Loeb recruits to the Hamilton team in Extreme E

The nine-time world champion will form the crew of Lewis Hamilton's team alongside Spaniard Cristina Gutiérrez.

Published on 11/12/2020 à 01:01

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Loeb recruits from the Hamilton team in Extreme E

Last September, Extreme E announced the participation of Lewis Hamilton in the first season of the competition. The Englishman will not, however, serve as a driver or as team boss. In fact, he launched his own team: X44.

A little over three months later, the driver's team Mercedes en F1 has formalized its line-up for the inaugural season of Extreme E. Unsurprisingly, the Briton is not there. On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton achieved a nice coup by securing the services of Sébastien Loeb for this first campaign.

« Joining X44 is an opportunity for me to continue doing what I love: racing. I can't wait to compete in an electric car, summarizes the Alsatian. I had the opportunity to test drive the car recently and it is amazing ».

On the different rounds around the world (Saudi Arabia, Greenland, Senegal, Brazil and Argentina), Sébastien Loeb will have a teammate. As Extreme E wants, the duo must consist of a man and a woman. And the latter is called Cristina Gutiérrez.

Lewis Hamilton called on a driver who knows the rally-raid. In 2017, she became the first Spanish woman to complete the Dakar in the car category, finishing 5th in the beginners' classification. She has since crossed the finish line of the said event three more times.

« I am delighted to join X44. Not only will we have the opportunity to raise awareness about climate change but I will also get to work with two of my heroes. Sébastien Loeb is the greatest rally driver of all time. I am very happy to be his teammate. I'm also a big Formula 1 fan and have been watching Lewis (Hamilton) races for years. Joining his team is a dream come true », smiles Cristina Gutiérrez.

Cristina Gutiérrez, Sébastian Loeb's teammate. ©Extreme E

« I am happy to welcome Sébastien and Cristina to X44. They are two incredible drivers and I can't wait to see what they do in each race », Underlined the team boss, Lewis Hamilton.

The Odyssey 21 from the X44 team. ©Extreme E

The first Extreme E event will take place in Saudi Arabia (March 20-21, 2021). This will then be followed by stages in Senegal (May 29-30), Greenland (August 28-29), Brazil (October 23-24) and Argentina (December 11-12).