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RXR topped qualifying for the second time in as many rounds in Sardinia today, taking maximum points from the two sessions.
Qualifying 1:
By Extreme E’s standards, Qualifying 1 was a very sedate affair, with all teams able to post a time.
RXR were the first team to do their run, and they set a benchmark time of 9:00.503, some 10 seconds quicker than they set around the same track just a few days earlier.
RXR’s benchmark would not be beaten, with some drivers blaming evolving track conditions for their inability to beat it. Chip Ganassi went closest, with X44 not far behind.
Maximum classification points for Qualifying 1 were awarded to RXR, with Veloce’s continuing run of poor form see them prop up the classification.
Qualifying 1 Classification:
RXRÂ 9:00.503Â –Â 10 Points
Chip Ganassi +10.741 – 9 Points
X44Â +11.374Â –Â 8 Points
McLaren +15.126Â –Â 7 Points
Andretti United +15.203 – 6 Points
ABT Cupra +16.919 – 5 Points
JBXEÂ +21.634Â –Â 4 Points
Acciona Sainz +21.701 – 3 Points
Xite Energy +22.917 – 2 points
Veloce +34.065 – 1 Point
Qualifying 2 Heat 1:
The first heat of Qualifying 1 was contested between Xite Energy, Andretti United, X44, RXR, and JBXE.
RXR got the best start and took the lead of the race. Despite some intense pressure from X44 on the first lap, they would not relinquish the lead of the race.
Further behind, Xite Energy made contact with Andretti United, causing the right rear suspension to break on the Andretti car. Timmy Hansen, who was driving in the Andretti at the time, lost the back end, and spun. They dropped to the back of the field and would not complete their second lap.
After the switching of drivers, Xite Energy’s Tamara Molinaro overtook the less experienced JBXE driver, Hedda Hosas for third place.
X44 received a post heat penalty for leaving the switch zone early, but it was not enough to see them drop any positions.
Qualifying 2 Heat 1 Classification:
RXRÂ –Â 10 Points
X44Â –Â 8 Points
Xite – 6 Points
JBXEÂ –Â 4 Points
Andretti – 0 Points
Qualifying 2 Heat 2:
McLaren, Chip Ganassi, ABT Cupra, Acciona Sainz, and Veloce all competed against one another in the second and final heat in Qualifying 2.
Acciona Sainz got the best start, swiftly taking the lead before the first waypoint. Kyle Leduc in the Chip Ganassi harried the Acciona Sainz car for much of the lap, but was unable to make the move.
Towards the end of the first lap, Leduc made a mistake, seeing him lose control of the car and go the wrong way. The Chip Ganassi team dropped back into fourth place following Leduc’s off-course excursion.
Not much would happen for the remainder of the heat, as Acciona Sainz took a comfortable win ahead of McLaren and ABT Cupra.
Chip Ganassi received a 10 second penalty for dropping a waypoint marker, seeing them fall into last place in the second heat.
Qualifying 2 Heat 2 Classification:
Acciona Sainz – 10 Points
McLaren – 8 Points
ABT Cupra – 6 Points
Veloce – 4 Points
Chip Ganassi – 2 Points
Overall Qualifying Classification:
RXRÂ 20 Points
X44 Â 16 Points
McLaren 15 Points
Acciona Sainz 13 Points
Chip Ganassi 11 Points
ABT Cupra 11 Points
JBXEÂ 8 Points
Xite Energy  8 Points
Andretti United  6 Points
Veloce 5 Points
RXR completed another qualifying clean sweep, putting them into Semi Final 1 against Acciona Sainz and Chip Ganassi.
Semi Final 2 will feature X44, McLaren, and ABT Cupra. JBXE, Xite Energy, Andretti United, and Veloce will all face off in the Crazy Race for the fifth and final place in the Final.
Cristina Gutierrez (ESP) / Sebastien Loeb (FRA), Team X44 Laia Sanz (ESP) / Carlos Sainz (ESP), Acciona | Sainz XE Team
RXR completed the perfect weekend after winning an entertaining final and taking maximum points for the round.
Semi Final 1
An enthralling morning’s action started in Semi Final 1 as top qualifiers RXR raced Andretti United and Xite Energy for the first two spots in the final.
The lights went out and Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky for RXR got off the line well to take the lead, with Xite Energy’s Tamara Molinaro not far behind.
It wasn’t long before Timmy Hansen for Andretti United had got past Molinaro and was hot on the tail of Ahlin-Kottulinsky. Hansen followed closely behind, with an overtake looking likely. Just as they approached the end of the lap, Hansen took a wider line into a corner and his superior exit speed allowed him to take the lead going into the switch zone just marginally in front.
After the changing of drivers RXR and Andretti continued to do battle. Catie Munnings in the Andretti United car worked hard to keep Johan Kristofferson for RXR behind her. It wasn’t to be for Andretti United, however, as a technical issue slowed the car down significantly.
Kristofferson, having surpassed Munnings with his now superior acceleration, cruised home to take first place. Xite Energy took the other final spot that was up for grabs.
Semi Final 1 Classification
RXR
Xite Energy
Andretti United
Semi Final 2
Two more places in the final were available in the second of the two semi finals. JBXE, Acciona Sainz, and X44 would compete for them.
JBXE had made the final after a post-heat penalty in qualifying for Veloce saw JBXE jump ahead of ABT Cupra in the classification.
Off the start Acciona Sainz and X44 both got away well and were side by side until some slight contact between the two saw Acciona Sainz get their noses in front. After having taken an alternative line, JBXE slotted into second position.
It wasn’t long, though, until JBXE had got ahead of Acciona Sainz. After keeping his foot to the floor, Kevin Hansen for JBXE overtook Laia Sanz in the Acciona Sainz car. Hansen continued to extend his lead for the rest of the lap. X44 managed to get into second position before the switch zone.
