X44 throws down the gauntlet topping the timesheets in qualifying

Following an epic curtain-raiser in AlUla, Saudi Arabia just eight weeks ago, expectations were high as the Extreme E fraternity rolled into Dakar, Senegal for this weekend’s highly anticipated Ocean X Prix (29/30 May). As was the case at the Desert X Prix at the beginning of April, it was Lewis Hamilton’s X44 squad that topped the timesheets at the end of Saturday’s qualifying runs with a resounding statement of intent to the rest of the paddock.

The pioneering electric SUV off-road racing series has hit the beach for the second stop on its 2021 calendar. The 6.1km Ocean X Prix course runs alongside the stunning backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean and sets the scene perfectly for another dramatic Extreme E showdown.

Featuring the notoriously bumpy and flowing ‘Moguls’ section, a single file wooded area and a spectacular start/finish straight running along the beach, this course has been heralded by the drivers as more technical and closer to their initial vision of Extreme E.  Not only that, but the ‘Super Sector’ - new for this weekend – awards five points to the driver who sets the fastest time in the middle sector of the lap over the weekend.

The X44 team were quickest from the outset, with Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez setting a blistering pace in their opening run of the day. This was swiftly followed by another pacey outing in Q2 to top the overall timesheets, after the first day of competition in Senegal.

Sébastien Loeb, X44 driver said: “Today’s qualification was obviously very good for us, I’m happy with my time and of course Cristina’s driving was incredible. The track for me was a lot more interesting than Saudi Arabia and I had a lot of confidence in the car which allowed me to go flat out all the time. Tomorrow will be a totally different way of racing, and we’re up against strong teams, so it’s difficult to say what will happen but I know we have the speed to win so I’m feeling good.”

Cristina Gutiérrez, X44 driver said: “I’m very happy with today’s result and our performance as a team. We came into the weekend in a good position so I was confident we could do well but of course finishing top in qualifying is better than I could have hoped for! The type of track for me was much harder than the Desert X Prix, and the sand shifted a lot between the two rounds of qualifying so it was a challenge, but I managed to get a good time and Seb was amazing. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow but I’m feeling confident and I can’t wait to get back in the car.”

The only pairing that looked to threaten the X44 car’s seemingly insurmountable position was the Segi TV Chip Ganassi Racing drivers of Kyle LeDuc and Sara Price, the American duo were ultimately denied a chance at the top spot when LeDuc stopped on-track with technical gremlins. Mercifully, the 39-year-old managed to reset his ODYSSEY 21 and get underway once more, but to no avail. They ended qualifying in seventh position and will once again fail to make it to the final.

Desert X Prix winners Rosberg X Racing kept X44 honest but at the end of the day were 27 seconds adrift of the summit of the standings. They would have gone quicker still were it not for hard landing over one of the jumps, pitching Molly Taylor off-course in her Q2 run, the Australian gathered it up brilliantly and lost only a handful of seconds in the process.

The updated ABT CUPRA XE line-up of Mattias Ekström and Jutta Kleinschmidt were also in the mix throughout qualifying with the pairing looking set to challenge the front-runners before receiving a 15-second penalty. Despite being one of Extreme E’s official Championship Drivers, Kleinschmidt was still acclimatising to the series’ nuances, stepping into the switch zone before the ODYSSEY 21 was switched into neutral, denying the team any chance of troubling the X44 squad.

Kevin Hansen’s first competitive laps behind the wheel of the JBXE car confirmed why the World RX driver was drafted in, going fourth fastest overall alongside team-mate Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky.

After eight weeks of waiting, Veloce Racing finally got their first official lap times on the board. Jamie Chadwick was visibly thrilled at the end of her first run, grinning from ear to ear as she rounded the final corner. Alongside team-mate, Stéphane Sarrazin the duo set consistent lap times taking minimal risks with the aim to build their pace throughout the weekend – they did just that improving by 10 seconds from Q1 to Q2.

