Category: Extreme E

Revamped X44 Vida Carbon validates Carlin partnership with Extreme E win

Lewis Hamilton’s X44 Vida Carbon Racing team kick-started its Extreme E title defense with victory in the third round of the season. But while the name above the door – and one of the team’s drivers – may be the same as the past two campaigns, it’s …

Lewis Hamilton’s X44 Vida Carbon Racing team kick-started its Extreme E title defense with victory in the third round of the season. But while the name above the door — and one of the team’s drivers — may be the same as the past two campaigns, it’s very much a new team.

For the first two seasons of the all-electric off-road championship, the X44 outfit was run behind the scenes by motorsport powerhouse Prodrive and had rallying legend Sebastien Loeb occupying the male driver position.

This year, though, legendary open-wheel outfit Carlin took over the team’s technical support — the firm’s first-ever foray into off-road racing — while rallycross star Fraser McConnell joined to partner Cristina Gutierrez.

So while the record books will show Saturday’s victory in Scotland as the team’s third victory, it was very much a maiden triumph for a team that underwent quite the overhaul in the offseason.

“Having Carlin for the technical support is really incredible. They’re a staple name in the circuit racing world and this is their first taste of anything off-road,” said McConnell. “The whole X44 tent has new faces in it, so we used the first event to get our feet wet, we did show some great pace, but after I did the track walk here I had a lot of confidence in myself and Cristina that we were going to go out there and do a good job.”

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Gutierrez — one of Extreme E’s longest-serving drivers, having been in the series, and with X44, since it all began — added that while the team setup in the paddock is new, so is her way of working with her new teammate.

“It’s a very different team. They’re new, Fraser is a new teammate, he’s one of the best drivers now and for sure he has a lot of talent,” she said. “I think it is a different feeling because we learn together. With Sebastien I was much more learning and trying to understand his knowledge.

“I think Fraser has helped me a lot with his rallycross style — I came from rally raid and it’s totally different, and he helped me a lot with the lines and the starts and I developed with him.”

Regardless of whether you consider this a rebirth or a continuation of one of Extreme E’s most well-known teams, for McConnell it was a first outright victory, having only made his debut in the 2022 finale as a stand in driver at another team carrying a British Formula 1 legend’s name: Jenson Button’s JBXE.

“It’s incredible to get a win for X44, my first win in Extreme E as well so I’ve ticked a few boxes today,” said the Jamaican, who is also a race winner in the U.S-based Nitro Rallycross series.

“It was a crazy race. The field is so stacked and the competition so good. Cristina’s been fast all weekend, I’ve also been fast and we have a good team behind us and went out there and got the job done.”

The victory came after a penalty for first-placed finishers Andretti Altawkilat, McConnell having lost the lead early on after being caught out by an unsighted rut on the course. But that hiccup came after a blinding start where he saved his one use of the Hyperdrive power boost until after the first corner, whereas the rest of the Final field opted to use it off the start.

Despite the seemingly calculated nature of the race-defining move, “Frazzz” said it wasn’t something he planned to do in advance.

“It’s hard to have a scenario in your head for a start, everything changes,” he said. “You plan ABCD and Z will happen, so you always just have to trust your instincts and really believe in yourself.”

Continuing, he referenced Abt Cupra driver Klara Andersson’s frightening qualifying crash that occurred at the same point where McConnel boosted into the lead, and said that he hit the button to avoid a repeat of the incident.

“Seeing what happened to Klara earlier today — I’m really happy she’s OK –but I got alongside Timmy (Hansen) and I knew I had more pace than him going over that crest so kept it flat. When in doubt, flat out.”

X44 Vida Carbon’s McConnell and Gutierrez take Scotland X Prix win

X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s Fraser McConnell and Cristina Gutierrez claimed victory in the first part of the Hydro X Prix in Scotland after on-track winners Andretti Altawkilat were handed a penalty. Timmy Hansen and Catie Munnings led much of the …

X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s Fraser McConnell and Cristina Gutierrez claimed victory in the first part of the Hydro X Prix in Scotland after on-track winners Andretti Altawkilat were handed a penalty.