However, X44 had an issue during the changeover when the safety net would not reattach properly. The team fell back behind Acciona Sainz, and they would not regain the position. The day ended there for last year’s championship challengers.
The rest of the race was about whether Carlos Sainz in the Acciona Sainz could catch Hedda Hosas, who was competing in the JBXE car for the first time. Ultimately, Sainz could not close the gap enough and JBXE secured their position in the final. Acciona Sainz would also be there.
Semi Final 2 Classification:
JBXE
Acciona Sainz
X44
Crazy Race
The fifth and final spot in the final was contested between Chip Ganassi, McLaren, ABT Cupra, and Veloce.
ABT Cupra’s Nasser Al-Attiyah got a great start and swiftly took the lead. Behind him, though, Emma Gilmour in the McLaren made contact with Chip Ganassi’s Sara Price. Gilmour lost control of the car and rolled over. Fortunately, she was unscathed, but the same could not be said of the car, as McLaren could not continue.
With the dust becoming an increasing problem, a couple of drivers managed to lose their way in the Crazy Race. First, Chip Ganassi’s Sara Price lost control of the car and ended up veering off course. In an attempt to rejoin the track she almost reversed into Veloce’s Lance Woolridge. Woolridge himself also went the wring way but was just able to stay ahead of the Chip Ganassi car.
Some drama in the switch zone saw ABT Cupra under investigation for two separate offences: speeding in the switch zone, and leaving too early.
ABT Cupra would cross the line first, ahead of Chip Ganassi and Veloce, but post race penalties saw ABT Cupra demoted into second place, and Chip Ganassi claimed the final spot in the final.
Crazy Race Classification
Chip Ganassi
ABT Cupra
Veloce
McLaren
Final
After a day of entertaining races the final didn’t disappoint either. Xite Energy, RXR, JBXE, Acciona Sainz, and Chip Ganassi all faced off to take top spot for the second round of the season.
As the lights went out Acciona Sainz got the best start, swiftly taking the lead. RXR and Xite Energy took an alternative line for the first major corner.
The action came as the two lines met, with RXR hitting the Acciona Sainz car, causing Acciona Sainz to roll. RXR picked up heavy damage in the collision but still took the lead. Acciona Sainz were out of the race.
The teams came in to the switch zone as the red flag was called with RXR leading Chip Ganassi, Xite Energy, and JBXE. Once the race restarted these positions would not change, and RXR claimed another victory, whilst Chip Ganassi and Xite Energy both scored their first podiums in the series.
In the final, RXR also extended their lead in the Continental Traction Challenge, scoring an additional five points in the championship.
Final Classification
RXR
Chip Ganassi
Xite Energy
JBXE
Acciona Sainz
Overall Weekend Classification
RXR took top spot for the weekend, following their victory in the final. Chip Ganassi and Xite Energy rounded out the podium.
Further down the grid X44 beat out other semi final losers Andretti United to sixth place after having a faster time in the Continental Traction Challenge, McLaren brought up the rear after their crash in the Crazy race
RXRÂ +30 Points
Chip Ganassi +18 Points
Xite Energy +15 Points
JBXEÂ +12 Points
Acciona Sainz +10 Points
X44 +8 Points
Andretti United X +6 Points
Veloce +4 Points
ABT Cupra +2 Points
McLaren +1 Point
Championship Standings
RXR extend their lead in the championship, taking maximum points once again. Chip Ganassi leap frog Acciona Sainz to go into second. Thirty points separate the top two teams.
After another poor weekend, Veloce continue to prop up the standings. They will be hoping for a better time in the next round, starting in just a couple of days time.
Rosberg X Racing (RXR) topped Extreme E qualifying for the first time in their history in Sardinia. The German team beat X44, who had qualified fastest in every round prior to this week.
Qualifying 1
RXR were first to set a time in Qualifying 1. Drivers Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky and Johan Kristofferson both put in quick laps with little drama. They set a benchmark time of 9:13.966
That time would not be beaten the entire session, however, as several other teams had issues.
Veloce and McLaren both suffered front right suspension failures and neither team were able to complete their runs. This meant they picked up 0 intermediate classification points for Qualifying 1.
Chip Ganassi’s bad luck continued as technical issues in the switch zone prevented Kyle Leduc from completing their run. Technical issues for Chip Ganassi were a common theme across Season 1 of Extreme E.
X44’s run was eventful too. Loeb was very quick on his lap, and the team looked close to challenging RXR’s time. Loeb might have been pushing too hard, however, as his rear right tyre got a puncture. He limped home and changed it in the switch zone as Gutierrez got into the car. Gutierrez completed the run, securing 4 crucial classification points.
Qualifying 1 Classification
RXR 9:13.966Â 10 Points
Acciona Sainz +11.893Â 9 Points
Andretti United +13.011Â 8 Points
ABT Cupra +15.744Â 7 Points
Xite Energy +18.516Â 6 Points
JBXE +30.460Â 5 Points
X44 +2:07.008Â 4 Points
McLaren +1 Lap 0 Points
Chip Ganassi +1 Lap 0 Points
Veloce +2 Laps 0 Points
Qualifying 2 Heat 1
The first heat in Qualifying 2 was made up of RXR, Andretti United, Xite Energy, X44, and Chip Ganassi.
When the lights went out Kristofferson for RXR and Munnings for Andretti got off the line well, and RXR led Andretti into the first checkpoint.
Further back, Chip Ganassi and Xite Energy were having a good battle, with X44 just behind. Then, Chip Ganassi’s day turned from bad to worse, as another technical issue saw them grind to a halt.
After all the remaining teams had been into the switch zone there was drama at the part of the track Chip Ganassi were stopped in. To allow the racing to continue, race control had put in a slow zone in that area, meaning teams had to enable their pit limiters and could not overtake.
