The Carl Cox Motorsport name will be absent from the Extreme E field this year, but the team has already confirmed its intentions to return for Extreme H in 2025. The superstar DJ lent his name to the electric off-road series’ final team last …
The Carl Cox Motorsport name will be absent from the Extreme E field this year, but the team has already confirmed its intentions to return for Extreme H in 2025.
The superstar DJ lent his name to the electric off-road series’ final team last season, taking over the entry formerly known as XITE Energy Racing, and fielded Timo Scheider, as well as Christine Giampaoli Zonca and Lia Block, the latter taking the female driver seat from round five in Sardinia until the end of the season.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=5858]
“I like to think that I have a pioneering spirit. From music to motors, I’ve always pushed myself to open doors and then go through them,” said Cox. “Being invited to bring Carl Cox Motorsport into the highly-anticipated Extreme H series that launches in 2025 feels like a leap into the future. We’ll be working closely with the Extreme E family over the next 12 months as we prepare to launch our championship campaign in the ground-breaking new car. We are most definitely in it to win it.”
Scheider and GZ took a podium finish in the first part of the Hydro X Prix in Scotland, while the team also took a Redemption Race win in the penultimate round of the 2023 season in Chile.
“It has been great to welcome Carl and his team into Extreme E – his enthusiasm for motorsport is infectious and he has really enjoyed being a part of the championship as much as we have enjoyed him being with us,” said Extreme E founder and CEO Alejandro Agag. “Carl will be following Extreme E closely this season as Carl Cox Motorsport concentrates on 2025, working closely with us for the momentous launch of Extreme H and the exciting new future for our series.”
RACER understands one more entry is set to be announced for the 2024 Extreme E season, setting the field at eight entries with the championship kicking off next week in Saudi Arabia.
Chip Ganassi Racing will not take part in this year’s Extreme E championship, RACER can reveal. The American team was one of the first to commit to the all-electric series, and has competed with backing from General Motors via its GMC brand and …
Chip Ganassi Racing will not take part in this year’s Extreme E championship, RACER can reveal.
The American team was one of the first to commit to the all-electric series, and has competed with backing from General Motors via its GMC brand and Hummer EV product for the last three seasons, but speculation regarding its future in the category has been rife since the end of last year. Now, in a statement provided to RACER by the team, it has confirmed it won’t be participating in the 2024 season which begins in Saudi Arabia next week.
“Chip Ganassi Racing can confirm that the team will not be competing in the Extreme E series for the 2024 season,” the statement said. “We sincerely thank Extreme E for welcoming our GMC HUMMER EV entry as part of their innovative series and look forward to following the series’ growth.
“We will be watching closely as the series and its technical partners continue to push motorsports in their move upward and into a modernized off-road hydrogen-powered race car for 2025 and beyond.”
Extreme E’s transition to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in 2024 is thought to be the leading cause of Ganassi’s decision to withdraw since GM doesn’t currently have a major presence in the hydrogen arena, although RACER understands the team has left the door open for a possible return in the future.
It was a similar story for Abt, which was backed by Volkswagen Group brand Cupra, and formally announced its withdrawal at the end of last season, but is exploring a return with alternative backing. Lewis Hamilton’s X44 team also confirmed its exit from the category on Wednesday, but there will be at least one new team competing this year in the form of SUN Minimeal which will run Timo Scheider and former Abt Cupra driver Klara Andersson.
[lawrence-related id=346140]
“We would like to pay our upmost thanks to Chip Ganassi Racing and General Motors after their three years in Extreme E,” series founder and CEO Alejandro Agag said. “General Motors have been important ambassadors for our electric racing series; however, as we transition towards a hydrogen-powered future it’s a logical move for them to concentrate on continuing their efforts in the electric market. We wish them success in their future endeavours.
“Although Chip Ganassi Racing will not take part in Season 4, we know that they are huge supporters of our unique form of off-road racing, particular with our switch to Extreme H on the horizon in 2025. Chip Ganassi Racing is synonymous with the highest echelons of motorsport and we are hopeful that they will return to the series as we transition to hydrogen-powered racing — a world-first — as an FIA championship.”
