Extreme E: A new kind of motorsport

Gemma Cockrell

Extreme E has big plans to change the world of motorsport for the better. The aim is to raise awareness of climate change and equality issues by deploying teams made up of an equal mix of male and female racing drivers who drive Odyssey 21 battery-powered SUVs. Races take place in remote regions of the world that have been negatively affected by global warming.

Scientists will travel with the teams, and the series has worked with environmental experts to ensure their presence does not have a negative impact. You will also make documentaries exploring the environmental issues faced by each race venue. The equipment will be transported on a former Royal Mail cargo ship, the RMS St. Helena, which will serve as a “floating paddock”. The races will not have any spectators.

The project was announced in January 2019. Agag claims Extreme E is only possible because of Formula E’s success over the past seven years

Extreme E was co-founded by the same mastermind behind the hugely successful Formula E: 50-year-old Spanish politician and businessman Alejandro Agag and former Brazilian racing driver Gil de Ferran. The project was announced in January 2019. Agag claims Extreme E is only possible because of Formula E’s success over the past seven years.

An extreme electric racing weekend begins with two qualifying sessions. The three best teams from the two qualifying rounds reach the semi-finals. The teams that finished sixth through fourth compete in the insane race, and the teams that finished seventh through ninth compete in the shoot-out. The two best teams from the semi-finals and the top team from the crazy race make it to the final.

Two laps of the track are completed in each race, with each team member driving one lap. After one lap of each session, there is a 45-second stop where drivers have to switch. Teams must have a male and a female driver to capture the message of equality that the series promotes.

Many famous names from the Formula 1 world are involved in Extreme E. 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button will participate and drive for his own team, JBXE. Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton and his former Mercedes rival Nico Rosberg will also lead their own teams.

Another notable racer participating in Extreme E is W-Series Champion Jamie Chadwick, who will ride for the Veloce team. The team was co-founded by the Red Bull Racing F1 team technical director Adrian Newey and 2019 Formula E champion and former F1 racing driver Jean Eric-Vergne.

[The next race] will aim to raise awareness of sea level rise, the deterioration of the marine ecosystem and desertification

The first Extreme E race was the Desert X Prix in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, which took place on the 3rdapprox-4th April. Nico Rosberg’s X Racing Team and Lewis Hamilton’s X44 Team reached the final together with Andretti United. The victory was ultimately secured by Rosberg’s team, which consisted of drivers Johan Kristoffersson and Molly Taylor. Hamilton’s team finished third, Jenson Button’s team sixth.

The season will have a total of five events. The next race, the Ocean X Prix, will take place on the 29th at Lac Rose (also known as Lake Retba) in Senegal, Africath-30th Can. The event aims to raise awareness of sea level rise, the deterioration of the marine ecosystem and desertification. Then there is an Arctic X Prix in Greenland in August, an Amazon X Prix in Brazil in October and a Glacier X Prix in Argentina in December.

Gemma Cockrell

Swell:

Extreme E: Nico Rosberg’s team triumphs in the Desert X Prix with Lewis Hamilton’s X44 third in the opening event | News | Sky Sports

Extreme E: What is the new motorsport series and how will it work? – BBC Sports

Selected image courtesy of Peter Dowley via Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image usage license Here.

Image courtesy of @extremeelive via Instagram in the article. No changes were made to this image.

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