It appeared, however, that X44 had closed in on Andretti United, and overtook them in the slow zone. At the time of writing, X44 are under investigation for the overtake, whilst Andretti United are being investigate for speeding in the slow zone.
The heat ended with RXR crossing the line first, securing them top spot in qualifying. X44 had also overtaken Xite Energy after the slow zone, with Andretti being the last of the finishers.
Qualifying 2 Heat 1 (provisional) ClassificationÂ
RXRÂ 10 Points
X44Â 8 Points
Xite Energy 6 Points
Andretti United 4 Points
Chip Ganassi 2 Points
Qualifying 2 Heat 2
The remaining five teams (Acciona Sainz, Veloce, McLaren, JBXE, and ABT Cupra) competed in Qualifying 2.
On the whole it was a much calmer affair than the first heat, although not without some potential penalty drama of its own.
Acciona Sainz led from start to finish, securing them an extra 10 classification points, and second placed qualifiers.
It was in the switch zone that most of the action happened. Coming in, McLaren held second place, with Veloce 12 seconds behind. As the teams left the switch zone, however, Veloce had caught up and overtaken McLaren, prompting an investigation into a potential Veloce early release and speeding. At the time of writing the investigation has not been concluded.
Qualifying 2 Heat 2 (provisional) Classification
Acciona Sainz 10 Points
Veloce 8 Points
McLaren 6 Points
JBXEÂ 4 Points
ABT Cupra 2 Points
Overall Qualifying Classification:
RXRÂ 20 Points
Acciona Sainz 19 Points
X44Â 12 Points
Andretti United 12 Points
Xite Energy 12 Points
ABT Cupra 9 Points
JBXEÂ 9 Points
Veloce 8 Points
McLaren 6 Points
Chip Ganassi 0 Points
RXR topped qualifying, closely followed by Acciona Sainz. Qualifying masters X44 scraped third after a difficult qualifying 1. Chip Ganassi’s woes continued for another weekend.
Into the races tomorrow RXR will compete in the first semi final against Andretti United and Xite Energy, whilst Acciona Sainz will compete against X44 and ABT Cupra for a place in the final.
JBXE, Veloce, McLaren, and Chip Ganassi will race against each other in the Crazy Race for the fifth and final place in the final.
XE Sports Group announced today that they will be joining the Extreme E grid for Season 3, becoming the first Asian Pacific team to compete in the series.
The Australian-based team could be racing alongside motorsport giants such as McLaren, Andretti, and recent Indy500 winners Chip Ganassi, who are all currently competing in Season 2.
XE Sports Group is a division of EVDirect.com, who distribute BYD’s electric and hybrid fleet in New Zealand and Australia.
The Group’s mission is not just about winning, however. Luke Todd, director of the XE Sports Group said that they will introduce their own legacy programme, an Asia Pacific Foundation, which hopes to reduce poverty and increase living standards. They hope to achieve this by using second life lithium battery deployment and solar power in remote areas.
In regards to how well the team will perform on track, Todd said: “Australians are renowned for overachieving in the sports arena, and we aim for nothing less in Extreme E.”
Joining XE Sports Group on their journey will be ex-professional footballer Tim Cahill. The Australian will be the group’s sporting executive, and he had this to say: “I’m really excited to be a part of this team. The combination of thrilling, competitive racing and leaving a lasting, positive impact makes the sport totally unique. We will look to bring a significant new audience to Extreme E from within the millions of football fans across the world.”
As to whether Cahill will be a better sporting executive than he was a midfielder remains to be seen. But if he is, XE Sports Group will be ones to look out for in the new season.
The reigning Extreme E champions, RXR, got their title defence off to a dream start as they crossed the line to win the Desert X Prix.
Semi Final 1:
Race day for the Desert X Prix kicked off with Semi Final 1 as X44, RXR, and Xite Energy looked to book their place in the final.
The lights went out and John Kristofferson of RXR and Cristina Gutierrez of X44 were neck and neck for first position as they approached the first flag. Unfortunately for X44, Cristina went slightly off line and lost out to both RXR and Xite Energy.
As the first lap progressed Tamara Molinaro in the Xite Energy car hounded Johan Kristofferson, but a mistake saw her lose a position to Gutierrez. They came into the switch zone RXR, X44, then Xite Energy, all seemingly close to one another.
After the changeover of drivers, the Xite Energy and X44 cars jostled hard for position as they looked to close in on Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky in the RXR machine. However, in the battle between Xite Energy and X44, Oliver Bennett knocked over a flag which would see Xite Energy handed a ten-second time penalty.
It was relatively plain-sailing for Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky out front until she made what could have been a crucial error. Capitalising on her mistake, both Loeb in the X44 and Bennett in the Xite Energy overtook her, with the latter swapping positions with the RXR car for much of the rest of the lap.
X44 crossed the line first to book their place in the final as Xite Energy just pipped the RXR car to the post. Luckily for RXR, the time penalty given to Xite Energy saw the German team promoted into second place, and also secure their place in the final.
Semi Final 1 Classification:
X44 9:05.107
RXR +7.660
Xite Energy +17.590
Semi Final 2:
ABT Cupra were supposed to be lining up alongside Andretti United and Chip Ganassi in the second semi final, but were replaced by Acciona Sainz after the stewards deemed an incident between the two in qualifying was the fault of ABT Cupra.
It was lights out and away the teams went with Laia Sanz in the Acciona Sainz getting the best initial getaway. Kyle Leduc in the Chip Ganassi was not one to let the lead get away, however, and used his hyperdrive to gain first place.
Leduc didn’t look back after that, handing over to Sara Price in the switch zone in a very good position. Behind them, Acciona Sainz were just able to stay ahead of Andretti United as they came into the switch.
Upon leaving the switch zone, Carlos Sainz in the Acciona Sainz car and Timmy Hansen in the Andretti United car were nose to tail. Disaster struck then for Hansen, as he struck a tuft of grass whilst trying to overtake. The car rolled but thankfully Timmy Hansen got out of the car seemingly unharmed.