Timmy Hansen and Catie Munnings led much of the four-lap final after Hansen swept past the fast-starting McConnell on the opening lap, but a 15.3-second penalty for failing to meet the minimum driver switch time took away the team’s first victory since Round 3 of the 2021 season.

Four of the final’s five starters opted to use their one shot of Hyperdrive power boost off the start line, with Rosberg X Racing’s Johan Kristoffersson looking like the best-placed to prevail with a sweeping move around the outside, but McConnell saved his boost for the exit of the first turn which catapulted him to the lead. However, moments later, an unsighted rut forced him off-line at Waypoint 6, opening the door for Hansen to sneak through at the next gate.

Behind them, Kristoffersson — who dropped back after his unsuccessful first turn pass attempt — was battling for third with GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing’s RJ Anderson when he suffered a slow roll amid visibility issues at Waypoint 13.

Hansen maintained Andretti’s lead until the mid-race driver change, but once Gutierrez took over from McConnell in the Lewis Hamilton-owned X44 entry, she began to hunt down Munnings in the lead car.

Munnings responded to Gutierrez’s early charge to maintain a seven-second gap on the final lap, but with her team’s penalty being 15.3s (15s penalty, plus 0.3s gained by their switch zone infringement), it wasn’t enough. They nevertheless finished second, ahead of Carl Cox Motorsport’s Timo Scheider and Christine Giampaoli Zonca, competing in the team’s first final.

The Carl Cox duo had a slow start to the final, but a puncture for the Ganassi entry on the second lap allowed them to close the gap and make a first rostrum appearance in only their third series start.

X44’s win means that Extreme E has now had four different winners in the last four races, stretching back to last season’s Energy X Prix in Uruguay — a run that would have extended to seven in seven, going back to Round 2 last year had Andretti’s on-the-road victory stood.

It was also a maiden victory for McConnell, who took over from Sebastien Loeb alongside Gutierrez — now a three-time winner — at the start of the year.

Hydro X Prix I Final

1. X44 Vida Carbon Racing 10m 12.670
2. Andretti Altawkilat +8.986s
3. Carl Cox Motorsport +38.977
4. GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing +1m 01.716
5. Rosberg X Racing DNF

The day started with thick fog covering the track, resulting in the cancellation of the first round of qualifying. That left just two heat races, with half the field in each, to decide the final lineup rather than the usual four.

X44 won the first heat, beating Ganassi’s Amanda Sorensen and Anderson into the first corner then taking off to win unchallenged.

Andretti was third, with Acciona Sainz (Laia Sanz and Mattias Ekstrom) and JBXE (Hedda Hosas and Andreas Bakkerud) completing the Heat 1 field.

The second qualifying heat was a much more dramatic affair. RXR’s Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky muscled past Scheider into the first corner, but then Schieder tagged Klara Andersson as the Abt Cupra driver used her hyperdrive to try and get by on the exit of the first corner. The contact forced Andersson into the hay bales lining the straight, pitching her into a violent flip. She emerged from the car unaided and unhurt, but the car was destroyed and the race red flagged.

On the restart, RXR continued to lead comfortably, with McLaren’s Emma Gilmour and Tanner Foust behind. They were relegated to third post-race, however, after it was deemed that their car was not entirely in the designated area in the switch zone, some loose bodywork from a race-start collision with the Veloce Racing car of Molly Taylor and Kevin Hansen hanging outside the confines of the team’s switch box.

That contact broke an axle on the Veloce car, ensuring that they would miss a final for the first time since the team signed 2021 champion Taylor and the younger Hansen brother ahead of last year’s finale.

Andretti took the fifth and final spot in the main by having the fastest time through the “Traction Challenge” sector on the track of the two second place finishers.

That put Acciona Sainz into the Redemption Race too alongside fellow Saudi Arabia winners Veloce. Both locked out the top two positions in the consolation race, beating McLaren and JBXE, with Abt Cupra failing to start after their earlier crash.

