Extreme E racing format confirmed

With a field that is growing day by day, notably with the presence of the American structures Andretti Autosport and Chip Ganassi Racing, theExtreme E will offer a new race format in 2021.

Each event will be made up of several races, called X Prize, two laps long, or 16 km. The first day will be devoted to qualifying with four teams in each heat. The best four will qualify for semi-final 1 while the last four will compete in semi-final 2, the “ Crazy Race ».

Only the winner of this semi-final 2 will advance to the final, while the three best from semi-final 1 will be able to compete in the decisive round where the winner will win the event.

The organizers of Extreme E have worked to spice up the races, notably with Hyperdrive. A speed boost will thus be granted to the team which makes the longest jump on the first jump of the course. A boost that can then be used at any time during the race.

Eight cars are expected to take part in these events, with mixed crews, with a change of driver planned in each race. The starting order in each team will also be kept secret from the other participants.

“Creating this innovative sports format, which we compare to Pod racing in Star Wars and the Dakar, is vital to engaging the next generation of motorsport fans, indicates Alejandro Agag, boss of Extreme E.

We hope our fans enjoy the short, wheel-to-wheel racing that this format was built around, with our high-performance electric vehicle, driver change, Hyperdrive feature and Crazy Race qualifying format. »

The championship is due to begin in 2021 and will travel to extreme destinations (Greenland, etc.) to raise awareness of climate change.