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

Extreme E: Claudia Hurtgen crashes during Desert X Prix qualifying

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.

Read more:

• Watch Extreme E with our live stream
• Jenson Button: What it’s like to drive an Extreme E car
• Catie Munnings: ‘Motorsport can be selfish’
• Qualifying report as Hamilton X44 take top spot

Championship standings after Desert X Prix

1. Taylor/Kristoffersson (Rosberg XR) 35 points
2. Loeb/Gutierrez (X44) 30
3. Munnings/Hansen (Andretti) 28
4. Sainz/Sanz (Sainz) 26
5. Giampaoli Zonca/Bennett ( Hispano Suiza) 20
6. Ahlin-Kottulinsky/Button (JBXE) 17
7. Hurtgen/Ekstrom (ABT Cupra) 13
8. Leduc/Price (Ganassi) 12
9. Chadwick/Sarrazin (Veloce) 8

Desert X Prix

• Rosberg XR clinch victory in Desert X Prix
• Teams Rosberg and Hamilton knock out Sainz to reach final
• Britain’s Catie Munnings also reaches final after ‘crazy race'

[4 April 2021 06:58 · Hazel Southwell]

It’s nearly time for the first-ever Extreme E race

After time-trial qualifying yesterday, today the electric SUVs go up against each other. Three groups will race: the top three teams from qualifying for two places in the semi-final, the middle three for the remaining place and the last three in a shootout for the back of the ranking.

[4 April 2021 05:14 · Lawrence Ostlere]

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