Hydro X Prix I Redemption Race

1. Acciona Sainz 9m 49.303
2. Veloce Racing +3.650
3. McLaren + 16.200
4. JBXE + 32.779
5. Abt Cupra DNS

Veloce tops Extreme E practice in Scotland

Extreme E points leaders Veloce Racing continued its fine start to the 2023 season by topping practice for the Hydro X Prix in Scotland. The pairing of Molly Taylor and Kevin Hansen – which won the season opener in Saudi Arabia – topped both …

Extreme E points leaders Veloce Racing continued its fine start to the 2023 season by topping practice for the Hydro X Prix in Scotland.

The pairing of Molly Taylor and Kevin Hansen – which won the season opener in Saudi Arabia – topped both sessions, setting a combined four-lap time of 9 minutes 58.466 in FP2. That run was 1.522s quicker than second placed X44 Vida Carbon Racing (Fraser McConnell and Cristina Gutierrez). Hansen also set the fastest single lap of the session, lapping the 2.67 kilometer course in 1m 55.336.

“We had a really good day, we enjoyed the track, we have a great spirit in our team and with a lot of partners coming this weekend it’s also nice to start off really strong and feel really good out there on the track,” said Hansen. “Molly also did an incredible second free practice but tomorrow is not about timing, it’s about the racing so we’ll stay humble and try to do our best.”

Third fastest was Abt Cupra’s Klara Andersson and Nasser Al-Attiyah, ahead of Acciona Sainz’s Laia Sanz and Mattias Ekstrom, who rebounded after suffering a mechanical failure in the morning.

McLaren’s Emma Gilmour and Tanner Foust rounded out the top five, despite a sketchy moment for Foust when he briefly ended up on two wheels as he went to the steep, high-speed dive back into the quarry section of the course.

“The difference in grip from the dirt to the gravel is pretty contrasting, it’s a pretty severe difference, so pitching over that corner, if you catch a little nub next to the flag it can kind of pitch it up on the side,” Foust said. “It would be a terrible place to roll, I’m going to knock on wood.

“It’s a super-exciting track. It’s like hanging on for life for a lot of the track, and you’re always kind of keeping some kind of safety buffer but at the same time you want to push hard enough to feel where the limit is and to understand, just in case it’s dry like this tomorrow, which it’s supposed to be.”

Andretti Altawkilat, the first team to take to the track in the afternoon, was sixth fastest despite a puncture for Timmy Hansen towards the end of his last lap.

Chip Ganassi Racing was seventh-fastest despite a brief off for Amanda Sorensen on the team’s first lap which resulted in her clipping a flag at Waypoint 14 and being handed a 10 second penalty.

The GMC Hummer squad wasn’t the only team to receive a penalty, with multiple teams clipping waypoint flags in the morning, and eighth-placed Carl Cox Motorsport (Christine Giampaoli Zonca and Timo Scheider) getting punished for both a switch zone infringement, and speeding in the switch zone in the afternoon.

JBXE (Hedda Hosas and Andreas Bakkerud) were similarly hit with a penalty for an issue in the driver change area.

Rosberg X Racing (Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky and Johan Kristoffersson) ended the day button of the time sheets after getting a combined 40 second penalty for dropping four waypoint flags. Without that added on, the team would have been sixth quickest in the afternoon.

Hydro X Prix Free Practice 2

Veloce Racing 9m 58.466
X44 Vida Carbon Racing +1.522
Abt Cupra +3.3.101
Acciona Sainz +7.248
McLaren +8.733
Andretti Altawkilat +19.694
Chip Ganassi Racing +22.731
Carl Cox Motorsport +49.008
JBXE +51.346
Rosberg X Racing +56.379

Bakkerud to replace Kovalainen at Button’s JBXE

Andreas Bakkerud will replace Heikki Kovalainen at Jenson Button’s JBXE team for the remainder of the Extreme E season, starting with this weekend’s Hydro X Prix in Scotland. Kovalainen made his debut in the all-electric off-road series last time …

Andreas Bakkerud will replace Heikki Kovalainen at Jenson Button’s JBXE team for the remainder of the Extreme E season, starting with this weekend’s Hydro X Prix in Scotland.

Kovalainen made his debut in the all-electric off-road series last time out at the Desert X Prix in Saudi Arabia, driving alongside Hedda Hosas for the 2009 Formula 1 world champion’s team, and helped the outfit to a best result of eighth place across that event’s two championship rounds.

