F1 champ Nico Rosberg is latest Extreme E entrant

Dubai: 2016 Formula One world champion Nico Rosberg is the latest high-profile name confirmed for Extreme E — the new electric off-road racing series — through the formation of his own team, Rosberg Xtreme Racing (RXR).

Making its debut in 2021, the FIA-sanctioned Extreme E series has already attracted the likes of reigning six-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton through the launch of his X44 team. The series will use electric SUVs to race in remote parts of the world with a scheduled start in Senegal before moving on to Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Greenland and Brazil.

All racing locations have been chosen to raise awareness for some aspects of climate change and Extreme E will maintain a ‘Legacy Programme’ which will provide social and environmental support for those locations.

Also a sustainability entrepreneur, Rosberg’s RXR team is an evolution of Team Rosberg, founded in 1994 by his father and 1982 F1 champion, Keke. RXR has built on the team’s success in the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) as well as Nico’s post-F1 career as an entrepreneur in the field of sustainable mobility.

“We are thrilled to unveil Rosberg Xtreme Racing as the latest addition to Extreme E. The series represents an amazing opportunity to not only drive awareness but also inspire action in the fight against climate change — the single biggest threat to our planet today. Since retiring from F1 I have dedicated my career to sustainable technologies so to be able to combine these endeavours with my passion for racing is incredibly fulfilling,” Rosberg said as RXR became the ninth team to join the series.

Since retiring from F1, Rosberg has invested in numerous successful sustainability start-ups and is also an early investor and shareholder of the all-electric racing series Formula E. With his entrepreneurial commitment, Rosberg supports businesses that offer disruptive solutions in the transition to a sustainable society. In 2019, Rosberg founded the GreenTech Festival, a global platform to showcase pioneering green technologies.

One of the first projects that RXR will support in its opening season is an initiative by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which works with rural communities in Senegal to monitor available water resources and the status of vegetation.

Alejandro Agag, Extreme E founder and CEO, said: “We are ecstatic to finally announce that Rosberg Xtreme Racing will be joining our line-up for the first season of Extreme E. We have been talking about this project for many months and we are thrilled he has chosen Extreme E for his formal return to motorsport as founder and CEO of his own racing team. There is clearly a great synergy between Nico’s endeavours in the sustainability field and the aims of Extreme E so his team is a hugely welcomed addition to the series.”

Participating teams will race an electric SUV named Odyssey 21, which can go from 0-100 kph in 4.5 seconds, at gradients of up to 130 per cent. It is manufactured by Spark Racing Technology, with a battery produced by Williams Advanced Engineering, a niobium-reinforced steel alloy tubular frame, and purpose built tyres, designed by Continental Tyres, which are the most extreme the company has ever produced.

Coinciding with the team’s entry in Extreme E, leading eco-luxury catamaran manufacturer Sunreef Yachts and the company’s president Francis Lapp have extended their partnership with Nico Rosberg and are now also an official team partner of Rosberg Xtreme Racing.