With two places in the final up for grabs and only two cars left in the race, Carlos Sainz and Sara Price cruised home to the finish.
Semi Final 2 Classification:
Chip Ganassi 9:12.337
Acciona Sainz +6.850
Andretti United +1 Lap
Crazy Race:
The fifth and final place in the final was to be contested by JBXE, ABT Cupra, McLaren, and Veloce. Veloce reserve driver Hedda Hosas replaced Christine GZ, who had broken her foot in a crash on qualifying day.
Off the line JBXE got an early lead as Emma Gilmour in the McLaren produced a stunning move around the outside to go from fourth to second.
Meanwhile the bad weekend continued for Veloce as Lance Woolridge hit a bump too hard and damaged the car.
Jutta Kleinschmidt in the ABT Cupra sought to chase down Emma Gilmour and the two came into the switch zone neck and neck, just behind Kevin Hansen in the JBXE but some distance ahead of the Veloce car.
After the switch, Tanner Foust in the McLaren and Nasser Al-Attiyah in the ABT Cupra looked to close the gap to Molly Taylor in the JBXE car.
Towards the end of the race, Foust and Al-Attiyah had finally caught up to Taylor and the former used all his experience to send his car down the inside. Al-Attiyah behind soon followed.
That’s how the race would finish with McLaren crossing the line to reach an impressive final on debut. Meanwhile, JBXE were handed a seven-second time penalty for speeding in the pitlane, although this didn’t change the end result.
Crazy Race Classification:
McLaren 9:14.250
ABT Cupra +2.642
JBXE +11.623
Veloce +3:39.676
Final:
Acciona Sainz, RXR, Chip Ganassi, X44, and McLaren all lined up on the grid for the final, hoping to get their seasons off to the best possible start.
Carlos Sainz in the Acciona Sainz car got off to a great start, leading out X44 and RXR as they reached the first flag. Foust in the McLaren and Price in the Chip Ganassi were just behind.
But then tragedy struck for McLaren. Unsighted by the dust, Foust drove into the back of RXR’s Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky and rolled the car. Thankfully he was able to walk away but McLaren would go no further on an impressive debut.
Nothing changed for the rest of the lap and a red flag was called just as the other four teams entered the switch zone.
Once Foust had been assessed and the stricken McLaren moved, the race restarted, with teams being staggered according to how they came in. Laia Sanz in the Acciona Sainz went first with Cristina Gutierrez in the X44 machine not far behind. A bit further back Johan Kristofferson for RXR and Kyle Leduc for Chip Ganassi were released.
In the final lap shootout the damaged RXR car looked to chase down the two leaders. Using his hyperdrive to make the move, Kristofferson overtook last year’s championship runners up X44.
An inspired move came next from Kristofferson as he used all of the width of the course to carry as much momentum as possible into the final corners, snatching the lead off of Acciona Sainz. RXR crossed the line first, swiftly followed by Acciona Sainz and X44. Chip Ganassi was a little further behind in fourth.
Final Classification:
RXR 17:50.908
Acciona Sainz +2.483
X44 +5.807
Chip Ganassi +25.202
McLaren +2 Laps
RXR top the weekend classification with that win in the final, seeing them claim twenty-five crucial points in their bid to retain the title.
Elsewhere McLaren come an impressive fifth place overall, gaining them ten points on debut and X44 got twenty points (fifteen for finishing third and five for having the fastest time through the Continental Traction Challenge).
New season, same X44 for Sir Lewis Hamilton’s team as they finished top qualifiers yet again in Extreme E’s season two opener in Saudi Arabia.
Qualifying 1:
Heavy rain overnight meant we would have to wait to witness Extreme E’s new qualifying format, which would have seen two five-car races. However, due to the track conditions, the organisers decided a return to the previous season’s format of individual team runs was required.
Jutta Kleinschmidt for ABT Cupra got the first competitive session of the season under way, putting in a strong lap time for her teammate and debutant Nasser Al-Attiyah to build upon.
His first lap in anger was going well too, until he missed the finish line. Rather than accepting a five-second time penalty, however, Al-Attiyah turned around and made sure he went through the finishing gate. It’s estimated this cost him thirty five seconds.
Chip Ganassi and Andretti United were the next teams to set a time. The Ganassi team initially went fastest, but were just beaten out by Andretti United. After their runs, both teams received a five second time penalty for various switch zone infringements.
Last year’s championship contenders, X44 and RXR hit the track with incredible speed and after their laps the teams went into second and first respectively.
JBXE followed RXR and they pushed hard. Perhaps too hard, as during Molly Taylor’s lap something broke on the car. She struggled to the end of the lap and finished one minute behind RXR’s benchmark time of 9:03.604.
Acciona Sainz and Xite Energy were next onto the track, with both teams completing their runs within twenty seconds of the leader.
Veloce became the penultimate team to try and set a time in Qualifying 1. Lance Woolridge was very quick around his lap and handed over to Christine GZ just marginally down on RXR’s time. GZ flew round the track but pushed just a little too hard and rolled the car. Thankfully, GZ was able to limp away from the crash but the team would not finish their run.
Newcomers McLaren finished off the qualifying session as Emma Gilmour took to the wheel. A steady run from both her and Tanner saw them finish in a respectable seventh position.
RXR were fastest in Qualifying 1, gaining ten intermediate points, with X44 just behind in second and Andretti United in third.