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The 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix winner was most recently in action in the Japanese rally championship. He contested the Kumakogen Rally last weekend in a Skoda Fabia R5, winning every stage en route to his third-straight Japanese rally victory.

Bakkerud, meanwhile, served as one of the series’ reserve drivers in Saudi Arabia. The 2021 European Rallycross champion and 2022-23 Nitro Rallycross runner-up was one of the first drivers to test Extreme E’s Odyssey 21 race car, sampling the car at Chateau de Lastours in France in 2020. However, he has yet to feature in the series.

“I’m super excited to be announced as a competing driver for JBXE,” said Bakkerud. “From testing the car in France in the beginning to stepping in as the Championship Driver in Saudi Arabia learning all about the car and the championship, it’s fantastic to continue being a part of this journey.

“I love what Extreme E is all about, especially their environmental initiatives, how it champions their actions against climate change, and in general, the whole race for the planet ethos, which is also something we in Norway are huge advocates of.”

With Hosas remaining at JBXE, Bakkerud will form one half of an all-Norwegian driver lineup, and first not just for the series, but him too.

“It is my first time racing with a Norwegian so I am looking forward to teaming up with Hedda,” said Bakkerud. “I’m hoping we can cultivate a great working relationship and help each other both improve and succeed. For sure, it will take some time to get used to things, but I hope I can steer JBXE in the right direction.”

Bakkerud will be the third champion rallycross driver to take the team’s male driver spot after Kevin Hansen — who replaced Button from the second round of the 2021 season — and Fraser McConnell, who subsequently replaced Hansen for last year’s finale before moving onto Lewis Hamilton’s X44 Vida Carbon Racing team for this year.

“I am thrilled and honored to welcome Andreas Bakkerud to JBXE for the next round of the season in Scotland,” said Button. “Andreas’ off-road racing pedigree speaks for itself, and his experience will be invaluable in our new all-Norwegian partnership alongside Hedda in the team as we look to kickstart our 2023 campaign.”

Extreme E hitting sustainability goals; closing gender performance gap

Extreme E has released new figures outlining the level to which its female drivers improved relative to their male counterparts in the second season of the all-electric offroad series. Extreme E is unique in that each team must run both a male and …

Extreme E has released new figures outlining the level to which its female drivers improved relative to their male counterparts in the second season of the all-electric offroad series.

Extreme E is unique in that each team must run both a male and female driver – with both sharing driving duties of a single car, switching places midway through each race – and Extreme E’s annual Sustainability report, released today, shows that that there was a 26 percent improvement in performance of the female drivers compared to the series’ first year.

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The difference between the male and female median times across Season 1 (2021) was 9.7 percent at its highest point (the Island X Prix in Sardinia), with a season average difference of 5.8 percent.

However, last year that season-long average dropped to 4.5 percent, with the biggest gap being at the season-opening Desert X Prix in Saudi Arabia (6.3 percent), and remaining in a window of 1.5 percent for the rest of the season.

Further highlighting the increase in performance of the female drivers was Cristina Gutierrez, who set the fastest overall lap time in the Copper X Prix in Chile, which helped her and X44 teammate Sebastien Loeb secure the title.

Cristina Gutierrez (left) was fastest overall in Chile last year. Charly Lopez/Motorsport Images

“We feel incredibly proud to see the performance gap between males and females close by almost a third in just two seasons, proving beyond doubt that this gender equal sporting format is creating genuine sporting impact for female drivers,” said series founder and CEO Alejandro Agag.

On the environmental side, a key focus of Extreme E, the report also confirmed that it has remained completely carbon neutral, and reiterates that last year’s season finale was powered by completely renewable energy.

The Energy X Prix in Uruguay (pictured top) was the world’s first zero emissions motorsport event thanks to the use of on-site solar panels and hydrogen fuel cells to power all event infrastructure, including the charging of the race cars.

The event set the blueprint for future events, with the series increasing its investment in renewable solutions as part of its plans for an entirely sustainable future.

