With less than one year to go before the start of the spectacular new Extreme E off-road racing series, the organisers are gradually lifting the covers on the teams set to take professional motorsport in electric SUVs to the furthest corners of the planet. And, none other than Lewis Hamilton, reigning Formula 1 World Champion, has announced that his newly founded team X44 will be joining the fray.
The name of Hamilton’s team is derived from his own racing number (44) in Formula 1. The six-time F1 World Champion made his debut in the series at the Australian Grand Prix back in 2007, becoming the youngest World Champion in Formula 1 history with McLaren in 2008. Hamilton has continued his success with an additional five F1 title wins with Mercedes between 2014 and 2019.
Lewis Hamilton’s X44 operation joins seven other teams that have already announced their involvement in Extreme E, including the famous US Indy Car teams Andretti Autosport and Chip Ganassi Racing, the Spanish QEV Technologies project, two-time Formula E champions Techeetah, and British-owned Veloce Racing, co-founded by current Formula E Champion Jean-Eric Vergne. As for who will be driving the ODYSSEY 21 cars for Lewis Hamilton’s team in the opening rounds of the Extreme E series, this is still to be decided.
The Extreme E series is founded by the same visionary team who established Formula E. From 2021, Continental will be a Premium Sponsor of Extreme E. The technology company will be equipping all the vehicles involved in the races with tyres for the diverse and extremely demanding conditions that they will encounter. In addition, Continental’s digital tyre monitoring platform ContiConnect will ensure digital connectivity, with sensors inside the tyres enabling pressures and temperatures to be constantly monitored.
Lewis Hamilton said;
Extreme E really appealed to me because of its environmental focus. Every single one of us has the power to make a difference and it means so much to me that I can use my love of racing, together with my love for our planet, to have a positive impact. I feel incredibly proud to announce my new race team and confirm its entry into Extreme E.