Qualifying 1 Classification:
RXR 9:03.604Â Â 10 Points
X44 +6.911Â Â 9 Points
Andretti United +11.091Â Â 8 Points
Chip Ganassi +12.238Â Â 7 Points
Xite Energy +13.799Â Â 6 Points
Acciona Sainz +17.751Â Â 5 Points
McLaren +23.375Â Â 4 Points
ABT Cupra +46.781Â Â 3 Points
JBXE +1:00.763Â Â 2 Points
Veloce +1 Lap  1 Point
Qualifying 2:
Qualifying 2 saw Extreme E revert back to the intended qualifying format this season. The teams were divided into two heats (teams in even positions after Qualifying 1 in Heat 1, odd positions in Heat 2).
In Heat 1, X44, Chip Ganassi, Acciona Sainz, ABT Cupra, and Veloce were all due to race against each other for more intermediate points. Veloce, however, were not able to take part as they were not able to repair the car following GZ’s Qualifying 1 accident.
As the lights went green X44 got a good start and took the lead. After the first few markers they lined up X44, Acciona Sainz, ABT Cupra, and Chip Ganassi.
Towards the end of the first lap, ABT Cupra’s Nasser Al-Attiyah was chasing down Acciona Sainz’s Carlos Sainz. Al-Attiyah used all his experience to throw the car up Sainz’s inside but crucially missed a waypoint marker. In trying to get back on line, he cut across Sainz and both teams suffered damage. Sainz dropped to the back and ultimately wouldn’t leave the switch zone. ABT Cupra lost power steering.
Heat 1 in Qualifying 2 ended with X44 winning the race comfortably, ahead of Chip Ganassi and ABT Cupra, and took home ten more intermediate points.
Heat 1 Classification:
X44 9:00.620Â Â 10 Points
Chip Ganassi +19.580Â Â 8 Points
ABT Cupra +3:13.972Â Â 6 Points
Acciona Sainz +1 Lap  4 Points
Veloce DNSÂ Â 2 Points
Heat 2 saw the remaining five teams (RXR, Andretti United, Xite Energy, McLaren, and JBXE) all take to the track as they tried to get themselves into a semi-final.
Andretti United had the best start, propelling themselves into first position after the first few flags. Behind them, McLaren, RXR, Xite Energy, and JBXE followed in that order.
Tanner Foust in the McLaren was chasing Andretti United’s Timmy Hansen for much of the first lap, but was ultimately not able to overtake him before the switch. Further behind, RXR and Xite Energy jostled for third position.
Disaster struck for McLaren in the switch zone as a technical issue meant Emma Gilmour could not get the car started quickly. By the time she got moving, the Woking based team had dropped far to the back.
With Johan Kristofferson now behind the wheel, RXR hoped to claw back some time on the cars ahead. He managed to do just, providing us with a thrilling finish to pass Katie Munnings in the Andretti United just before the line. Sadly for the German team, they received a post-race seventeen-second time penalty for speeding in the switch zone, promoting Andretti United into first place.
Heat 2 Classification:
Andretti United 9:10.693Â Â 10 Points
Xite Energy +13.703Â Â 8 Points
JBXE +15.371Â Â 6 Points
RXR +16.079Â Â 4 Points
McLaren +52.673Â Â 2 Points
With the intermediate points from Qualifying 1 and 2 added together and any tying teams separated by fastest Continental Traction Challenge time, X44 came out on top, leading Andretti United and Chip Ganassi.
The results of qualifying mean X44 will race against RXR and Xite Energy for two places in the final in Semi-Final 1, while Andretti United, Chip Ganassi, and ABT Cupra will do battle in Semi-Final 2. This leaves Acciona Sainz, JBXE, McLaren, and Veloce to fight for the fifth and final place in the final in the Crazy Race.
Overall Qualifying Classification:
X44 19 Points
Andretti United 18 Points
Chip Ganassi 15 Points
Xite Energy 14 Points
RXR 14 Points
ABT Cupra 9 Points
Acciona Sainz 9 Points
JNXE 8 Points
McLaren 6 Points
Veloce 3 Points
With the first qualifying day of the new season completed, attention turns to tomorrow, as we look to another exciting day of action.
With Extreme E’s second season kicking off in NEOM, Saudi Arabia this weekend, here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming season.
Picture courtesy of Extreme.E
A New Challenger:
Car and racing giant McLaren has entered Extreme E for the championship’s second season. The Woking based team have become just the second car manufacturer to participate in the series, after ABT Cupra joined in Season 1.
Speaking at the car launch, sporting director Mark Grain said: “This is about as different as it gets from other racing series, and it is going to be a huge learning experience in terms of the different terrains in which we race as well as the environmental challenges these parts of the world face.”
Driver Musical Chairs:
Over the off-season the teams have been busy signing up the drivers they believe can deliver them the title this coming season.
One of the most notable swaps was at reigning champions Rosberg X Racing (RXR). The German team decided they did not want to keep their winning team and asked swede Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky to race for them this time around. Molly Taylor, who was previously at RXR, has done a direct swap and joined Ahlin-Kottulinsky’s former team JBXE.
Previous Xite-Energy driver Christine GZ has replaced the out-going Jamie Chadwick at Veloce Racing, with GZ’s seat at Xite Energy being filled by new-comer Klara Andersson. Unfortunately, Andersson will have to wait for her debut after testing positive for Covid-19. Championship driver Tamara Molinaro will take her place for the Desert X-Prix this weekend.
Joining GZ at Veloce will be Lance Woolridge. The South-African was Veloce’s reserve driver for much of last season but has been promoted after the team parted ways with Stephane Sarrazin.
ABT Cupra’s Mattias Ekstrom has also left the series, with four time Dakar Rally winner Nasser Al-Attiyah partnering Jutta Kleinschmidt instead.
However, the driver pairing that drummed up the most excitement was McLaren Extreme E’s. Towards the end of last year the Woking team announced that New Zealander Emma Gilmour would partner American Tanner Foust. Foust has won multiple rally championships and also co-hosted the American Top Gear from 2010-2016. This was a major coup for the team.
