Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky on winning her first Extreme E title
Reflecting on claiming her first series championship at the third attempt, the Swede talked to Extreme E about bouncing back after the disappointment of missing out last term, her partnership with Kristoffersson, learning from team owner and Formula One world champion Nico Rosberg, and revisiting ‘that’ final lap in the Atacama Desert to seal the title ahead of ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team (ASXE).
Extreme E: After coming so close last year, how did it feel to clinch the Extreme E title in 2023?
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky: It felt like the culmination of two years of hard work. There was a feeling of ‘yes – we got there in the end and got the win!’. I've always been super happy after the race wins that we have taken with RXR and this time, when we crossed the finish line to take that championship, I just felt a calm within my whole body. I was so happy that we made it, especially after the experience of last year. We had been so strong in Season 2 and then we lost the title right at the last. It was really tough.
Therefore, my goal this year was just to make each point count and take it step by step. It was hard to keep calm and treat it like any other race weekend at the end, but that was what we had to do to stay focused and get the job done. It felt like everything we've been doing over the last two years paid off.
Extreme E: What did you do over the off-season to help bounce back after 2022?
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky: I'm going to be really honest - it was so tough after Uruguay last year. I do feel like I'm generally a positive person and I tried to think positive and stay strong, but it took me quite some time to get the motivation back. Of course, I always knew from the moment we lost the championship last year that I wanted to win it this year, but it took me some time to get that energy back and be fully recharged for the season. I did spend a lot of time with my family and my friends over Christmas and that gave me a lot of energy.
Once things had settled and a bit more time had passed since that final race, I could look back at Uruguay in a different way. I tried to analyse what I could have done better and what I would change for next time, because there's always something to learn. And I definitely feel that the experience from Uruguay last year helped me so much with the season finale this year.
Once the energy was back and I started to work with the team again, I was fully focused and looking ahead to what was possible for the 2023 season. Time off with family and friends to recharge was definitely the first step in getting my motivation back.
Extreme E: Did you have a different game plan going into the new season?
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky: With the new racing format we had to think in a different way. We knew that it was so important to get to the Grand Final in each round and so that was the main focus for us. With even more racing out on track, we had to look for advantages and the smallest improvements to get ahead. We would look at all of the places where you could gain a little bit of time, such as in the Switch Zone or entering the Switch Zone, or other overtaking possibilities. As a result we saw the race weekend in a completely different way.
Extreme E: Season 3 was anticipated to be the most competitive yet, did it feel like that for you?
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky: We knew it was going to be tough. It was so competitive, expecially with a lot more racing. There were five teams heading into the final event that could win the championship. That's pretty crazy if you think about it! So it's been super competitive.
And also, if you look at the increase of speed when it comes to the women drivers, everybody across the championship has really upped their game. It has been a really hard season. All of the teams have a possibility to win a race because there's so many good teams and drivers, which makes it even more rewarding.
Extreme E: Last year, Nico [Rosberg] described you as the fastest woman driver on the planet. You mentioned the gap between all of the drivers has definitely closed up – is that showing that the series’ gender-equal format is working?
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky: Definitely. From just looking at the times it is clear and I would say all of the drivers feel it’s so much closer. I think that is because we have got more experienced with the car.
Everyone is more comfortable. If you look back to Season 1 we had much less track time. By being in the car more, you can start to really explore the limits of the car and what you can do when racing out on course. And that has kept progressing.
To be able to work with RXR, which is such a great team, and then have the experience of Johan and Nico alongside you, with all of their skills, has been vital. And I think that's also one of the most important things with Extreme E. It has given women drivers the opportunity to work with so much motorsport experience. And I think that is a reason why we have seen the development from Season 1 to Season 3.
Extreme E: You started with two third-place finishes in Saudi Arabia and then did not reach the top three in Scotland. Did you change your mentality at all throughout that opening period?
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky: We did not always maximise our speed, like having that miscommunication in Saudi Arabia to lose the win in the opening round. We always kept pushing, though, to try and find ways to improve and learn for the next event. I also think one of the key things about Extreme E is that anything can happen. You just have to keep going all of the time.
For instance, at the first event in Sardinia this year, in Free Practice 2 I went a bit wide over a jump. We got a puncture, which meant there was very little track tme for us. I was a bit down when I came into the garage, but one of our mechanics turned to me and said ‘don’t worry, put on a smile because we will be smiling on Sunday’. And we were! It is so important in Extreme E to have good team spirit and remain positive because it can turn around so quickly.
Extreme E: You took two wins and a podium from the four rounds in Sardinia. What has made you so quick there over the years?
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky: I think we had a really good test and feeling ahead of Sardinia last year and we were really competitive on track as a consequence. Whenever you go to place where you had good results previously, you then return with a bit more confidence. Knowing we were really strong there served us well. With only a few laps out on track before the racing starts, having that confidence in the car is just so important.
