The 2021 Extreme E Championship was the inaugural season of the Extreme E electric off-road racing series. It started on 3 April with the Desert X-Prix in Saudi Arabia. [1]
A provisional race schedule was announced on 17 December 2019, which would have seen a season start in January 2021 with an event in Senegal. [2] But because of delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic the start of the season was pushed back to spring 2021, and a race in Patagonia was presented to replace a Nepal-based event. [3] On 11 June 2021, both South American events –planned to be held in Ushuaia, Argentina and Santarém, Brazil– were cancelled, with championship CEO Alejandro Agag stating they are "seeking alternate destinations". [4] In late July, the Island X-Prix on Sardinia was announced as the first replacement race. [5] A Jurassic X-Prix, due to take place in Dorset, was revealed in October as the new season finale. [6]
| Round | Dates | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3–4 April 2021 | Desert X-Prix |  Al-'Ula, Saudi Arabia |
| 2 | 29–30 May 2021 | Ocean X-Prix |  Lac Rose, Senegal |
| 3 | 28–29 August 2021 | Arctic X-Prix |  Kangerlussuaq, Greenland |
| 4 | 23–24 October 2021 | Island X-Prix |  Sardinia, Italy |
| 5 | 18–19 December 2021 | Jurassic X-Prix |  Dorset, United Kingdom |
The following events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic:
| Original Dates | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14–15 May 2021 | Mountain X-Prix |  Kali Gandaki Gorge, Nepal |
| 23–24 October 2021 | Amazon X-Prix |  Santarém, Brazil |
| 11–12 December 2021 | Glacier X-Prix |  Ushuaia, Argentina |
A race weekend consists of two rounds of qualifying time trials on Saturday, followed by multi-car races on Sunday. At the Desert X-Prix all races were intended for three cars: a semi-final from which two teams advanced to the final, a "crazy race" from which only one team advanced and a shoot-out for the bottom three places, culminating in a three-car final. [7] The format was tweaked for round two in Senegal, where two teams each from two semi-finals advance to the final which is competed by four teams. Additionally, a "super sector" is introduced, where five extra points are awarded to the fastest team through that sector over the whole weekend. [8] Further alterations were introduced for round three in Greenland, most notably a five-car final with one team progressing from the erstwhile shoot-out, now called "crazy race". An intermediate classification points system was also implemented, with teams receiving points from 9 down to 1 according to their place in each qualifying session; the sum of these, rather than aggregate times, determining their overall qualifying position. These classification points would not contribute to overall championship points. [9] Another rule adjustment was introduced at the season finale in Dorset to accommodate the short nature of the circuit, each session now consisting of three laps, with the starting driver, who in the final would be the female driver, taking the first two. [10]
The following teams and drivers competed in the 2021 championship. All teams use one of the identical Odyssey 21 electric SUVs manufactured by Spark Racing Technology, with Chip Ganassi Racing running a modified bodywork. [11] Each team consists of a male and a female driver, who share a car and have equal driving duties. [12]
| Team | No. | Drivers | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veloce Racing [13] | 5 | Jamie Chadwick [14] | 1–2, 5 |
 Emma Gilmour [15] | 3–4 | ||
 Stéphane Sarrazin [16] | 1–4 | ||
 Lance Woolridge [17] | 5 | ||
 Rosberg X Racing [18] | 6 |  Johan Kristoffersson [19] | All |
 Molly Taylor [20] | All | ||
| JBXE [21] | 22 | Jenson Button [21] | 1 |
| Kevin Hansen [22] | 2–5 | ||
| Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky [23] | All | ||
 Andretti United Extreme E [24] [25] | 23 | Catie Munnings [26] | All |
| Timmy Hansen [26] | All | ||
 Hispano Suiza Xite Energy Team [27] Xite Energy Racing [28] [N 1] | 42 | Christine GZ [27] | All |
| Oliver Bennett [27] | All | ||
| Team X44 [29] | 44 | Cristina Gutiérrez [30] | All |
| Sébastien Loeb [30] | All | ||
| Acciona | Sainz XE Team [31] | 55 | Carlos Sainz [31] | All |
| Laia Sanz [31] | All | ||
| Segi TV Chip Ganassi Racing [32] | 99 | Kyle LeDuc [33] | All |
| Sara Price [32] | All | ||
| Abt Cupra XE [34] | 125 | Claudia Hürtgen [34] | 1–2 [N 2] |
| Jutta Kleinschmidt [35] [36] | 2–5 | ||
| Mattias Ekström [37] | All |
| Drivers | Rounds |
|---|---|
| Jutta Kleinschmidt [38] | 1–2 |
| Tamara Molinaro [39] | 3–5 |
| Timo Scheider [40] | All |
| Round | Event | Qualifying 1 | Qualifying 2 | Qualifying Overall | Semi-Final 1 | Semi-Final 2 [N 3] | Crazy Race [N 4] | Super Sector [N 5] | Final | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Desert X-Prix | Rosberg X Racing | Team X44 | Team X44 | Rosberg X Racing | Andretti United XE | Abt Cupra XE | not awarded | Rosberg X Racing | Report |
| 2 | Ocean X-Prix | Team X44 | Team X44 | Team X44 | Rosberg X Racing | JBXE | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chip Ganassi Racing | Rosberg X Racing | Report |
| 3 | Arctic X-Prix | Team X44 | Rosberg X Racing | Team X44 | Team X44 | Andretti United XE | JBXE | Andretti United XE | Andretti United XE | Report |
| 4 | Island X-Prix | Team X44 | Team X44 | Team X44 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Rosberg X Racing | JBXE | Team X44 | Rosberg X Racing | Report |
| 5 | Jurassic X-Prix | Team X44 | Team X44 | Team X44 | Team X44 | Rosberg X Racing | Andretti United XE | Team X44 | Team X44 | Report |
Points are awarded to the top nine drivers based on aggregate qualifying standings, as well as the top nine finishers. From the second round on, an additional 5 points are given to the fastest team in the Super Sector over the whole weekend.
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | SS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 [N 6] |
| Race day | 25 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
Only the best four X-Prix results count towards the drivers' championship.
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Abt Sportsline is a motor racing and auto tuning company based in Kempten im Allgäu, Germany. Abt mainly deals with Audi and the related primary Volkswagen Group brands—Volkswagen, Škoda, and SEAT—modifying them by using sports-type suspensions, engine power upgrades, lightweight wheels, aerodynamic components and more. It has been active in DTM for more than a decade. After the death of their father Johann in 2003, the company with 170 employees in their headquarters in Kempten was run by the brothers Hans-Jürgen Abt and Christian Abt. Since 2011, Hans-Jürgen Abt has run the company.
Claudia Hürtgen is a German racing driver.
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Extreme E is an FIA-sanctioned international off-road racing series that uses spec silhouette electric SUVs to race in remote parts of the world, such as the Saudi Arabian desert or the Arctic. All racing locations are chosen to raise awareness for some aspects of climate change and Extreme E maintains a "Legacy Programme" which intends to provide social and environmental support for those locations. The series also promotes gender equality in motorsport by mandating that all teams consist of a female and a male driver who share equal driving duties.
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The 2021 Desert X-Prix was an Extreme E off-road race that was held on 3 and 4 April 2021 in Al-'Ula, Saudi Arabia. It was the first Championship round of the electric off-road racing car series' inaugural season. The final was won by Johan Kristoffersson and Molly Taylor for the Rosberg X Racing team, ahead of Andretti United Extreme E and Team X44.
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