantastic friend put together the best customized kit in it so it can take me anywhere.
The Scorpio Getaway is called the Super Milo, and it was named after my Beagle who was my best companion ever and he went with me everywhere. I thought it was the best way to resurrect him, to name the Scorpio Getaway after him. I also have three bikes. First is a Royal Enfield Electra. Then, between my husband and me, we co-own the BMW F650 which is now moving towards vintage, and my most recent acquisition is the Triumph T120. So this is what my garage looks like.
Images Via Mahindra Racing