Sara Price and Kyle Leduc gave the Ganassi team a win in Sardinia in 2022. Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Images
Ganassi fielded Sara Price — who recently became the first American woman to win a stage of the Dakar Rally — and the late Kyle LeDuc for its first two seasons, and was often among the fastest contenders. A run of bad luck and mechanical issues, however, meant that the team had to wait until the first Sardinia race of Season 2 to claim its first — and only — event win.
RJ Anderson replaced LeDuc at the final round of 2022, with Amanda Sorensen coming in from the ’23 opener in place of Price. Anderson and Sorensen immediately set about challenging for the title, with a run of six consecutive final appearances — including back-to-back podiums in Scotland and Sardinia — which was only bettered by eventual champions Rosberg X Racing. In 20 Extreme E starts, the team scored a total of three podiums, including that Sardinia victory, and it finished the 2023 season in fifth overall, having taken fourth in 2022.
Ganassi was also instrumental in bringing FOX dampers to the series, which delivered an overnight improvement to the overall reliability of the series’ Odyssey 21 car, after testing with the brand during Season 1.
Carlos Sainz’s Acciona Sainz team will aim to avenge its agonizing 2023 Extreme E title defeat as it returns to the category this year with a new-look team. Team stalwart Laia Sanz will once again drive for the outfit, being joined by Fraser …
Carlos Sainz’s Acciona Sainz team will aim to avenge its agonizing 2023 Extreme E title defeat as it returns to the category this year with a new-look team.
Team stalwart Laia Sanz will once again drive for the outfit, being joined by Fraser McConnell, with the team being backed by long-time Sanz and Sainz personal sponsor Red Bull.
McConnell joins the team following a promising first campaign for the recently-departed X44 outfit, with whom he won the first part of the Hydro X Prix in Scotland and the final Island X Prix race in Sardinia last year.
“I am so honored to be selected as the male driver for the Acciona Sainz team this year and I cannot wait to get started at the first event in Saudi Arabia on February 17 and 18,” said McConnell. “Receiving the call from Carlos asking me to join the team was such a surreal moment for me because growing up I was such a big fan and still to this day he is such an inspiration. He is also still such a fierce competitor so having that energy within the team is definitely going to help us win races and I am sure I will be able to learn many things from him.
“I am also very much looking forward to teaming up with Laia, who has been so fast the last few seasons and I can feel that we will be a very strong driver pairing and aim to win the championship together.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=5858]
Speaking of the new driver signing, team boss Sainz said: “I would like to welcome Fraser to the team. He is a young and ambitious driver. He has the speed and the right attitude to grow even further. I think he will be a very good fit for the team and I am sure he will push to give us plenty of things to be happy about.
“Of course, I am very happy to have Laia again in the car. She is a really talented driver and she has developed a lot through these years, and she is especially eager to go for it after her great Dakar Rally and how close we were last season to winning the title.”
Sanz, who was partnered with new NEOM McLaren signing Mattias Ekstrom last year, came within a lap of taking the championship crown last season and feels they can go one better this year.
“I am really happy to continue racing for Acciona Sainz and I am really looking forward to starting working with Fraser, because I am sure he will bring a lot to us,” she said. “The team has grown a lot throughout this time and we have grown together. Last year we did a great job, even though we narrowly missed the title, and I am looking forward to continuing down this path.
“Today we feel like a family, we work really well together, always in sync, and I think it is very positive to continue to keep on improving. For me personally, I am really happy to continue in this team and I am eager to start the season. I think it is the best place to continue learning and fighting for victories.”
Lewis Hamilton’s X44 team has confirmed it won’t be participating in Extreme E this year, bringing an end to its three-year stay in the all-electric off-road category. While not linked to the recent news of Hamilton’s impending move to Ferrari, the …
Lewis Hamilton’s X44 team has confirmed it won’t be participating in Extreme E this year, bringing an end to its three-year stay in the all-electric off-road category.
While not linked to the recent news of Hamilton’s impending move to Ferrari, the team’s participation in this year was thrown into doubt when Rodin made no mention of Extreme E in its plans for 2024 when it confirmed it was assuming full control of Carlin. X44 was run by Carlin in 2023, taking over from Prodrive which operated the entry in 2021 and ’22.
“After three years as part of the Extreme E family, we’re today announcing that X44 will be departing the series,” the team said in a statement. “We’ve had an incredible three seasons competing as X44, winning multiple races and even a world championship.
