Emma Gilmour on her Extreme E journey
Emma Gilmour has competed in both seasons of Extreme E, starting out with Veloce Racing in 2021 before embarking on a full campaign with the debuting NEOM McLaren Extreme E outfit this term. We caught up with the New Zealander on her Extreme E journey so far, thoughts on Season 2 and what victory in the series would mean to her and McLaren Racing.
Extreme E: How would you sum up your first full season in the series?
Emma Gilmour: It’s been a steep learning curve. As a team, we have accelerated our learning very, very quickly, from being in Saudi Arabia where it was our first ever event to crossing the finish line first in Chile. We’ve really shown how quickly we’ve grown as a team, and it’s really encouraging for the future how well we have done in such a short amount of time.
It hasn’t been without its challenges, having two crashes in as many events was pretty tough on the team, but it’s made us a really close-knit team as well. We’ve been through the challenges and we’ve come out stronger.
XE: What has been your highlight in Season 2?
EG: Definitely Chile, winning both of our races on the Race Day, winning the Crazy Race and then going through and winning the Final, although we did end up with penalties. We didn’t win it, but having that speed to be at the front of the field was really exciting and rewarding for all the hard work we have been putting in. To finally see that reward out on the track was great.
XE: You were so close to victory last time out in Chile – what were your thoughts coming away from that weekend?
EG: Disappointment and frustration. I keep seeing that flag that I hit! It is such a challenging series because you get such little time on the track, and you can’t afford to make mistakes. Unfortunately, our mistakes cost us having a trophy that weekend. Very frustrating, but also very encouraging. Mixed feelings!
XE: Looking back on your wider Extreme E journey, how have you found switching from one team to another in the series?
EG: I think it's easier than coming in and just starting with no background in Extreme E, because it was tough last year, coming halfway through the season into Veloce Racing and just having to learn on the go about everything.
So, being able to switch teams, I felt more comfortable in terms of what I was going to expect Extreme E was going to be like and racing these vehicles. I felt I learned a lot with Veloce Racing in a really supportive environment. It was a really nice warm up to then being with NEOM McLaren Extreme E.
XE: What was your highlight from Veloce Racing and what knowledge do you feel you brought to McLaren especially helping to guide them being new to the championship?
EG: I think competing in Greenland was a real highlight. I mean, it's such an amazing place to visit. Racing in front of this huge ice shelf was just a surreal experience. I really liked the track there because it was so varied, there was such unusual terrain from sand dunes to rocks, to jumps and everything in-between. I really enjoyed that.
What I was able to bring into NEOM McLaren Extreme E was that experience of how a race weekend works and how high intensity it is in terms of you get such a little time on the track.
All of that data that you can get from the shorter amount of running you do on the track and how you can then work with your team to make the most of that information. I think by just having had an intro to Extreme E, I appreciated how hard the series is.
XE: What were your goals when you entered NEOM McLaren Extreme E?
EG: To be competitive and to do the brand proud. It's a pretty special honour to be the first female driver for McLaren Racing.
XE: How did the team help you settle in?
EG: I was blown away from the very first time I worked with the McLaren Racing team, how a professional they were but also how down to earth they were. It's very much a real strong team unit. I think that's what makes us such a great team is that everyone knows each other quite well. Now we've had that consistency, right from testing late last year, we’re a strong unit.
XE: You and Tanner [Foust] look like a great partnership. How did you gel so quickly?
EG: The fact we did the testing together and spent quite a bit of time together with different promotional activities at the McLaren Technology Centre. It was good because we weren't in a pressure racing situation, we just got to hang out together. I find his jokes funny. So, that probably helps us get along. I think he's hilarious. So yeah, we have similar sense of humour and although different racing backgrounds still have a lot of respect for each other.
XE: How does it feel to be the first female driver for McLaren? Did this add any pressure?
EG: It is a huge honour, and coming from New Zealand, I never ever imagined racing for motoring royalty like McLaren, with fellow Kiwi Bruce McLaren having started the team. It still feels a bit like a fairy tale for me to be there representing such an iconic brand.
As a team, I think we felt a lot of pressure at that first round, because we were the only team joining in the second season. All of the other teams had a lot more experience at that first round in Saudi Arabia. I think we really wanted to show that we were going to be competitive right out of the box. And we did which was great.
XE: What do you feel you’ve brought to the team?
EG: What I brought to the team was a bit of experience of Extreme E. I've got a huge range of experience from lots of different vehicles and racing different cars. Tanner and I have an all-round ability for setting up the car. I suppose we have different feedback, but Lena and Teena [Gade], our engineers, make it work so we can get the car set up for both of us pretty quickly.
XE: What have you learned during this season with a new team?
EG: The importance of teamwork. It is such a team sport, motorsport always is, but I think Extreme E even more so because it's such a small team when we're away. It's really crucial to have that that strong teamwork around you. I'm looking forward to heading into some brand new events for all of the teams because other teams have had more experience at the venues we've been to so far this season, so it'd be really nice going to somewhere brand new.
XE: What are you expecting from the season finale in Uruguay?
EG: I think we’re going to be competitive again. I think it will largely be determined by the track. We were really fortunate that in Chile the track was great and we were able to have close racing - the conditions allowed it, the track allowed it. I’m hopeful that what was learned from the track design in Chile comes forward to Uruguay, so it allows for that good racing again. Hopefully we can have a tidier run and be on that podium at the end of the weekend.
XE: How confident are you in ending the campaign in style?
EG: As confident as you can be in motorsport! I know as a team we are 100% capable of it, we just need all of the other little things to go our way. We’re totally capable of finishing the season in style!