The full driver line-up is as follows:
Veloce Racing – Christine GZ and Lance Woolridge
RXR – Johan Kristofferson and Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky
JBXE – Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor
Andretti United – Katie Munnings and Timmy Hansen
X44 – Christina Gutierrez and Sebastian Loeb
Acciona Sainz – Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz
McLaren Extreme E – Emma Gilmour and Tanner Foust
Chip Ganassi – Sara Price and Kyle Leduc
ABT Cupra – Jutta Kleinschmidt and Nasser Al-Attiyah
Xite Energy – Oliver Bennett and Klara Andersson (Klara Anderson will be replaced by Tamara Molinaro for the Desert X-Prix whilst she recovers from Covid-19).
Calendar Shake-Up:
The racing calendar has been switched up a little this year with a combination of returning locations as well as some new ones.
The first race of the season stays in Saudi Arabia but has been moved from Al-Ula to NEOM. The Desert X-Prix, as it is to be called, will also take place a couple of months earlier this year than the last, meaning temperature won’t be as much of a factor.
Following the Desert X-Prix, the Island X-Prix will take place in Sardinia, Italy on the 7th-8th May. Extreme E will return to Sardinia after it filled in for the cancelled Amazon X-Prix in 2021.
The location of the third race of the season is still yet to be decided, with the two main candidates being a return trip to Senegal, or a new location in Scotland. At the time of writing it is due to take place on the 9th-10th July.
The final two races of the season will be on an entirely new continent for Extreme E. Exploring South America, the all-electric racing series will go to Antofagasta, Chile on the 10th-11th September and Punta del Este, Uruguay on the 26th-27th November.
The provisional race calendar is as follows:
19th-20th February
Desert X-Prix
NEOM, Saudi Arabia
7th-8th May
Island X-Prix
Sardinia, Italy
9th-10th July
TBC
Scotland/Senegal
10th-11th September
Copper X-Prix
Antofagasta, Chile
26th-27th November
Energy X-Prix
Punta del Este, Uruguay
Alternative Format:
If you’d just got used to Extreme E’s weekend format from last year, they’ve changed it again!
Qualifying has had a complete make-over for this season with the extra team on the grid causing a few headaches for the organisers.
Now, qualifying position will be determined by races, with each team being put into one of two five-car heats. Over the course of qualifying day each heat will run twice, once in each qualifying session. The grids for Qualifying 1 will be set by a lottery draw, whereas the grids in Qualifying 2 will be based on the finishing positions from the previous heats.
Each heat offers intermediate points (points that do not count towards the championship) 5 through to 1 based on your finishing position of that heat.
After both Qualifying sessions have been completed, the points are added up and the teams will be ordered from highest to lowest. Any ties on points will be separated by time through the continental traction challenge (which has a greatly diminished role this year).
The teams placed in first, fourth and fifth will be put into semi final one, whilst teams second, third, and sixth will be placed into semi final two. The bottom four teams will compete in the Crazy Race.
Finals day remains relatively unchanged, with the top two teams from each semi final and the winner of the crazy race progressing to the final.
Here’s how championship points will be awarded on finals day:
1st
25 Points
Final 1st Place
2nd
18 Points
Final 2nd Place
3rd
15 Points
Final 3rd Place
4th
12 Points
Final 4th Place
5th
10 Points
Final 5th Place
6th
8 Points
Semi Final 1/2 3rd Place*
7th
6 Points
Semi Final 1/2 3rd Place*
8th
4 Points
Crazy Race 2nd Place
9th
2 Points
Crazy Race 3rd Place
10th
1 Point
Crazy Race 4th Place
*6th position will be awarded to the semi final 3rd place team with the fastest time through the continental traction challenge.
Desert X-Prix:
This weekend sees Extreme E return to Saudi Arabia for its season opener. The different sand conditions at NEOM will provide a tough challenge for the drivers as they try to negotiate the rocks, dunes, and bushes.
As always, Extreme E is committed to leaving a positive impact wherever it goes. For this race we will see a continuation of last year’s legacy programme, which was aimed at protecting the endangered turtle species.
With the Ba’a Foundation they have taken on a five-year initiative to help conserve the endangered Green Turtle and the critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle. The project hopes to: clean beaches of pollution, build fencing around the beach to protect nesting turtles, improve beach management, and import sand to raise the beach to an appropriate level for nesting. Over the years the levels have sand have decreased along the Red Sea Coast due to sea-level rise and dust storms.
As with last year you can find out how and when to watch the Desert X-Prix by heading over to Extreme E’s official website. This is sure to be a weekend you won’t want to miss!
RXR have won the teams championship in Extreme E’s inaugural season, despite X44 winning the final race on a thrilling last day.
Crazy Race:
The first race of the weekend was the Crazy Race, where the bottom three qualifiers all competed for a place in the final. Andretti United, Chip Ganassi, and Xite Energy all hoped to improve on a poor Saturday qualifying result.
As the lights went out it was Andretti United’s Timmy Hansen who got the best getaway, leading out Xite Energy’s Oliver Bennett, and Chip Ganassi’s Kyle Leduc going into the first turn.
Whilst Hansen looked to extend his lead, Bennett and Leduc were embroiled in a close wheel to wheel battle, which ended when the latter overtook Bennett around the outside.
After the switch, Sara Price for Chip Ganassi closed up to Katie Munnings’ Andretti car and they were nose to tail for much of the lap. Ultimately, though, it wouldn’t be enough, as Andretti United booked their place in the final.
Crazy Race Classification:
Andretti United
Chip Ganassi
Xite Energy
Semi-Final 1:
Championship protagonists X44 hoped to extend their so-far perfect weekend in the first semi-final as they faced off against JBXE and Veloce.
JBXE’s Kevin Hansen had a great start and entered the first turn in first place, just ahead of X44’s Loeb. Behind, Veloce’s debutant Lance Woolridge made a mistake and lost some ground to the two leaders.