“Thank you to our drivers Cristina Gutierrez, Fraser McConnell and Sebastien Loeb, and all our talented teammates who worked hard to help us achieve everything we did. Even more than the results on track, we’re proud to have been part of a bigger conversation about how to make motorsport more sustainable, of our success in giving people from all kinds of backgrounds an opportunity to thrive in this team, and of the legacy our team owner Lewis will leave behind with the Racing for All program.”
X44 leaves Extreme E as its second-most successful team behind Rosberg X Racing, with four event wins in three seasons, a qualifying sweep across 2021, and a championship title in 2022. Gutierrez, who will race for NEOM McLaren this year, drove for the team for the entirety of its run in Extreme E, being joined by Loeb for the first two seasons, and McConnell last year.
While the team won’t be competing this season, it has left the door open to returning once the series transitions to hydrogen fuel cell cars, a move that will take place next year.
“Although we won’t be competing ourselves in 2024, we’ll be cheering on the series from the sidelines and keeping an eye on the exciting developments at Extreme H,” said the team’s statement. “Thank you for all your support.”
Andreas Bakkerud will return to Jenson Button’s JBXE Extreme E team this year for his first full season in the electric off-road category, and will be joined by Dania Akeel at next week’s Saudi Arabia season opener. Bakkerud joined the team from the …
Andreas Bakkerud will return to Jenson Button’s JBXE Extreme E team this year for his first full season in the electric off-road category, and will be joined by Dania Akeel at next week’s Saudi Arabia season opener.
Bakkerud joined the team from the second event of last season, replacing Formula 1 race winner Heikki Kovalainen after serving as series reserve driver at last year’s Saudi Arabia event. He was partnered with Hedda Hosaas for the majority of the season, with Tamara Molinaro stepping in for the final two rounds of the season after Hosaas switched to McLaren.
“I’m thrilled to be back with JBXE for 2024. It is great to be a part of this championship and I can’t wait for the new season,” said Bakkerud. “This will be my first time racing in the sand, last year I got to be ringside watching the epic scenery of the race in NEOM, and now I’m just pumped getting to race it.
“Welcoming Dania as a teammate is an exciting prospect. Her rise through the motorsport ranks has been monumental and I’m optimistic about what can happen when we head to Saudi Arabia for the opening rounds of the campaign.”
Akeel, the first Saudi to gain a license to race motorcycles, has been racing cars since 2021 and has competed in the Dakar rally, the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, and the Saudi Toyota Rally Championship’s T3 category.
“I’m very excited to join the fun that I’ve been witnessing at Extreme E since it started. Sport is the perfect medium for both work and play, and I’m looking forward to what I’ll learn in this type of racing,” she said. “Being home for the first round will have its comforts, and I couldn’t ask for a nicer start.
“Thank you to the JBXE team for this opportunity; working with Jenson is a true privilege given his incredible career, and I aim to deliver my absolute best for us all. Wishing everyone a great season!”
Team namesake Jenson Button added, “I am delighted to welcome Andreas back to JBXE and it is great to have Dania make her Extreme E debut with us. I believe we have got a strong driver pairing for 2024.
“Andreas’ experience with the team gives us a great platform to achieve positive results this season, while Dania has demonstrated her off-road capabilities in other categories and that will give us plenty of experience for the season ahead. I’m confident we can hit the ground running at the Desert X Prix, especially in Dania’s home event, and we are really looking forward to the new season.”
It still seems odd, doesn’t it, McLaren in off-road racing? And yet this year will be the third that the famously squeaky-clean brand has gone and got its feet – or rather its tires – dirty. The last two years have been OK for the NEOM McLaren …
It still seems odd, doesn’t it, McLaren in off-road racing? And yet this year will be the third that the famously squeaky-clean brand has gone and got its feet — or rather its tires — dirty.
The last two years have been OK for the NEOM McLaren Extreme E team — steady progress, flashes of speed, and a couple of podiums — but now it wants to make that final step. Extreme E’s highest-profile under-achievers have glory on their minds. Of course they do — they are McLaren, after all.
“For sure McLaren did very well,” new signing Cristina Gutierrez tells RACER. “It’s not an easy championship, all the things change each year and it’s sometimes difficult to manage the rules, the car, all the things that can happen, and for sure they are trying everything to win this championship.”
Gutierrez and Ekstrom bring experience in a variety of realms to the McLaren Extreme E program.
