{"id":17529,"date":"2020-11-07T17:12:30","date_gmt":"2020-11-07T23:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=17529"},"modified":"2020-11-07T17:12:30","modified_gmt":"2020-11-07T23:12:30","slug":"lewis-hamilton-founds-extreme-e-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=17529","title":{"rendered":"Lewis Hamilton Founds Extreme E team"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Six-Time Formula One World Champion, Lewis Hamilton today announced the creation of his very own race team, X44, which will make its debut in Extreme E, the groundbreaking new electric off-road racing series.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Named with reference to Lewis\u2019s own racing number, X44 will enter Season 1 of the Extreme E Championship, with its first X Prix race scheduled to take place in early 2021.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the team\u2019s founder, he will not be behind the wheel or involved on a day to day basis but he will put the learnings of his motorsport career into practice to help guide the creation of a dedicated and competitive team.<\/strong><\/p>\n

X44 and its Extreme E competitors will race electric vehicles in five remote locations; arctic, desert, rainforest, glacier, and coastal; which are already damaged or severely under threat of climate change from a range of serious issues including melting ice caps, deforestation, desertification and rising sea levels.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lewis Hamilton, Founder of X44 said: \u201cExtreme E is an exciting new sustainability initiative, and this is a great opportunity to be involved from the outset as a team founder. Of course, my ambitions and commitments with Mercedes in Formula One mean that I won\u2019t be operationally involved in X44, but I\u2019m excited to play a different role in this new series, one that brings my vision for a more sustainable and equal world to life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cExtreme E really appealed to me because of its environmental focus. Every single one of us has the power to make a difference, and it means so much to me that I can use my love of racing, together with my love for our planet, to have a positive impact.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNot only will we visit remote locations facing the front line of the climate crisis, we will also work closely with these locations and leading climate experts to share our knowledge and leave behind a positive legacy in each location which goes far beyond the race track.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAs Founder of X44, I am looking forward to building my team around important values such as sustainability and equality. None of us are perfect and we all have improvements to make, but I am excited to use our platform to highlight the most serious issues facing our planet and the solutions we can all be part of.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition to raising awareness for climate issues, the series has established a Legacy Programme which involves working alongside the communities in its locations to leave positive impact dependent on local needs. Overseen by an independent Scientific Committee composed of leading climate experts from Oxford and Cambridge Universities, Extreme E will provide a template for how racing, and the wider sports industry, can have a positive impact on the planet.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To minimise environmental impact, the races will not be open to spectators, with fans instead following the action through live TV broadcast, and on social media. The command centre for the championship series will be on board the RMS St. Helena, a ship which is undergoing a multi-million Euro transformation to minimise emissions and transform her into the operations, logistics, accommodation and garage base for the championship.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The single-design electric vehicle driven by X44, and all other competitors, is at the cutting edge of innovation for electric vehicles, and through them Extreme E hopes to develop tech which will find its way into everyday use, paving the way for a less carbon intensive future.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO at Extreme E commented: \u201cWe are thrilled to welcome Lewis Hamilton and his X44 team to Extreme E. Like us, Lewis is hugely passionate about motorsport, but also shares our belief that we can use sport to highlight subjects which are vital to the world, such as climate change and equality.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLewis is one of the most successful drivers of all time, and we\u2019re all excited to see how his X44 team performs on and off the race track under his incredible guidance. A huge welcome to the Extreme E family Lewis!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

X44 will provide opportunities to the next generation of drivers, engineers and technicians and will be dedicated to developing world class talent, providing an inclusive culture and promoting diversity. The on-event race team will be made up of seven personnel including a professional female and male driver.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The series vehicle, an E-SUV named ODYSSEY 21, is at the cutting edge of innovation for electric vehicles. Manufactured by Spark Racing Technology, it can go from 0-100km\/h in 4.5 seconds, at gradients of up to 130 percent. With a battery produced by Williams Advanced Engineering, it encompasses a niobium-reinforced steel alloy tubular frame, and its purpose built tyres, designed by Continental Tyres, are the most extreme the company has ever produced.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Extreme E is utilising its sporting platform for the purpose of promoting electrification, sustainability, and equality. The series goal is to highlight the impact of climate change in some of the world\u2019s most remote environments, promote the adoption of electric vehicles to pave the way for a lower carbon future, and provide a world-first gender equal motorsport platform.<\/strong><\/p>\n