The XITE ENERGY RACING powered by myenergi squad, meanwhile, will be delighted with sixth overall after a noticeable improvement from the Desert X Prix for Oliver Bennett and Christine GZ, booking themselves the last Semi-Final slot for Sunday.

Each of the bottom three teams looked set to be fighting at the sharp end this weekend, but it was not to be, Segi TV Chip Ganassi Racing, Andretti United Extreme E and ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team all suffered mechanical problems relegating them to the bottom of the table.

Timmy Hansen stopped on-track during his first qualifying run meaning it was going to be an uphill battle for himself and Catie Munnings to make it into the top six. The Swede managed to get his ODYSSEY 21 restarted but the subsequent three minutes lost were too great to overcome.

Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz were another pairing that were setting purple sectors prior to their car ground to a halt in Q1. This time, the problems were not fixable and the resulting DNF resigned them to the Shoot Out.

Wheel-to-wheel action gets underway tomorrow (Sunday, 30 May) with Semi-Final 1, Semi-Final 2, the Shoot Out and the all-important Final which will see four cars on-track for the first time in Extreme E.

Timmy Hansen, Andretti United Extreme E driver said: “It’s been a tough day and even more disappointing after we were fastest in free practice yesterday. I had four of five jumps with the same sort of landing and then on the next jump the car shut down after the landing and I couldn’t get it restarted. It’s always frustrating when that happens as everything was going pretty well until that point. Fortunately, after a couple of minutes, I managed to get everything restarted and at least I could get the car back to Catie but it’s certainly not been the day we wanted.”

Catie Munnings, Andretti United Extreme E driver said: “The conditions out there are tough and very different from what we had in Saudi. You could see a huge difference even in Q2 after the number of ruts from the first quali session. You really need a lot of confidence with those bumps.  We were really unfortunate with the mechanical issue and luck wasn’t on our side today. We worked with our engineer and team ahead of Q2 but unfortunately the time lost in Q1 meant we were dependent on problems for others to be in with a chance of the semi-finals. We’ve still got the shootout tomorrow so we’ll still be fighting for as many points as we can.”

Molly Taylor, Rosberg X Racing driver said: "Today has been a challenging day here in Senegal but one we have lots to learn from and many positives to take onboard. I felt we didn’t quite get the balance of the car right in both sessions, and it’s so difficult to tweak the car set-up for a course layout that keeps changing with new ruts and driving lines appearing all of the time! But overall our pace is good and we’re pleased to be through to the semi-finals. We have a lot of data to go through tonight but we’ll be prepared to go racing tomorrow.”

Johan Kristoffersson, Rosberg X Racing driver, added: “It’s been an interesting start to the weekend for Molly and I in the car, but the team has done a great job to help us progress to the semi-finals tomorrow. The course is really technical and is changing with with every lap we complete, which means we have to expect the unexpected every time we’re out on the course. But it’s a lot of fun and we have good pace ahead of tomorrow, so bring on the semi-finals!”

Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, JBXE driver said: “Today was really good. We are improving session by session - us as drivers as well as the car. We feel really great, and we are so happy to be in P4 overall. I feel like we are gaining each time in the car and it’s really working with me and Kevin, we obviously know each other really well already which makes a big difference. So yeah, I’m really excited for tomorrow, I can’t wait!”

Kevin Hansen, JBXE driver said: “Qualifying day is over, and I think we can be really pleased - we made good progress from yesterday and also for qualifying 2, good progress. It’s a huge step forward from the last race to have achieved P4 today and I believe we are up there with a real chance of challenging RXR and also APT tomorrow. The team has done a really good job and the guys are continuing to analyse the data from today, so we are definitely on the right course for progress. There’s still a long way to go to be at P1 but I mean, it’s my first race and everything is still really new.  I’ve only ever done three laps with the car on this course so really, it’s all good. Mikaela has done a great job too and we’ve still got the most important day to come tomorrow!”