Alongside the Season 2 champion will be Mattias Ekstrom, the double DTM and 2016 World Rallycross champion who almost added an Extreme E crown to that list last year.
“I think that all the teams in Extreme E have had, at times, the chance to win races,” he points out. “But the most difficult thing is to keep the car on-pace every single session with changing conditions — you have unlucky starting slots, and there’s always something or someone that will bring their A-game at time. I think with the experience I have and also what Cristina has, I think will be able to bring this.
“Sometimes, to win you need to be in the right flow. It’s easy to see the result afterwards, but on the trip to get to the result, you also have to be very humble and honest with yourself about why you’re winning and why you’re not.”
The drivers are just part of the equation, though, with the tight-knit group McLaren takes to the races just as vital — and Gutierrez is eager to get stuck in with them.
Race prep in Extreme E requires managing “all the details” in some of the most remote locations on Earth. Colin McMaster/Motorsport Images
“The professionalism that they have, all the little details that they manage — every single detail is important for them,” she says. “When you you walk through the door at McLaren you can see the professionalism, all the teamwork.
“When they started in Extreme E I was impressed by the team spirit, the family that they had in Extreme E and for sure when they called me I wanted to have this feeling, the family spirit. I can now say I am now [in] the family and I’m very happy.”
One member of that team is sporting director Gary Paffett. The former driver is very much a known quantity to Ekstrom, who spent years battling with him in DTM — the pair won two titles apiece between 2004 and 2018. But while they might have enjoyed an intense rivalry in the past, nowadays, Ekstrom says, “when it comes to the sporting side, I feel I can trust him 100 percent.”
“Gary was one of my fiercest competitors in DTM — when I saw him in the paddock, it was always like this love-hate relationship,” he says. “But as he wasn’t competing against me [in Extreme E], if you have to know why I’m here, it’s him. It’s exciting to be working with everybody here, but especially him.
“I shouldn’t say it, but he’s one of the few I could accept losing against in my entire career,” he reveals. “I never enjoyed losing against him, but I could accept it, and to have him as the boss during this project is very exciting. To have the chance to work closely with him is something I’m looking forward to.
“The bottom line is I know how much of a winner he is, and I can see that the entire team is doing things very professionally; but in the end you want a good result, so I will try to help them as much as I can.”
The conversation between the three of us so far has centered around the team’s expectations, but it’s only natural that when someone takes a new job, you question what the perks could be, too. Their predecessors Tanner Foust and Emma Gilmour got to sample some legendary McLaren machines like the MP4/2, MP4/6, MP4/14, F1 GTR, and M8D, so have Gutierrez and Ekstrom been putting together their wish lists?
Gutierrez laughs before I even can finish the question.
“Well, for sure it would be a highlight in my life,” she says. “If I can select one, I’d be happy to drive a Formula 1 car. I don’t care about the year — it’s one of the biggest moments in the career of any driver so I hope to have the chance to drive one of them. We will see.”
The prospect of getting a chance to play with the McLaren collection of vintage F1 cars is another side benefit of association with the team. Dominik Wilde photo
Ekstrom previously hasn’t been too fazed about the prospect of sampling a grand prix car, but now as an official McLaren driver, the lure seems to be proving too much to ignore. He, however, is more keen to spend time with fellow motorsport enthusiast — and new boss — Zak Brown.
“I wouldn’t say I’m one of them that wants to jump in the car and drive — I’m not a Formula 1 person, but I’m starting to realize at my age, at one point I want to drive a Formula 1 car, I must admit,” he says. “The only thing I haven’t driven on the planet is an F1 car. I still think there are some things in my life I should learn to explore and maybe that’s something I can ask Zak to put on my wish list for Christmas.
“He has quite a big passion for motorsport, but also rally cars or anything. He’s not a Formula 1 nerd; he’s more of a motorsport nerd. I’m looking forward to seeing his garage, to see his rally cars and just to have a chat with him to see what he thinks about life.”
The job at hand, however, remains the main focus. And it’s not lost on the team that it is racing in one of the most competitive series around.
“For sure we need to build the team and we need to be aligned from the beginning to try to win, because every single team can win in these races,” Gutierrez says. “We are a big team now, for sure, but the other teams are also going to be fast and competitive. In this championship every point is very important, so we should fight from the beginning for each single point.”