X44 joins a roster of already announced teams and drivers including Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti United (USA), Abt and HWA (Germany), Techeetah (Indonesia), QEV Technologies (Spain), and fellow British owned outfit Veloce Racing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

WHO IS LEWIS HAMILTON, THIS IS LEWIS HAMILTON:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton MBE<\/a> HonFREng<\/a><\/span> (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver<\/a> currently competing in Formula One<\/a> for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team<\/a>. A six-time Formula One World Champion<\/a>, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport, and considered by some to be the greatest of all time.[note 2]<\/a><\/sup> He won his first World Drivers’ Championship with McLaren<\/a> in 2008<\/a>, before moving to Mercedes<\/a> in 2013, with whom he has won a further five titles. One of the most successful drivers in the history of the sport, Hamilton’s six World Championship titles<\/a> is the second-most of all time (one behind Michael Schumacher<\/a>), while he holds the outright records for the most wins<\/a> (93), pole positions<\/a> (97), podium finishes<\/a> (162), points finishes<\/a> (226), career points<\/a> (3713) and points in a season<\/a> (413).<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n

Born and raised in Stevenage<\/a>, Hertfordshire<\/a>, Hamilton enjoyed a successful ascent up the racing ladder and was signed to the McLaren young driver programme<\/a> in 1998. This later resulted in a Formula One drive with McLaren<\/a> in 2007<\/a>, making Hamilton the first and only black<\/a> driver to race in the sport, as of 2020.[note 4]<\/a><\/sup> That season, Hamilton set numerous records as he finished runner-up to Kimi R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen<\/a> by one point. The following season<\/a>, he won his maiden title in dramatic fashion\u2014making a crucial overtake on the last corner of the last lap in the last race of the season<\/a>\u2014to become the then-youngest Formula One World Champion<\/a> in history. After four more years with McLaren without finishing higher than fourth in the drivers’ standings, Hamilton signed with Mercedes<\/a> in 2013<\/a>, reuniting with his childhood karting teammate, Nico Rosberg<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Changes to regulations<\/a> for 2014<\/a> mandating the use of turbo-hybrid engines<\/a> contributed to the start of a highly successful period for Hamilton, during which he has won five further World Championship titles. Hamilton won consecutive titles in 2014<\/a> and 2015<\/a> during an intense rivalry with teammate Nico Rosberg<\/a> to match his hero Ayrton Senna<\/a>‘s three World Championships. Following Rosberg’s retirement, Ferrari<\/a>‘s Sebastian Vettel<\/a> became Hamilton’s closest rival in two intense championship battles, and Hamilton twice overturned mid-season points deficits to claim consecutive titles for the second time in his career in 2017<\/a> and 2018<\/a>. A third title followed in 2019<\/a> to complete a consecutive hat-trick<\/a> of titles, bringing his tally to six overall.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Listed in the 2020 issue of Time<\/i><\/a> as one of the 100 most influential people globally<\/a>,<\/sup> Hamilton has been credited with furthering Formula One’s global following by appealing to a broader audience outside the sport, in part due to his high-profile lifestyle, environmental and social activism and his exploits in music and fashion. Hamilton has been targeted by racist abuse throughout his career<\/a> and has been outspoken in his criticism of racial politics in Formula One as well as advocating for greater diversity in the sport. His treatment by British newspapers has also been criticised for carrying racial bias, and some have pointed to Hamilton’s race and physical appearance as reasons behind his perceived unpopularity among a portion of motorsport fans.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n