Extreme E LIVE: Results and reaction from Desert X Prix final
Follow all the reaction from the Desert X Prix final after Rosberg XR beat Hamilton’s X44 and Andretti United
Rosberg Extreme are the very first Desert X-Prix winners! Extreme E’s first finals day promised plenty after two enthralling qualifying sessions yesterday suggested there will be entertainment when the cars finally go wheel-to-wheel, and the final day was absorbing.
The brand new motorsport series is making its debut in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, one of five extreme environments over the year chosen not only for the remarkable landscape – think the Amazon rainforest and the Arctic ice – but also for their susceptibility to the climate crisis as the series aims to raise awareness as it goes. The fully electric SUVs went head to head here in a semi-final between the top three from qualifying (two final spots up for grabs), a second semi-final called the ‘crazy race’ between the next three from qualifying (one final spot), before a shoot out between the bottom three simply to decide their points ranking.
And it was Nico Rosberg’s XR team who won the inaugural Extreme E race in the Saudi Arabia desert, beating Lewis Hamilton’s X44 and Andretti United. Follow all the reaction below.
Read more:
Championship standings after Desert X Prix
- Taylor/Kristoffersson (Rosberg XR) 35 points
- Loeb/Gutierrez (X44) 30
- Munnings/Hansen (Andretti) 28
- Sainz/Sanz (Sainz) 26
- Giampaoli Zonca/Bennett ( Hispano Suiza) 20
- Ahlin-Kottulinsky/Button (JBXE) 17
- Hurtgen/Ekstrom (ABT Cupra) 13
- Leduc/Price (Ganassi) 12
- Chadwick/Sarrazin (Veloce) 8
This new team principal might be quite pleased with their results...
Where next for Extreme E? Senegal
Extreme E’s covered the desert and will next head to the beach. The Ocean X-Prix takes place 29-30 May at Lac Rose, Senegal - it’s the traditional home of the Dakar rally but has never seen all-electric wheel-to-wheel combat before. Rosberg Extreme go in with the upper hand but with four events to go, everything could change.
Here’s a full recap of that intense Desert X-Prix finale
Rosberg XR wins Extreme E’s inaugural Desert X Prix
The Rosberg XR team of World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson and Australian rally champion Molly Taylor impressed across the weekend
Catie Munnings is absolutely loving her first XE experience
I don’t have the words, I’m smiling!
Catie Munnings: ‘Motorsport has been selfish in the past. Extreme E is about something bigger’
The 23-year-old British rally driver will take on icons of motorsport in a revolutionary new series for gender equality and environmental awareness which starts in AlUla, Saudi Arabia this weekend
That’s the Desert X-Prix done and thoroughly dusted
There’s plenty of coverage to catch up with on The Independent. Here’s team owner and driver Jenson Button on just how difficult driving the Odyssey-21 is:
Jenson Button: ‘In a race car you’re lying down. Extreme E is like driving a bus’
Jenson Button reveals the challenge of turning his hand from Formula One to driving electric SUVs over sheer drops in the desert
Rosberg Extreme lead the standings with 35 points, X44 are behind them with 30 because of their good qualifying, followed by Andretti United on 28, Acciona Sainz on 26, Hispano Suiza on 20, JBXE on 17, ABT Cupra on 13, Chip Ganassi on 12 and finally Veloce pick up the participation award with just 8 points.
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