Extreme E has already increased the capacity of the hydrogen fuel cell it uses to power events as well as planning to introduce a microgrid system that will combine the hydrogen with solar and wind power to help with its pledge to continue to use 100 percent renewable energy.

“The Report illustrates how Extreme E is leading the way as an action-based test bed for innovation and progress beyond the series,” said Agag. “We have once again consistently achieved the lowest carbon footprint in motorsport in front of a TV audience which grew by 30 percent – reaching 135 million viewers during Season 2 and continuing to grow its circle of influence.”

You can view the report in full here.

Extreme E documentary ‘Race for the Planet’ launches Season Two

Extreme E premiered season two of its documentary, “Race for the Planet,” this week at an exclusive event at Electric Cinema in London that included RACER among its invited guests. The documentary series, co-produced by Extreme E and NEO Studios, …

Extreme E premiered season two of its documentary, “Race for the Planet,” this week at an exclusive event at Electric Cinema in London that included RACER among its invited guests.

The documentary series, co-produced by Extreme E and NEO Studios, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the second season of the all-electric off-road racing championship. It also explores the personalities involved and shines a spotlight on the championship’s environmental and ecological initiatives away from the racetrack.

“We are absolutely thrilled to announce our second season of ‘Race for the Planet,’” said Extreme E’s chief marketing officer, Ali Russell. “The series highlights the untold stories behind the scenes of Extreme E on and off the track and takes audiences along with us on this incredible adventure around the globe to witness environmental issues and solutions they might otherwise be unaware of.

“We have captured in a very raw form what it is like to race in Extreme E. We break down the barriers around the ups and down of motorsport, and there is no hiding the challenges faced and essentially, how extreme this championship is.

“It gives a real insight into the thoughts and emotions of some of the best drivers in motorsport, and that just makes this documentary even more unique and entertaining as we bring the audience into the heart of our racing and legacy projects.”

Race for the Planet crew at the premiere. Extreme E photo

The series also mirrors the championship’s commitment to gender equality — each team features both male and female drivers with both getting equal track time, as well as there being multiple other female team members throughout the paddock — with co-commentator Jennie Gow and the championship’s TV reporter Laura Winter both featuring prominently.

“For women to be on the motorsport world stage in equal machinery with equal opportunity, it’s something that has never been done before,” said McLaren driver Emma Gilmour. “As we’ve seen over the two seasons, the caliber, and the talent and the speed of the females has got better and better and that’s still with limited seat time.

“I think it’s really exciting for the future, and especially for that next generation coming through, it’s fantastic.”

McLaren’s Emma Gilmour is eager to get the word out about how Extreme E is boosting racing opportunities for women. Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Images

Each episode is dedicated to one of last year’s five championship rounds. The premiere showcased the final episode in the series and the tense finale title fight primarily between 2021 champions Rosberg X Racing and X44, with the latter prevailing after a thrilling weekend in which all the contenders hit trouble.

“At NEO, we also couldn’t believe the outcome, and filming a championship as close as this helps to draw interest from the motorsport community and beyond,” said Anouk Mertens, global CEO of NEO Studios. “The access that we get to the series is the best we’ve experienced in terms of creating a fly on the wall documentary and that allows us to tell deeper human stories around the sport.

“The reason why NEO is invested in this project is because we feel Extreme E shares the same values as us both on and off the track, particularly our ambition to highlight inequality in sport that still exists today.

“At NEO we focus on the fact that our shows highlight unexpected stories and often underrepresented voices throughout the sports world.”

After Season One of the series was shown exclusively on Amazon’s Prime Video in the UK, Season Two is expected to be made available globally, with news of the broadcast partner set to be revealed later in the year.

OPINION: The unlikely Extreme E idea that just might work

Before we get going, I’m well aware this is a bit of an out-of-left-field idea, but bear with me – there’s method to my madness. Extreme E’s modus operandi is to travel to remote areas affected by climate change to highlight the issues faced by our …

Before we get going, I’m well aware this is a bit of an out-of-left-field idea, but bear with me – there’s method to my madness.