In order to claim the title, X44 needed the five extra points for setting the fastest time in the Continental Traction Challenge. Loeb managed to do just that, putting in a blistering sector to catch up to JBXE.
By the time the cars entered the switch zone, you could have put a blanket over JBXE and X44. The latter made better use of the switch, though, and narrowly came out in the lead.
From there, Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky for JBXE pushed Christina Gutierrez for X44 right to the end. It wasn’t enough to take the victory but both teams progressed to the final.
Semi-Final 1 Classification:
X44
JBXE
Veloce
Semi-Final 2:
Championship leaders RXR looked to reach the final for the fifth race in a row, where they would be able to place one hand on the trophy. First, though, they had to race against Acciona Sainz and ABT Cupra in the second semi-final.
Johan Kristofferson in the RXR machine got off to the perfect start, putting it into first place; whilst Carlos Sainz put his Acciona Sainz car into second with the help of hyperdrive.
Unfortunately for the German team, ABT Cupra sustained damage early on and they dropped off the back of the other two cars.
With ABT Cupra a long way off, all RXR and Acciona Sainz had to do was bring the car home. Molly Taylor and Laia Sanz did just that, securing the final two spots in the final.
Semi-Final 2 Classification:
RXR
Acciona Sainz
ABT Cupra
Final:
This was it then, the championship had come down to this race. RXR just needed to finish fourth or above to claim the very first Extreme E title.
X44 got off to a brilliant start, with Gutierrez using her hyperdrive to great effect to take the lead. RXR were a close second, with JBXE, Andretti United, and Acciona Sainz just behind.
However, after a good start, RXR’s Molly Taylor began to drop to the back of the field, being overtaken by both JBXE and Andretti United. With X44 in the lead, losing fourth place to Acciona Sainz would mean they lost the championship.
Taylor stood strong, however, and she handed over to Johan Kristofferson just ahead of the Acciona Sainz team.
Meanwhile, Katie Munnings for Andretti United attempted an overtake on JBXE’s Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky but spun and lost some ground. Crucially, she kept ahead of Taylor.
The final lap of the season was an uncharacteristically quiet one which saw X44 win their first race of the season, having done everything possible to claim the title. But, with RXR finishing in fourth, the two teams ended level on points, with RXR winning on countback.
Final Classification:
X44
JBXE
Andretti United
RXR
Acciona Sainz
X44 completed a perfect weekend, having been fastest in both qualifying sessions and both races. In the end it would not be enough but Lewis Hamilton’s team will take a lot of positives into the new season.
Overall Weekend Classification:
X44 25 Points (+5 for Continental Traction Challenge)
JBXE 19 Points
Andretti United 18 Points
RXR 15 Points
Acciona Sainz 12 Points
Veloce 10 Points
ABT Cupra 8 Points
Chip Ganassi 6 Points
Xite Energy 4 Points
In the championship, RXR topped the table, ahead of X44 by virtue of having won more races. Elsewhere, JBXE beat out Andretti United to third place and Acciona Sainz drew level on points with ABT Cupra. ABT Cupra remained ahead on countback.
Championship Standings:
RXR 155 Points
X44 155 Points
JBXE 119 Points
Andretti United 117 PointsÂ
ABT Cupra 100 Points
Acciona Sainz 100 Points
Veloce 77 Points
Chip Ganassi 73 Points
Xite Energy 64 Points
It’s been an incredible first season of Extreme E, with some enthralling racing in the most remote locations, all in the name of raising awareness of Climate issues. With McLaren joining the grid next year, season two is going to be unmissable.
X44 topped qualifying for the fifth race weekend in a row. Lewis Hamilton’s team have completed a cleansweep of qualifying in Extreme E’s inaugural season.
Q1:
Qualifying this weekend would look a little different to previous rounds as the short circuit saw the first drivers in the cars complete two laps, rather than just the one. Race Control also ruled that every team had to field their male driver first in this session. This of course meant all of the female drivers went out first in Q2.
ABT Cupra’s Matthias Ekstrom got qualifying underway as he put in two quick laps to set the early pace. After teammate Jutta Kleinschmidt finished off the run, the ABT Cupra had set an early benchmark time of 9:24.113.
Debutant Lance Woolridge was next to take to the track, with the South African hoping to make a good impression on his Veloce team. They set a good time, just 6 seconds off ABT Cupra.
Oliver Bennett for Xite Energy followed. After a steady first lap, he knocked over a waypoint marker on his second lap and the team subsequently received a 10 second time penalty.
The Hansen brothers, Kevin with JBXE and Timmy for Andretti United, were next, where they and their respective teammates (Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky and Katie Munnings) set decent laps to put their teams in the mix.
Championship leaders RXR looked to strengthen their claim on the title as they took to the track. Johan Kristofferson set a solid base for teammate Molly Taylor, who flew round the track to put the team provisionally quickest.
The challengers, X44, were supposed to follow, however repairs to their car meant Acciona Sainz were next to take to the track. Both drivers pushed very hard and the Acciona Sainz team were less than a second slower than RXR.
After fixing their car, and once Chip Ganassi had had their run, X44 finally went out to complete their laps. Sebastian Loeb got the protagonists off to a flying start and as teammate Christina Gutierrez ended the run they went quickest in the session, taking maximum classification points ahead of Q2.
Qualifying 1 Classification:
X44 9:19.985 9 Points
RXR +1.901 8 Points
Acciona Sainz +2.757 7 Points
ABT Cupra +4.128 6 Points
Veloce +10.395 5 Points
Andretti United +12.118 4 Points
Chip Ganassi +15.181 3 Points
JBXE +20.682 2 Points
Xite Energy +43.015 1 Point
Q2:
As with Qualifying 1, ABT Cupra got the final qualifying session of the season under way as Jutta Kleinschmidt took the wheel. After getting off to a good start, she took a wrong turn and the German team subsequently received a time penalty for missing a waypoint. Despite this, the team were able to set a relatively competitive benchmark time of 9:29.366.