We felt similarly about Chile, too, when we watched our onboards ahead of the season finale. There is visual proof that you were stong the year before, so it gives you that little bit of confidence going into the weekend.
Extreme E: How much of a motivating factor has Nico been during this title battle?
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky: He is always following our progress and giving us advice. You could be driving back from the track, and he will be on the phone with thoughts and suggestions, about what to focus on and keeping a close eye on all of the little details to seek improvements. You have to keep pushing in Extreme E because it is such a competitive field.
Nico is always there to make sure that we never stop developing ourselves and find ways to keep improving. It is also just a few points between some of the top teams in the championship, so there needs to be a balancing act between not taking too many risks and not being too cautious. And Nico was very supportive in that regard.
Extreme E: You entered the season finale in Chile behind in the standings, but after the first day of racing you lead the championship. Could you feel that momentum switch and move towards you?
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky: No – I would say our mindset was the same across the whole weekend. Of course, it felt great to take that win and secure a lot of points. And you're then even closer to taking that title. But we knew there was still so many points up for grabs and that was when it really counted, so we just had to stay in the zone. It was a good step, but nothing more with one race still to go. We had the confidence, but we also needed to reset and do it all over again in the final round. And hopefully then we could celebrate after the last race!
Extreme E: In 2022, you had the chance to win the championship in both Chile and Uruguay. You also had to watch from the sidelines in that season finale in Punte del Este last year as you did not make the Final. Did you feel better about it knowing that you were taking part in that last race and that it was in your hands?
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky: I felt much better about it. Johan said before the start, ‘this is the closest we are to the title’. And I said ‘no, last year we had a lot of points as well’ and he replied ‘yeah, but then we were sitting watching the Final. Now we are in the Final’. It was a totally different feeling. This was the closest way of affecting the race to take the championship.
We make a really good team out on track. We have different approaches and I feel they compliment each other really well. From my side, heading into Chile I was focused on not making too many big risks or mistakes because I wanted to ensure that once the season was over I had felt that I had done my very best. And if that means we win, we win. And if it doesn't, it doesn't.
Johan also said ‘in the end, all we can do is our best and the world will keep on spinning when we get back home, whether it's as champions or in second place’. It was a good approach.
Extreme E: It was a dramatic final race of the 2023 season. What are your recollections of it now?
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky: At first, when Johan nearly rolled and got the puncture, I thought the title had gone. However, in a split second I thought, ‘I am going to go out there and I am going to race like I have never raced in my whole life’. It was like a killer instinct mode that just went into my head. And so no, I never thought it's over. Never giving up really is the team mentality.
The guys made a great tyre switch and Johan want went out tried to push for the Continental Traction Challenge points. That's when the car broke, but he managed to get back it to the Switch Zone. Even then, I just kept on thinking that I had to drive and do what we can do with the situation that we have and let's see what happens.
As I left the Switch Zone I saw a spin up ahead, and over the radio I was told that it was Laia [Sanz – ASXE] who had gone off. And then I passed her as she spun again, before hearing on the radio that Laia rolled the car. Thankfully she was okay and that was the most important thing. Then I was told to keep driving and bring the car home, and that it was looking good. It took so long to get to the finish line with the technical problems we had.
And then we made it – we finished the race. I asked two or three times just to confirm, ‘are we champions?’. When they did it was just such a range of emotions. There were tears, and I was so happy, but I also felt a calmness because of what we had been through. It was for everyone who had put so much work into achieving this, across the team and our partners for making it possible. There was so much joy.
Extreme E: What was the first thing Johan and Nico said after taking the chequered flag?
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky: Johan was overjoyed. He shouted ‘I need to see how happy you are!’ and I was so made up. As for Nico, I found out from one of our team who had received a text from him during the final lap that he’d asked me to slow down because he was also scared that I would break the car. So I saw these ‘slow down, slow down, slow down!’ messages, which was quite funny. And then he congratulated us, saying he was so happy and so proud of all the work that we've all been putting in at RXR.
Extreme E: How did it feel to realise that championship dream at the second time of asking?
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky: It is the biggest achievement so far in my career. I was delighted to be asked to join RXR after they won the first championship, and looking back fighting for the Season 2 title was an important experience. It was great that they still believed in me to fight for the title once more this year, and I was so happy to finally get it. It means so much. The level of talent is so high, racing with so many world champions, it is a great feeling.
For RXR it is fantastic as well to have taken two championships in three Extreme E seasons. That I think is a great achievement and really shows the whole spirit, atmosphere, strength and unity across the team.
Extreme E: What is your mentality like now in terms of preparing to go again and secure another championship?
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky: That would be amazing. Of course, nothing has been finalised for 2024, but I really hope to be back that’s for sure. Nevertheless, I am still in a little bit of a bubble following the championship victory.
I've been fighting for this for so many years, almost my whole life, and so I will look at these trophies and still enjoy it for a little while yet. But then attentions will turn to next season and I will hopefully be back out there and ready to help take the championship again.