Carlos Sainz, ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team, driver: “Things didn’t go well for us today. Given the current rules of the championship, any issue you encounter in Qualifying compromises your whole weekend and you miss any chance of making the semi-finals and the final. It is something that we should look at it in the future, because it is a shame that we go around the world only to drive four minutes if you have bad luck in one Qualifying session. I think there will be time to look at it, but for now we will keep our heads down and have full focus on tomorrow’s race, where we will try to keep on learning for the future.”

Laia Sanz, ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team driver: “It is a shame, because both Carlos and myself were feeling very well at this track. He did a great job and I was feeling very confident. It is a shame that we had an issue that prevented us from finishing Qualifying 1. I took it easy in Qualifying 2, because there was nothing we could do and the surface of the track was already in a bad state. It is a shame, because I think it could have been a good weekend.”

Albert Fàbrega, ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team, Team Principal: “Today was not a good day for the team. We lost water pressure in Qualifying 1 after a leak in the radiator and the car stopped on track. It is a real shame, because Carlos and Laia were driving really fast. We would have definitely made it to the semi-finals and we were fighting for a podium finish, but this championship is like this and any problems you encounter on Saturday compromise your whole weekend. We can only move on and focus on Sunday’s race to wrap-up the weekend on a good note and test new things that will come in handy in the next few events.”

Mattias Ekström, ABT CUPRA XE driver, said: “Well, I mean it was a bit different to wake up and find out that Jutta was my new teammate, but I think she did really well and did her two laps with no problems. And also, for myself, I pushed as much as I could in Q1 and then on the second one, I was a bit more careful after other cars had had some problems. Maybe I was a bit too careful, so we definitely need to find a bit more pace for tomorrow. But in general, I think we are really happy to be third overall. So tomorrow, it will be a semi-final against my friends Johan and Sebastian - that will make for a pretty exciting Sunday!”

Jutta Kleinschmidt, ABT CUPRA XE driver, said: “I have only had one slow lap around this track here in the sand dunes, so I really didn’t know what to expect but I had very little time to think about it! I talked it through with my fellow test and development driver, Timo Scheider, and tried to visualise the track and make a plan, but actually I had to just get in it and hope to be quick.  I was very nervous.  I didn’t want to let anyone down but it was so hard to know.  I am pleased that I was on the pace.”

Sara Price, Segi TV Chip Ganassi Racing driver, said:  “Well, not the day we planned. It looks like we had a tree limb that pulled out one of the electrical safety switches above the door and it turned the car off on Kyle. He did a bunch of trouble shooting to figure it out, and finally got it going to bring the car around to the switch. I had a great lap but unfortunately what happened was out of our control. We just didn't have the time with that issue to make it to one of the semifinal races. Tough way to end the day. Our SEGI TV HUMMER EV was really good and our laps were fast, but just bad luck. We've got a tough team and we’ll be back strong tomorrow to try and maximize our points here in Senegal.”

Kyle LeDuc, Segi TV Chip Ganassi Racing driver, said: “The SEGI TV HUMMER EV team had a great first round of qualifying; the session went super good for the team. Then the second session was expected to match that if not best it. We had a good car with great handling down to the section back in the trees. Unfortunately things went bad for us there with a limb catching the kill switch on the car. That was going to be a good run for us as a team. I was able to diagnose three or four things that could have been wrong and we finally found the problem and got the car fired up to bring it around for Sara to finish the session. She did a great job with her lap, but unfortunately the time lost to the issue put us too far back to make the semis. We’ll go out tomorrow for the shootout and look to maximize our points for the weekend with a good run.”

Tomorrow’s action gets underway at 12h00 CET, with the Shoot Out and Semi-Finals, before the Final at 16h00 CET decides who stands atop the podium at the first-ever Ocean X Prix.  