Gutierrez speaks from experience, having won the Extreme E title with Sebastien Loeb at Lewis Hamilton’s X44 team in 2022. Ekstrom knows what it takes, too, even if he came up short in the 2023 title fight after an incident for former teammate Laia Sanz on the last lap of the last race of the most recent campaign. The near-miss has only made him more hungry to succeed in his new surroundings.
“I think the day where I go racing and I don’t dream about winning, that’s when I won’t be on the entry list,” he says. “That’s not saying I have to win to be a happy man, because sometimes you can’t control the environment or something happens — or especially in this racing you can have accidents — but I definitely go into this season with the hopes of being competitive in every session, every weekend and will just try to avoid as many mistakes as possible, try to have as clean weekends as possible.
“I think last year, there was evidence that if you do your homework, if you keep pushing and you do all the right things, you will be one of the championship contenders,” he adds. “If we manage to keep the car clean, have no technical issues and we take care with our driving, I would really like to have a championship battle again this year. I also love and get addicted to those hard battles which, in the end, you want to win.
“Last year we had a super-hard battle but we lost and that sucks, but it’s like this. I haven’t won this championship, I still want to win it, and with Cristina I have somebody who has won it and I think she’s better than ever so I don’t see many excuses why we shouldn’t be able to fight for it.”
NEOM McLaren has made a statement of intent by signing Mattias Ekstrom and Cristina Gutierrez to drive for the team in Extreme E this season. McLaren been in the electric off-road series since 2022, but has so far failed to register a victory in its …
NEOM McLaren has made a statement of intent by signing Mattias Ekstrom and Cristina Gutierrez to drive for the team in Extreme E this season.
McLaren been in the electric off-road series since 2022, but has so far failed to register a victory in its 15 races to date. The team hopes to turn around its fortunes with the signing of Season 2 champion Gutierrez, and Ekstrom who came within a lap of taking the Season 3 crown last December.
“It’s massive. When they phoned me I couldn’t say no because it’s an historic team and it’s like a dream come true,” Gutierrez told RACER. ”Every driver in the world wants to be at McLaren one day, so it’s difficult to say no to this team.”
Ekstrom, who knows a thing or two about racing for the biggest names in the business, added, “It is pretty awesome. I have to say, papaya colors are pretty different. For a couple of years, since McLaren took this approach it’s been easy to recognize them.
“The first time I came here to Woking to visit, having a walk on the Boulevard, just to see in reality the heritage, is pretty amazing,” he said. “To see what McLaren has done in motorsport and also not only trophies but the certain style and the perfectionism they have, it’s quite cool to be a part of.
“With my little team, EKS, we were also trying to do things differently but I can see here is a totally different level and I’m also enjoying a lot to see and learn everything that is not only related to racing but also creating good content and storytelling, so I can enjoy a lot more in racing than not only driving the car.”
Gutierrez joins the team after three years with Lewis Hamilton’s X44 outfit. The first two of those seasons were spent driving alongside Sebastien Loeb, with the pair clinching the title in the final round of the 2022 campaign. Alongside Rosberg X Racing’s Johan Kristoffersson, Andretti duo Timmy Hansen and Catie Munnings, and Laia Sanz of Acciona Sainz, Gutierrez had been one of just a handful of drivers to stick with one team throughout the first three years of Extreme E.
“I’m used to driving with another team, with other mechanics, engineers and teammates, so it’s a challenge for me but it’s a big opportunity to run in this team,” she said. “It’s a big opportunity to share the team with another legend so I can’t wait to start the season and give to McLaren all that they gave to me.”
While it will be a new teammate for Gutierrez, Ekstom is no stranger with the pair having competed together in rally raid events. And he’s mightily impressed with his new colleague.
“I think she’s proven that she’s very smart and fast and she’s positioned herself as the number one female, for me, in motorsport. I don’t mean only Extreme E or Dakar, but as a whole,” Ekstrom said. “In the rally raid world I think she’s positioned herself well and has a proven record of doing smart things, so I’m looking forward to sharing a car with her and seeing if there’s something I can learn myself. But if she wants any advice, I’m happy to help and see if I can also help her to take one more step in her career.”
It’s an appreciation that’s reciprocated by Gutierrez. She knows all too well the value Ekstrom can bring to a team, having driven in a competition where many teams have been after his signature.
