Extreme E LIVE: Results and reaction from Desert X Prix final
Follow all the reaction from the Desert X Prix final after Rosberg XR beat Hamilton’s X44 and Andretti United
Rosberg Extreme are the very first Desert X-Prix winners! Extreme E’s first finals day promised plenty after two enthralling qualifying sessions yesterday suggested there will be entertainment when the cars finally go wheel-to-wheel, and the final day was absorbing.
The brand new motorsport series is making its debut in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, one of five extreme environments over the year chosen not only for the remarkable landscape – think the Amazon rainforest and the Arctic ice – but also for their susceptibility to the climate crisis as the series aims to raise awareness as it goes. The fully electric SUVs went head to head here in a semi-final between the top three from qualifying (two final spots up for grabs), a second semi-final called the ‘crazy race’ between the next three from qualifying (one final spot), before a shoot out between the bottom three simply to decide their points ranking.
And it was Nico Rosberg’s XR team who won the inaugural Extreme E race in the Saudi Arabia desert, beating Lewis Hamilton’s X44 and Andretti United. Follow all the reaction below.
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Championship standings after Desert X Prix
- Taylor/Kristoffersson (Rosberg XR) 35 points
- Loeb/Gutierrez (X44) 30
- Munnings/Hansen (Andretti) 28
- Sainz/Sanz (Sainz) 26
- Giampaoli Zonca/Bennett ( Hispano Suiza) 20
- Ahlin-Kottulinsky/Button (JBXE) 17
- Hurtgen/Ekstrom (ABT Cupra) 13
- Leduc/Price (Ganassi) 12
- Chadwick/Sarrazin (Veloce) 8
Gutierrez and Loeb seem to have had a steering issue; Christina was wrestling the car home, much like Sara Price in the first qualifying session yesterday for Chip Ganassi. Tricky final for X44.
And it’s Rosberg Extreme who win the Desert X-Prix
Molly Taylor brings it home to take the first ever Extreme E victory! Catie Munnings follows for Andretti United and Christina Gutierrez in third for X44.
That 45º slope really does not get old
Nothing like throwing an SUV down a hill on a Sunday afternoon
And we’re in for the driver switchover. Kristoffersson is handing over to Molly Taylor, Hansen to Catie Munnings and Sebastien Loeb, when he arrives at the switchover area, to Christina Gutierrez. It’s a minimum time of 45 seconds for the switch, to ensure they do it safely.
X44 are 27 over 30 seconds back from Rosberg Extreme’s lead but: cars have to get home safely. Kristoffersson is using all his skill to hold the car at speeds over 100mph through bumpy sand. Even in the lead, the visibility is best described as ‘barely existent’ with huge, hazy sand clouds.
Timmy Hansen gets an absolutely incredible start and it’s Kristofferson and Loeb side-by-side behind him. They’re wheel to wheel as the cars fly towards turn one in immense clouds of dust and Kristofferson grabs the lead as these huge cars fly, bouncing, over the sand.
Your final starters
It’s Timmy Hansen in for Andretti United, Johan Kristoffersson for Rosberg Extreme and Sebastien Loeb for X44; they’ll be handing over to their team mates at the halfway point.
Not very much but I still have to breathe
I feel very happy to be in the final, because that’s been the goal all weekend. It’s a very long way to the first corner, we’ll have to use the Hyperdrive button
That smash in the shoot out really gave the cars a beating
Kyle LeDuc was catching Christina Huertgen in the shootout when he lost visibility and, hoping for the best, continued. He smashed into the back of the ABT Cupra car; both of these cars have already been rebuilt this weekend. Bad end for the teams, to finish with an ‘unclassified.’
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