Veloce and Xite Energy followed as they both looked to improve on their Q1 result. Veloce seemed to manage just that, going provisionally fastest, whereas Xite Energy were only able to slip into 3rd.
Next was the turn of JBXE’s Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky, who put in two strong laps which saw her and teammate Kevin Hansen replace Veloce at the top the times.
Katie Munnings for Andretti United followed JBXE. The Brit put in two strong laps and handed over to Timmy Hansen with the team still in the mix. However, disaster struck as Hansen crashed the car into a tree. Both car and driver were okay to continue as Andretti United completed their run 19 seconds behind JBXE’s benchmark time.
The two teams left in the championship battle went next as both tried to get the edge over the other. Molly Taylor had a steady run for RXR before Johan Kristofferson put his foot to the floor to take the fastest time in the Continental Traction Challenge. Gutierrez and Loeb for X44 were quicker over the course of the run, however, and they went provisionally fastest.
Acciona Sainz and Chip Ganassi rounded out the final qualifying session of the season. Acciona Sainz had a good run, which saw them finish third in Q2. More bad luck came Chip Ganassi’s way as there was an issue with the steering during Leduc’s lap. They propped up the Q2 classification.
Qualifying 2 Classification:
X44 9:14.793 9 PointsÂ
JBXE +4.112 8 PointsÂ
Acciona Sainz +7.828 7 PointsÂ
RXR +8.545 6 Points
Veloce +11.951 5 Points
ABT Cupra +19.573 4 Points
Xite Energy +21.464 3 Points
Andretti United +23.163 2 Points
Chip Ganassi +36.638 1 Point
As all the classification points were added up, X44 came out on top, comfortably ahead of RXR in second. A number of teams had the same number of classification points and they were separated based on their fastest Continental Traction Challenge time.
Overall Qualifying Classification:
 X44 18 Points
 RXR 14 Points
Acciona Sainz 14 Points
ABT Cupra 10 Points
JBXE 10 Points
Veloce 10 Points
Andretti United 6 Points
Xite Energy 4 Points
Chip Ganassi 4 Points
With the teams receiving championship points based on their overall qualifying classification, X44 closed the gap to RXR by a point. JBXE also leap-frogged Andretti United into 3rd place.
Championship Standings:
RXR 140 Points
X44 125 Points
JBXE 100 Points
Andretti United 99 PointsÂ
ABT Cupra 92 Points
Acciona Sainz 88 Points
Veloce 67 Points
Chip Ganassi 67 Points
Xite Energy 60 Points
Going into the semi finals tomorrow, X44 will face off against JBXE and Veloce, whilst RXR will race Acciona Sainz and ABT Cupra for a place in the final. Andretti United, Xite Energy, and Chip Ganassi will compete for the last spot in the final in the crazy race. Tomorrow is very finely poised.
RXR lead the Extreme E championship by just thirteen points over X44 as the all-electric off road series heads to Dorset for the Jurassic X Prix.
Extreme E goes to Dorset this weekend for the final round of the season. With the championship finely balanced, who will come out on top?
Taking place at the Ministry of Defence Base at Bovington in Dorset, U.K., the course is expected to be one of the most challenging for the drivers to date. A surface combination of clay, sand, gravel, and mud, with a high probability of rain, means grip will be in short supply this weekend.
Starting off with a wide and fast downhill section, multiple teams will be going side by side as they head towards the tricky, technical sections amongst the trees. All this leads up to the highlight of the course: the “Knife Edge” slope. At 5.4 meters high and sloped at 23 degrees, the “Knife Edge” slope is not to be messed with.
Courtesy of Extreme E
Following the Island X Prix in Sardinia, RXR extended their lead in the championship to thirteen points over their nearest rivals, X44. Not for the first time, Hamilton and Rosberg are embroiled in a championship decider. Here’s how the standings look ahead of the Jurassic X Prix:
RXR: 129 points
X44: 113 points
Andretti United: 93 points
JBXE: 92 points
ABT Cupra: 83 points
Acciona Sainz: 78 points
Chip Ganassi: 63 points
Veloce: 60 points
Xite Energy: 55 points
The sporting format remains unchanged from the two previous rounds. Each team has two qualifying runs, receiving qualifying points nine to one in each session depending on their times. The team with the most qualifying points after two qualifying sessions receives twelve points in the championship. Championship points are distributed evenly down to four points for qualifying in ninth.
Qualifiers one, five, and six then race in Semi-Final One, with qualifiers two, three, and four facing off in Semi-Final Two. The fastest two teams in each semi-final will progress to the final.
The bottom three qualifiers will race against each other in the Crazy Race, where only the fastest finisher will progress.
Points are awarded twenty five to four after the final depending on the overall finishing positions of the teams. Five points are also awarded to the team with the fastest time in the “Continental Traction Challenge” over the weekend.
Jamie Chadwick returns to Veloce this weekend following her absence from the last two rounds due to her W Series commitments. She will be joined by Lance Woolridge, a new face for Extreme E.
One of the main aims of Extreme E is to leave a positive impact on the communities they visit. This weekend that means they are partnering up with the National Trust to support their campaign to reintroduce beavers to Dorset. Next year, the National Trust will reintroduce beavers to a county that hasn’t seen them for four hundred years.
With the reintroduction of beavers to Dorset, the National Trust hopes that they will restore peat, and pool habitats for the local wildlife. It is also hoped that they will improve water quality, carbon storage, and reduce the risk of floods.
With all of this, Extreme E hopes to highlight the issue of biodiversity loss. The CEO and Founder of Extreme E, Alejandro Agag said: “Our presence in Dorset demonstrates that environmental issues are close to home.”
image courtesy of ExtremeE Carl Bingham 