“He’s impressive. I’ve known for a long time that all the best teams in the Dakar want him to be on their team, because he improves the car a lot,” she said. “He’s behind the wheel all the time, competing in different [series] and it makes a big difference compared with somebody who maybe does only one or two races per year.
“Also, a good thing from Mattias is he came from rallycross and in this championship, in Extreme E, the starts are very important, so I’ll love to share the car with him.”
Both drivers join McLaren off the back of a strong Dakar rally where Gutierrez claimed overall victory in the Challenger (T3) category, while Ekstrom won the prologue and two stages with Audi before mechanical issues derailed a quest for a likely victory in the Ultimate (car) class.
“We have been very busy with our Dakar programs, both Cristina and myself,” Ekstrom said of both drivers’ start to life at McLaren. “We did the Morocco Rally, then it was fitness training, and then 10 days off before Dakar so there hasn’t been much preparation stuff going on.
“But we will have an event together as a crew prep, then it will also very soon start with all the regular setup, preparation, and operations about our weekend and all that — what I call the fun but boring stuff, breaking down the weekend in detail and seeing how good we can make it.”
Reigning champion team Rosberg X Racing will retain its driver lineup of Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky for the upcoming Extreme E season. The pair beat Acciona Sainz’s Mattias Ekstrom and Laia Sanz to last year’s championship …
Reigning champion team Rosberg X Racing will retain its driver lineup of Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky for the upcoming Extreme E season.
The pair beat Acciona Sainz’s Mattias Ekstrom and Laia Sanz to last year’s championship after a tense final in Chile where it needed to finish ahead of the Spanish team to ensure the title, but suffered damage which left their chances looking unlikely, only for Sanz to hit trouble of her own when she got behind the wheel for the second half of the race.
[lawrence-related id=342838]
The title was the second for Nico Rosberg’s team, but first for Ahlin-Kottulinsky, who joined the team ahead of Season 2 after the departure of Molly Taylor.
“Winning my first Extreme E Championship last season was a dream come true,” said Ahlin-Kottulinsky. “It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire RXR team. I am thrilled to continue with RXR this season and build on our success.”
It will be six-time World Rallycross champion Kristoffersson’s fourth year with the team, making him one of only three drivers – along with Andretti’s Timmy Hansen and Catie Munnings – to be confirmed as still be driving for their Season 1 outfit.
“Being a part of RXR since the beginning and achieving two championship victories has been an incredible journey,” said the record eight-time Extreme E race winner. “It fuels my motivation even more for the upcoming season. I’m also really glad to continue working alongside Mikaela; her talent and drive greatly contribute to our team’s success.”
As well as confirming its drivers for the upcoming season, which begins in Saudi Arabia on February 17-18, Rosberg X Racing also announced a strategic partnership with Swiss food brand SUN Minimeal, which itself revealed it was entering Extreme E with its own team on Monday.
“Nico Rosberg is synonymous with exceptional performance in motorsport and has been a staunch advocate for sustainability over the years,” said SUN AG founder and CEO Wolfgang Grabher. “His team, Rosberg X Racing, has caught our attention with their dedication to raising awareness about climate change … We are proud to support RXR with our sponsorship and the mission Race for the Planet.”
Timo Scheider will lead a new team in this year’s Extreme E championship, backed by Swiss food company SUN AG. The double DTM champion – who is also a two-time Extreme E podium finisher with XITE Energy Racing and Carl Cox Motorsport – will serve as …
Timo Scheider will lead a new team in this year’s Extreme E championship, backed by Swiss food company SUN AG.
The double DTM champion — who is also a two-time Extreme E podium finisher with XITE Energy Racing and Carl Cox Motorsport — will serve as team principal for the SUN Minimeal team, as well as driving for it alongside former Abt Cupra driver Klara Andersson.
“The long-term partnership with SUN Minimeal is extremely exciting and makes me very happy,” said Scheider. “The combination is a perfect fit, because I share common goals and philosophies with SUN Minimeal and Extreme E.
“I have been able to engage a number of highly competent team members, which will allow me to fully concentrate on my role as a driver.
“I am very proud that we have been able to recruit Klara as a driver. She is extremely fast and also fits perfectly well to the team. I am convinced that we have put together a strong package to play a significant role in the high-class competitive environment of Extreme E.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=5858]
Andersson, Extreme E’s youngest-ever race winner and the first female to finish on the podium in the World Rallycross championship, joins the team after spending just over a year with Abt Cupra, which departed at the end of 2023 season in order to focus its resources on Formula E.