Combined Qualifying Results

1. X44 (Sébastien Loeb / Cristina Gutiérrez) 21m44.856s
2. Rosberg X Racing (Johan Kristoffersson / Molly Taylor) +27.582s
3. ABT Cupra XE (Mattias Ekström / Jutta Kleinschmidt) +35.957s laps
4. JBXE (Kevin Hansen / Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky) +40.570s
5. Veloce Racing (Stéphane Sarrazin / Jamie Chadwick) +1m20.514s
6. XITE ENERGY RACING powered by myenergi(Oliver Bennett / Christine Giampaoli Zonca) +1m51.605s
7. Segi TV Chip Ganassi Racing(Kyle LeDuc / Sara Price) +3m56.959s
8. Andretti United Extreme E (Timmy Hansen / Catie Munnings) +14m12.212s
9. ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team(Carlos Sainz / Laia Sanz) +1 lap

Extreme E:

Julia Fry, Head of Communications 
E: media@extreme-e.com / T: +44 7778 108754

Carla Corbet, MPA Creative:     
E: carla.corbet@mpacreative.com / T: +44 7944 077440

Diego Bustos, BE Mass Media (Latin America -including Brazil-, US Hispanics, Spain, Portugal)
E: diego.bustos@bemassmedia.com / +569-8829-9138 or +1-660-847-4645

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Extreme E:

Extreme E is a radical new racing series, which will see electric SUVs competing in extreme environments around the world which have already been damaged or affected by climate and environmental issues. The five-race global voyage highlights the impact of climate change and human interference in some of the world’s most remote locations and promotes the adoption of electric vehicles in the quest for a lower carbon future for the planet.  

To minimise local impact, Extreme E races will not be open to spectators, with fans instead invited to follow the action through live TV broadcast, and on social media. 

The St. Helena, a former passenger cargo ship, has undergone a multi-million Euro refit to minimise emissions and transform her into Extreme E’s operations hub. The ship will be used to transport the championship’s freight and infrastructure, including vehicles, to the nearest port, minimising Extreme E’s footprint, as well as being used to facilitate scientific research through its on-board laboratory.

Extreme E is also pioneering hydrogen fuel cell technology which will enable its race fleet to be charged using zero emission energy. This innovative solution from AFC Energy uses water and sun to generate hydrogen power. Not only will this process emit no greenhouse emissions, its only by-product will be water, which will be utilised elsewhere on-site. 

Season 1 Calendar: 

Desert X Prix: AlUla, Saudi Arabia
3-4 April 2021
Ocean X Prix: Lac Rose, Senegal 
29-30 May 2021
Arctic X Prix: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland 
28-29 August 2021
Amazon X Prix: Para, Brazil 
23-24 October 2021
Glacier X Prix: Patagonia, Argentina  
11-12 December 2021  

About Continental Tyres: Founding Partner and Official Tyre Partner 

Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent, and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation. Continental generated preliminary sales of €37.7 billion in 2020 and currently employs more than 235,000 people in 58 countries and markets. In 2021, the company celebrates its 150th anniversary.

The Tires business area has 24 production and development locations worldwide. Continental is one of the leading tire manufacturers with more than 56,000 employees and posted preliminary sales of €10.2 billion in 2020 in this business area. Continental ranks among the technology leaders in tire production and offers a broad product range for passenger cars, commercial and special-purpose vehicles as well as two-wheelers. Through continuous investment in research and development, Continental makes a major contribution to safe, cost effective and ecologically efficient mobility. The portfolio of the Tires business area includes services for the tire trade and fleet applications, as well as digital management systems for tires.

About CBMM: Founding Supplier
CBMM is the world leading supplier of niobium products and technology. Headquartered in Brazil, with offices and subsidiaries in China, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland and the United States. CBMM offers technical innovation to customers around the globe through a team of over 2,000 highly trained, dedicated professionals providing cutting-edge niobium products and technology to over 400 clients in around 40 countries.