Extreme E’s modus operandi is to travel to remote areas affected by climate change to highlight the issues faced by our planet, raise awareness, and put on a good show in the process. But while melting ice caps, forest fires, habitat destruction, and the practice of sustainable living are all very real issues, the remoteness of Extreme E’s X Prixs can create a gulf between the average viewer and the message being conveyed.

Environmental and ecological issues affect every one of us, so why not hammer that point home by taking the message directly to the people? As well as raising awareness of those issues we might be oblivious to by shining a spotlight on them in our own backyards, why not highlight those unmentioned closer to home as well?

Other than the Greenland race in 2021 and the 2022 season finale in Uruguay – which also hosted a hugely successful fan engagement event on the streets of Punta del Este before the race – fans have been kept away from Extreme E events in a bid to reduce the inevitable environmental impact of thousands of additional people all descending into one place. And even then, the two aforementioned rounds only allowed locals, and in limited numbers at that.

Of course, racing 10 big truck-like vehicles on the streets of London, Paris, or Los Angeles is highly unlikely. But while it might seem like a silly idea on paper, when it comes to messaging, it might not be a million miles away from what Extreme E is already trying to achieve.

Extreme E is a racing series, but it’s also a platform. A platform that’s done a damn fine job so far of shining a spotlight on things a typical sports fan might not be aware of. So what’s the next step? Take that thinking and apply it to an everyday, relatable setting.

But the whole environmental and educational side of Extreme E is only half the story. If you’re visiting RACER, you’re obviously a car or motorsport fan – and there would be benefits from that angle, too.

Okay, so a street race in a series that prides itself on racing on some of the most dramatic race tracks ever conceived might seem like a bit of a let down – although if you think Stadium Super Trucks at Long Beach or Surfers Paradise, you’ll get a good idea of what I’m going for. But factor in this as well: SUVs dominate city streets these days. They might not make much sense in Manhattan or Mayfair, but you could take that thinking – the big, inappropriate SUV – and use it to share a better message. So you like your big cars in your big cities? How about these? And while you’re at it, let’s make a difference.

There could be a benefit for the series as well as those of us on the outside looking in. Right now, Extreme E has Volkswagen (via its Cupra brand) and General Motors (with GMC) involved. A relatable event in a location that mirrors where OEMs’ products are sold could bring more car brands to the table.

The Formula E question has the potential to scupper this entire idea. That’s an all-electric series (from the same creators, too) that races in cities to showcase the benefits of electric mobility in built-up areas. But with the messaging and fanbase of both championships being different, not to mention the vehicles differing considerably too, there could be room at the table for both. After all, you might see showroom-resembling touring cars or GT cars racing on the same bill as open-wheelers despite them being poles apart. And two events on one weekend negates the impact of holding additional events.

What’s more, it’s an idea that’s not a world away from what series organizers have already been considering, with joint events between Extreme E and the upcoming all-electric E1 boat racing series being mooted. “We could think of doing an Extreme E and E1 race in the same location, it would be incredible,” series founder Alejandro Agag told this writer last year. “I was thinking, in Greenland, imagine around the icebergs, it would be incredible. It would be very cool.”

A one or two day racing festival that educates and enlightens about how we could do better, while entertaining with two of the most competitive championships around, racing on the same course, certainly has the potential to be a big win for fans and sponsors alike. It might not be the greenest idea short-term, but if it can get eyeballs on the issues, while providing a thrilling sporting product, what’s not to love?

Extreme E to race at former coal mine in Scotland

Extreme E has confirmed that its next round will take place at the former Glenmuckloch opencast coal mine in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The May 13-14 event marks a return to the UK for the series, which concluded its first season on the …

Extreme E has confirmed that its next round will take place at the former Glenmuckloch opencast coal mine in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

The May 13-14 event marks a return to the UK for the series, which concluded its first season on the Jurassic Coast of Dorset in England in 2021. It will also be a homecoming for Extreme E’s logistics hub and focal point, the RMS St. Helena, which was built in Aberdeen in 1989.

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This will be the second time a mine has played host to the series, with an active copper mine in Chile hosting the penultimate round of last season. The choice of location this time around will highlight the site’s transition from a coal mining facility to a greener, Pumped Storage Hydropower plant and windfarm.