“I am delighted to be part of the SUN Minimeal team and would like to thank (SUN CEO) Wolfgang Grabher and Timo Scheider for their trust,” said Andersson. “I got to know Timo in the World Rallycross Championship as one of the fastest and hardest working racing drivers out there.
“To be able now to compete alongside him in Extreme E is simply cool. I can hardly wait for the season opener in Saudi Arabia!”
The SUN Minimeal team will promote SUN’s innovative food products, which promote healthy living and sustainability, matching Extreme E’s own ethos.
“Our involvement in Extreme E will help us to globally present our innovation for healthy nutrition and our mission to reduce nutritional resources by 90 percent and reach up to 2.1 billion households,” explains Grabher. “I am particularly pleased to have Timo Scheider, a champion and great team player, in the team and wish him and Klara Andersson all the best for the 2024 season.”
Extreme E founder and Alejandro Agag already has high hopes for the team despite its infancy.
“We are delighted to welcome the SUN Minimeal team into our series as our latest entrant,” he said. “Despite being a new team in the championship, SUN Minimeal Team arrives with plenty of experience and race-winning pedigree, so we hope they will be fighting up at the sharp end of the field when the new season begins next month in Saudi Arabia.
“Everyone pulling in the same direction is so important in Extreme E, and Sun Minimeal is undoubtedly an organisation which is environmentally conscious and focused on sustainability, sharing the core values of our championship.
“I look forward to seeing how Timo and Klara fare behind the wheel and SUN Minimeal Team battling for podiums and victories in 2024, as we count down to our fourth Extreme E season.”
The 2024 Extreme E season will get underway in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 17-18.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has partnered with Formula E, Extreme E, and the new E1 electric powerboat racing series as part of its new Electric 360 program to support the growth of electric motorsport. The multi-year agreement is …
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has partnered with Formula E, Extreme E, and the new E1 electric powerboat racing series as part of its new Electric 360 program to support the growth of electric motorsport.
The multi-year agreement is the first of its kind and is aimed at pushing innovation across each of the categories and improving sustainable transport and mobility initiatives, as well as driving down carbon emissions.
The move comes as the PIF, ranked as the number one wealth fund in the Middle East for sustainability and among the top 100 globally, revamps its own brand as it looks to showcase “its commitment to progress and growth in driving transformation at a historical scale”.
“At PIF, we believe in the power of partnerships, investing in innovative collaborations as part of our focus on ‘Investing in Better.’ These partnerships will enhance the quality of life for people, provide opportunities for the communities we serve, and help continue our work as a catalyst for transformation,” said Mohamed AlSayyad, head of corporate brand at PIF.
“Together with these championship series, Electric 360 will redefine electric sport and supercharge its growth, delivering tangible impact aligned with our broader business strategy as PIF drives new green technological innovation that will be the cornerstone of future electric mobility.”
As well as partnering with all three electric racing series, Electric 360 will also support education, with global STEM initiatives tied to each championship and community apprenticeship programs with industry partners in each series.
“This one-of-a-kind partnership with PIF is a huge milestone for us in our journey to pioneer the most cutting-edge sustainable transport technology,” said Alejandro Agag, founder and chairman of Formula E, Extreme E, and E1. “With so many examples of the positive real-world impact of each series, this 360-partnership takes our potential to the next level.
“PIF will not only play a strategic role in helping us leverage our unique technological platforms, but also foster global collaboration, education and skills development for the next generation worldwide.”
Saudi Arabia has become a key player in the motorsport landscape in recent years, with it hosting the Dakar rally since 2020 and the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix since ’21. State-owned oil firm Aramco is a partner of both the Aston Martin F1 team and F1 itself, and the NEOM urban development project is a title sponsor of McLaren’s electric racing offshoot, which competes in both Formula E and Extreme E.
The country will host each of Formula E, Extreme E, and E1 in the coming weeks, too. This weekend, rounds two and three of the Formula E season will take place in Diriyah on the outskirts of capital city Riyadh. Next week the inaugural E1 event will take place in Jeddah, with the first two rounds of the Extreme E season following nearby on February 17-18.
