Loeb wants Extreme E power steering fix that cost victory
Sebastien Loeb has called on Extreme E car builder Spark Racing Technology to “solve” repeat power steering issues that cost the X44 team its chance in the Saudi Arabia final.

Nine-time World Rally champion Loeb and experienced Dakar teammate Cristina Gutierrez eventually finished 1m14s behind victorious Rosberg X Racing pair Johan Kristoffersson and Molly Taylor in the AlUla desert final.
This was attributed to an early power steering failure. This issue had also affected Carlos Sainz Sr during shakedown and Chip Ganassi Racing pair Sara Price and Kyle LeDuc throughout Saturday running.
Loeb reckoned he had to “fight” to steady the car and has called on Spark, which also builds the Formula E machines, to resolve its reliability concerns ahead of the next Senegal event across 29-30 May.
He said: “We would expect to do better in the final. But everything is played in the first corner and we had a problem of power steering.
“It was a hard fight to keep the car on the track all of the race. Overall, I feel a bit disappointed for this final. But for the rest, I feel happy with the weekend.
Explaining the power steering issue, Loeb added: “It came just in the final. Before the final, everything was perfect.
“We saw a lot of teams having some trouble. We had absolutely no trouble. The team made a great job.”

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
But Loeb added that this problem, combined with motor and inverter concerns for Jenson Button’s JBXE team plus the Odyssey 21 E-SUV having its power cut from 400kW to 225kW for the Sunday races, were understandable given the infancy of the championship.
He said: “This power steering problem, we are not alone to have it during the weekend.
“It's something uncertain of the car but I hope the manufacturer will solve that and they will provide some cars without problem next time.
“It's just the beginning of the series so we are just discovering some tiny little things.
“But I hope it will be solved and it will not be anymore.”
He added that he was "really happy" with the debut performance of Lewis Hamilton's X44 team, which is run by Prodrive.
Loeb said: "The main thing is that we showed that together we can be fighting for the win. This is something we didn't really know.
"It was the first race together with a lot of drivers around and we saw that Cristina is very fast. She's scored sometimes the best time of the women.
"I was fast also so I think we're a good team and we have good chances for the rest. That's the main thing that I will remember."
Related video

Munnings will "remember first Extreme E podium forever"
Agag: Extreme E has “almost identical” feeling as first Formula E race

Latest news
Why McLaren has taken its unprecedented off-road left turn
McLaren will be in distinctly unfamiliar territory this weekend as it makes its Extreme E debut. But this rugged left turn serves as a means to an end to inspire a greater good
How motorsport’s new eco series fared in its debut season
A brand new motorsport series with a disruptive credo will inevitably suffer teething problems. But the electric off-road series put on a spectacular show in its debut season and laid a positive foundation for the future, if manufacturers decide to follow suit
How Rosberg triumphed over Hamilton in 2021's final showdown
The last hurrah of the 2021 motorsport season boiled down to another Nico Rosberg versus Lewis Hamilton head-to-head. As in 2016, it was the former who won out, his RXR Extreme E team prevailing in a tiebreaker following a tense final round of the all-electric off-road series at Dorset's muddy Bovington military base
How technical troubles detracted from Extreme E's Sardinia encounter
Extreme E has provided thrilling plot lines in its inaugural season, but numerous mechanical failures on the ODYSSEY 21 have detracted from the closely fought battles across various terrains. Sardinia's Island X-Prix set up a championship finale, but also underlined what Spark must do to fix the car for next season
How Extreme E’s Arctic adventure gave a chilly reminder of the fixes to find
Extreme E’s third round provided the very definition of extreme conditions in the Artic Circle, and despite settling on a successful format and Andretti United taking a maiden win, there remains plenty of work to do with the spec cars that froze in action
Why McLaren’s surprise electric path can benefit everyone involved
McLaren's announcement that it will enter the Extreme E series for electric SUVs next year came as something of a surprise. But it brings benefits that other championships it could seek to enter cannot, while providing a timely boost to a start-up that has had to cancel two of its South American rounds
Why Extreme E's Senegal round hints at the series' true potential
Extreme E's second round on the sands of Senegal refined some the more clunky aspects of the series' debut event in Saudi Arabia. Even though its star-studded finale between Lewis Hamilton's X44 team and Rosberg X Racing proved anticlimactic, the pieces are in place for the series to only get better
The key area where a start-up series is outdoing F1
While there are those – including several major car manufacturers – who think Formula E has had its day, FE founder Alejandro Agag is continuing to innovate with the new Extreme E series. MARK GALLAGHER sees one element in which it has Formula 1 beaten