“Extreme E is a unique sport for purpose racing series. We are thrilled to be headed to Scotland in May for the Hydro X Prix, and we could not have found a more perfect racing site than the former Glenmuckloch coal mine,” said series founder and CEO Alejandro Agag.

Andretti driver Catie Munnings will be racing on home soil. Extreme E photo

“Extreme E uses its racing platform to tell inspirational stories of global locations on the forefront of climate issues. In Scotland, our race site will play homage to the much needed transition of an old coal mine which is being given a new and exciting lease of life as a hydro-project which will provide a fully renewable energy source for the region for centuries to come.

“Not only will this site provide one of the most dramatic and extreme race courses we have seen in our global journey, it will tell a poignant story about transition and the changing of courses that the energy industry and communities must all take if we are to succeed in the fight against climate change.”

Andretti Altawkilat driver Catie Munnings, the sole British driver in the field, is looking forward to being one of the few Extreme E drivers that get to enjoy a home event.

“There’s always something unique about every Extreme E course but racing in a location like this which is close to home will be something special for me and the team,” she said. “I’ve heard the track will be a combination of both fast sections on grass as well as drops into a quarry which will be really interesting to see.”

Extreme E weighing up full hydrogen switch

Extreme E is still working on plans for the full hydrogen-fueled championship it initially announced at the 2022 season opener. Since then it has been working on a prototype vehicle, and that is still on target to begin testing this summer. But …

Extreme E is still working on plans for the full hydrogen-fueled championship it initially announced at the 2022 season opener. Since then it has been working on a prototype vehicle, and that is still on target to begin testing this summer.

But while that timeline has remained on course, what is less clear is what the “Extreme H” project means for the series as a whole. Initially the plan was for the hydrogen class and the current battery-electric class to co-exist, but given the lack of prominent hydrogen racing series, Extreme E and Formula E series founder Alejandro Agag has suggested the new development could become the championship’s sole focus.

“We’re using fuel cells and I think it’s really relevant to create a platform for motorsport and hydrogen — there isn’t really motorsport with hydrogen,” he told select media including RACER at the recent Desert X Prix in Saudi Arabia. “There’s been some attempts — Le Mans, Dakar with a truck and so on — but I think the format is not the right one. Our format is the right one to test hydrogen. I think short races like the ones Extreme E does will be the perfect format for hydrogen.”

“We still need to figure it out,” he conceded. “We haven’t decided yet if we’re going to do both, if we’re going to focus on hydrogen, if we’re going to transition — both and then hydrogen only. We have ongoing discussions with the teams and then we will make a decision which way to go. They could even be different weekends.

“My feeling is that we will focus mainly on hydrogen. But we have to still make the decision.”

Battery-electric powered Extreme E launched its third season last weekend in Saudi Arabia. Sam Bagnall/Motorsport Images

Extreme E’s sister series Formula E has just introduced its third-generation race car, the two before it each lasting for four years before being replaced. With Extreme E having just entered its third season — one that will be twice as long as those before in terms of championship rounds — naturally talk has already started regarding a Gen2 Extreme E racer.

Agag says the introduction of that will coincide with the introduction of a hydrogen vehicle, regardless of what form that will take, but ultimately the timeline might not need to match that of Formula E’s car development.

“I think the Gen2 will be the hydrogen cars,” Agag says. “Then, we may decide to do another battery.

“The thing is, with Formula E we needed to develop along the generations because in the first generation the cars couldn’t finish the race — we needed two cars. Then with Generation 2 we finished the races but the cars were quite big. Then Generation 3 finally we finished the race with a smaller car. Then we’re going to do ultra-fast charging next year.

“In Extreme E these cars are perfectly capable of racing as much as we want. For our format, these cars are perfect.”

Another question mark is whether the cars will take the form of hydrogen electric, or hydrogen combustion.

“We need to explore hydrogen combustion,” Agag insisted. “Fuel cells have an advantage with absolutely zero emissions, Combustion of hydrogen has certain emissions.

“We have to analyze exactly how much the emissions are, NOx for sure. But they have certain advantages: for example, combustion makes noise. Some people find that obviously exciting for motorsport.”

