It’s all change as the chasing pack prepares for Uruguay
Veloce Racing dropped to last in the standings after ABT CUPRA XE secured fifteen points in Chile, getting onto the podium for the first time this season in third place. Despite showing flashes of pace, Veloce Racing has ended up in the Crazy Race at all X Prix of the season so far.
The British outfit looked set for one of the quickest Qualifying times in NEOM before crashing out on the second lap. In Sardinia, the team were unlucky to miss out on a spot in the second Final of the week, as contact tipped the Veloce ODYSSEY 21 into an unfortunate half spin and out of the battle for first.
Chile presented further setbacks, with race ending damage as their ODYSSEY 21 hit a rock while evading the incident between NEOM McLaren Extreme E and JBXE in the Crazy Race, denying them an elusive Final appearance in 2022.
Veloce Racing recently announced that 2021 Extreme E Champion Molly Taylor and former JBXE star Kevin Hansen will form the team’s new driver pairing for the Season 2 finale in Uruguay and Season 3.
The team’s new line-up boasts considerable Extreme E pedigree, with Taylor securing the inaugural title with Rosberg X Racing (RXR) last campaign and Hansen taking five podiums from his eight X Prix appearances so far.
The upcoming Uruguay Natural Energy X Prix in Punta del Este will not be the first time the duo has been paired together, having linked up at this year’s season-opener in NEOM, Saudi Arabia, for JBXE which should make for plenty of excitement on track.
ABT CUPRA XE headed into Chile last in the standings and still in search of that first podium of Season 2.
As the first part of the double-header in Sardinia neared its end, it looked as though ABT CUPRA XE had secured their first Final appearance of Extreme E Season 2, before penalties dropped the team down to third in the Crazy Race and ninth overall at the NEOM Island X Prix I.
Following a consistent two rounds of Qualifying in the second X Prix of the week, ABT CUPRA XE progressed to the Final for the first time this year.
However, during the driver change, Jutta Kleinschmidt failed to properly buckle her seatbelt before setting off on her lap, leading to the team’s disqualification from the Final after they finished second on the course – having led at the halfway stage.
The team looked to turn things around in Chile, but things got off to a bad start when Kleinschmidt suffered an injury during Free Practice.
Former Championship Driver and FIA World RX star Klara Andersson drove alongside Dakar legend Nasser Al-Attiyah for the remainder of the Antofagasta Minerals Copper X Prix and retains the seat at the final race of Extreme E Season 2.
Getting behind the wheel at the Antofagasta Minerals Copper X Prix marked a long-awaited series debut for Andersson, and the Swedish protégé showed no sign of nerves as she helped the team step onto the podium to take third.
This marked ABT CUPRA XE's and Al-Attiyah’s first podium of Extreme E Season 2, and meant a top three finish for Andersson in her very first race in the championship.
JBXE enter the season finale having dropped from seventh to eighth in the championship standings following NEOM McLaren Extreme E’s fifth place finish in Chile’s Final.
Jenson Button’s outfit have one podium to their name so far this season from the NEOM Island X Prix double-header in Sardinia.
Joined by Veloce Development Driver Hedda Hosås, a win in Semi-Final 2 of the NEOM Island X Prix I was just the start they needed, with debutant Hosås managing to stay ahead of Carlos Sainz Snr. for victory.
JBXE took that pace into the Final, returning to podium ways with third place following the penalty for Rosberg X Racing (RXR) that dropped them down to fifth in the race.
The team lined up against their closest rivals in Season 1, Genesys Andretti United Extreme E, in the Crazy Race of the NEOM Island X Prix II. Pushing hard in second as he chased his brother, Kevin Hansen ended up in a spin, hitting the waypoint flag as he tried to recover, and thus missed out on back-to-back Sardinian Finals.
Chile followed a similar story as a spin for Hosås, following contact with NEOM McLaren Extreme E’s Tanner Foust, put them out of contention in the Crazy Race.
Following Hansen’s switch to Veloce Racing, former Championship Driver Fraser McConnell will be jumping in the driver’s seat for JBXE in Uruguay as the team chases a second podium to end the year on a positive note.
Which of these three teams will come out on top in the Uruguay Natural Energy X Prix in Punta del Este, Uruguay, on 26-27 November? Find out where you can watch the action here.
