Extreme E News: Male and female drivers to share cars

Teams contesting the Extreme E all-electric off-road racing series will be required to field both a male and female driver in a two-person line-up to promote gender equality

The regulation is thought to be a first for an international motorsport championship.

Five events are planned for the inaugural XE season - set to kick off in January - and each will be comprised of two 6.2-mile (10Km) laps.

Teams will be made up of an interchangeable driver and co-driver pairing who will swap after a lap each in a changeover "incorporated into the race format".

XE founder and CEO Alejandro Agag said: "We are ensuring with our sporting format that drivers of all backgrounds will be able to compete with the same tools at their disposal at every event on the calendar.

"We are striving for equality, and this sporting format is the truest reflection of that goal.

"Everybody will race together and the most effective combination of drivers, team, engineer and car will rise to the top."

Three women are already assigned to the XE drivers' programme, including maiden W Series champion Jamie Chadwick and IMSA Sportscar driver Katherine Legge.

Swedish touring car driver Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky (below) is also involved and as the test driver for XE tyre supplier Continental, is the only female to have driven the 550bhp ODYSSEY 21 to date.

Michele Mouton, the president of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, said: "This is a great opportunity for women and men to team up, compete together and against each other with the same material.

"Alejandro [Agag] and his team continue to really support gender equality in our sport with concrete actions that help highlight the ability of female racers and give them a chance.

"It will be interesting to see the team line-ups as they are announced and I look forward to following season one when it starts early next year."

Legge added: "Hearing the format was like waking up on Christmas morning.

"It is a giant step in the right direction for motorsport as a whole. I have been looking forward to something like this my entire racing career!

"Formula E and now Extreme E, are at forefront of breaking boundaries in technology, sustainability, and climate change, and now Extreme E will challenge perceptions with gender equality too."

Agag had aimed for 12 teams to contest the inaugural XE season, but earlier this month he dialled back that target to eight.

Six squads have so far been announced - Abt Sportsline, Andretti Autosport, HWA, Venturi, Veloce Racing, QEV Technologies.

shares
comments

Formula E News: Bentley distances itself from Italian investor entry plans

Extreme E News: Series CEO rejects "opportunistic" criticism of female driver rule

How Wehrlein turned the tables to move back ahead in Formula E title tussle

How Wehrlein turned the tables to move back ahead in Formula E title tussle

Plus
Plus
Formula E
Jakarta ePrix II
Rachit Thukral

How Wehrlein turned the tables to move back ahead in Formula E title tussle How Wehrlein turned the tables to move back ahead in Formula E title tussle

How Cassidy earned 'Big Cat' bragging rights in tight Monaco duel

How Cassidy earned 'Big Cat' bragging rights in tight Monaco duel

Plus
Plus
Formula E
Monaco ePrix
Stefan Mackley

How Cassidy earned 'Big Cat' bragging rights in tight Monaco duel How Cassidy earned 'Big Cat' bragging rights in tight Monaco duel

How Kiwis stormed Berlin to put Porsche under pressure

How Kiwis stormed Berlin to put Porsche under pressure

Plus
Plus
Formula E
Berlin ePrix
Stefan Mackley

How Kiwis stormed Berlin to put Porsche under pressure How Kiwis stormed Berlin to put Porsche under pressure

How Evans pounced for Jaguar in a Sao Paulo slipstreaming chess match

How Evans pounced for Jaguar in a Sao Paulo slipstreaming chess match

Plus
Plus
Formula E
Sao Paulo ePrix
Stefan Mackley

How Evans pounced for Jaguar in a Sao Paulo slipstreaming chess match How Evans pounced for Jaguar in a Sao Paulo slipstreaming chess match

The fumble that inadvertently aided da Costa in Formula E's Cape Town classic

The fumble that inadvertently aided da Costa in Formula E's Cape Town classic

Plus
Plus
Formula E
Cape Town ePrix
Jake Boxall-Legge

The fumble that inadvertently aided da Costa in Formula E's Cape Town classic The fumble that inadvertently aided da Costa in Formula E's Cape Town classic

How Vergne kept his cool to triumph in spicy Indian Formula E encounter

How Vergne kept his cool to triumph in spicy Indian Formula E encounter

Plus
Plus
Formula E
Hyderabad ePrix
Jake Boxall-Legge

How Vergne kept his cool to triumph in spicy Indian Formula E encounter How Vergne kept his cool to triumph in spicy Indian Formula E encounter

Why the Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence

Why the Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence

Plus
Plus
Formula E
Hyderabad ePrix
Rachit Thukral

Why the Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence Why the Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence

The key factors behind Porsche's strong start to Formula E's new era

The key factors behind Porsche's strong start to Formula E's new era

Plus
Plus
Formula E
Jake Boxall-Legge

The key factors behind Porsche's strong start to Formula E's new era The key factors behind Porsche's strong start to Formula E's new era

Subscribe