If Extreme E (or Extreme H) chooses to not go down the hydrogen combustion route, Agag says it could be a viable alternative for Formula 1 instead of e-fuels. While F1 is already exploring the use of e-fuels as it looks to become carbon neutral by 2030, he points out they come with their own pitfalls.

“I think they will continue to be combustion. I think maybe e-fuels, but e-fuels, for me, is a technology that’s very niche and Formula 1, for me, shouldn’t be niche,” he says. “It should be technology that can be deployed for mass adoption and e-fuels, even the price of the fuels is going to be, in my opinion, for some sports cars or special situations.

“Combustion of hydrogen could be the future for Formula 1, so having the testbed of combustion of hydrogen will be very important, but the technology’s not ready yet. E-fuels release CO2, the same amount of CO2 as gasoline, but in theory, you have (already) captured that CO2 to make the e-fuel. You have captured the CO2, that’s why it’s neutral.

“But it has some issues. In theory, the oil comes from forests that millions of years ago absorbed CO2 that you are releasing back into the atmosphere, so in theory it’s also carbon neutral.”

Watch this space… Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Images

As well as the racing cars themselves Extreme E’s St. Helena, the ship which it uses to transport the entire series infrastructure around the world, could also be powered by hydrogen. Currently the ship’s livery features the phrase “Not electric… yet” but Agag admits it will remain that way for some time.

“The only possibility — I need a little more money for this — is hydrogen, actually. Because battery powered, the whole ship would be a battery, 90% of the volume of the ship would be a battery,” he explains. “Hydrogen technology is the one that can power ships, so we’re talking with some partners about exploring that possibility.

“But I don’t know if we can retrofit St. Helena — we would maybe have to make a whole new ship with a huge carbon footprint to make a ship, so that’s kind of where the balance is. But we don’t give up — let’s see. It’ll say ‘Not electric… yet!’ for a while.”

NEOM Extreme E breakthrough win poignant for Sanz and Ekstrom

Acciona Sainz’s first Extreme E win with drivers Mattias Ekstrom and Laia Sanz in the second race of the season in NEOM, Saudi Arabia, comes after two years of near-misses. Sanz, who has been a constant in the team during that time, was especially …

Acciona Sainz’s first Extreme E win with drivers Mattias Ekstrom and Laia Sanz in the second race of the season in NEOM, Saudi Arabia, comes after two years of near-misses. Sanz, who has been a constant in the team during that time, was especially pleased to finally get the monkey off her back.

“Finally! We did a good job, not only this weekend, but these two years with Carlos (Sainz) and all the team,” she said. “I think he really deserved this win and they deserved this win, and I’m super-happy also with Mattias — he helped me so much and finally we got good results this weekend.

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The win was also a first for former-Abt Cupra driver Ekstrom, who was a late addition to the team, filling in for team boss Carlos Sainz. The rallying legend was sidelined by the spinal fractures he suffered in an accident during the Dakar Rally in January.

“It’s always great to win races and be on the podium, but I think this one is a little different as it was a late call because of Carlos’ accident at Dakar so he can’t drive,” he said. “I’m really happy that he called me and trusts me to step in for him, and then to get to meet Laia and the team has been a lot of fun.”

Despite the strong start to the season, with a second place and a win, Ekstrom predicts he won’t last long in the team, although he does expect to retain his seat for the Hydro X Prix in Scotland on May 13-14.

“Yeah, I think so,” he said when asked if he will be back for the next event. “Carlos will need more time to recover and I’m pretty sure when he is fit I’ll be sacked immediately!”

With a win and a second, and a reverse of that result on Sunday, Veloce and Acciona Sainz sit top of the points with 46. RXR occupy third, with X44 and Ganassi rounding out the top five.

Extreme E standings after Round 2

Veloce Racing 46 pts
Acciona Sainz 46 pts
Rosberg X Racing 31 pts
X44 Vida Carbon Racing 23 pts
GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing 21 pts
Abt Cupra XE 15 pts
NEOM McLaren Extreme E 14 pts
Carl Cox Motorsport 8 pts
JBXE 5 pts
Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E 5 pts