About LuisaViaRoma:
Defined by the Financial Times as “A haven for directional fashion,” LUISAVIAROMA.COM is the top online luxury fashion destination with 5,000,000 visitors per month and worldwide shipping. With each new season, the website presents the collections of more than 600 established designers and young emerging talents.

About Zenith: Official Timekeeper and Founding Partner

Zenith exists to inspire individuals to pursue their dreams and make them come true – against all odds. Since its establishment in 1865, Zenith became the first watch manufacture in the modern sense of the term, and its watches have accompanied extraordinary figures that dreamt big and strived to achieve the impossible – from Louis Blériot’s history-making flight across the English Channel to Felix Baumgartner’s record-setting stratospheric free-fall jump. Zenith is also highlighting visionary and trailblazing women – past and present – by celebrating their accomplishments and creating in 2020 its first-ever collection dedicated entirely to them, Defy Midnight. 

With innovation as its guiding star, Zenith features exceptional in-house developed and manufactured movements in all its watches. Since the creation of the El Primero in 1969, the world’s first automatic chronograph calibre, Zenith has gone on to master fractions of the second with the Chronomaster Sport and its 1/10th of a second precision and the DEFY 21 with a precision of 1/100th of a second. Zenith has been shaping the future of Swiss watchmaking since 1865, accompanying those who dare to challenge themselves and break barriers. The time to reach your star is now.

About Allianz: Founding Partner and Official Insurance Partner

The Allianz Group is one of the world's leading insurers and asset managers with more than 100 million private and corporate customers in more than 70 countries. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. Allianz is one of the world’s largest investors, managing around 790 billion euros on behalf of its insurance customers. Furthermore, our asset managers PIMCO and Allianz Global Investors manage 1.7 trillion euros of third-party assets. Thanks to our systematic integration of ecological and social criteria in our business processes and investment decisions, we are amongst the leaders in the insurance industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In 2020, over 150,000 employees achieved total revenues of 140 billion euros and an operating profit of 10.8 billion euros for the group.

About Neat Burger: Official Plant-based Partner

Neat Burger is the first of its kind – the planet-friendly, plant-based, full-flavoured game-changer the world has been waiting for. The world’s first plant-based sustainable burger chain, Neat Burger offers a menu that appeals to not only those who follow plant-based diets, but anyone, meat-eaters included, who wants to eat delicious meat-free dishes that are more sustainable, healthier and ethical. The brand is backed by seven-time FIA Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton, in collaboration with hospitality organisation The Cream Group and investors, as well as UNICEF Ambassador and early backer of Beyond Meat Tommaso Chiabra.

Neat Burger opened its first site in September 2019, just off Regent Street in London, and its second and third dine-in outlets at Camden Market and Soho in 2020. Plans for global expansion across Europe, the US and Middle East are already in place for 2021 and beyond.

About EY: Official Innovation Partner

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, strategy, transaction and consulting services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

This news release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of the global EY organization that also does not provide any services to clients.

About INTERprotección: Official Insurance Broker

INTERprotección is composed of a group of Mexican insurance, reinsurance and surety bond brokerage companies. With global presence and recognition, INTERprotección has more than 40 years of experience in management and comprehensive risk consulting in the Mexican market. Its business model is focused on bringing the client to the forefront and offering them the best service through innovative and disruptive products, more recently with its new brand ​inter.mx,​ its insurance digital platform that is transforming the insurtech game. Follow INTERprotección on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter ​@I​NTERproteccion

About XITE ENERGY
XITE ENERGY was founded by Oliver Bennett and Megan Jones straight out of university two years ago. XITE brings disruptive innovation within the beverage industry; a new frontier to energy drinks. Designed around functionality but with no limitations on health, XITE ENERGY uses functional ingredients that are fused together to provide a cognitive boost, combining natural flavours, natural caffeine and zero sugar.