INDIANAPOLIS – Extreme E officials have announced Andretti Autosport as the first American, and sixth overall, team to join the electric SUV off-road racing series.
Led by Michael Andretti, Andretti Autosport holds nearly two decades of accolades across various disciplines of motorsport, including five Indianapolis 500 victories and four NTT IndyCar Series championships.
The team has also been active as a competitor in the ABB Formula E Championship since the inaugural season, with multiple racing victories and now competing under the BMW i Andretti Motorsport banner.
“I am absolutely delighted to welcome Andretti Autosport, a true powerhouse in racing, as the latest team to join Extreme E,” said Alejandro Agag, founder and CEO of Extreme E. “Andretti Autosport has achieved across multiple disciplines at the highest level of our sport over many years. The team has a real passion for motorsport, both as a driver of change and in promoting sustainable practices and technologies, making its decision to join Extreme E at this early stage, a natural one.”
The Extreme E championship will unfold over five rounds of competition, each featuring two days of head to head, knockout racing highlighting the impact of climate change and human influences while raising awareness, driving sustainability and inspiring action.
The 10-kilometer circuits will be staged in some of the most remarkable, remote and severely damaged locations on the planet: Kangerlussuaq in Greenland, the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil, Al-‘Ula in Saudi Arabia, the Nepalese Himalayas and Lac Rose near Dakar, Senegal, where climate issues to highlight include rising carbon emissions, global heating and melting arctic ice, rising sea levels, droughts and desertification, deforestation, plastic pollution and more.
“We remain dedicated to expanding and diversifying our team effort, in both traditional motorsport and with new, revolutionary racing concepts,” said Andretti Autosport Chairman and CEO Michael Andretti. “I think that Extreme E is an exciting opportunity for the team as we continue to grow globally.
“The current COVID-19 crisis is bringing attention to a changing world, and our traditional mindsets have to adapt with that. We feel that announcing now can help bring hope for the future of motorsport and a new focus to the sustainability message. I believe the entire motorsport industry is going to emerge from this time stronger than ever, and I look forward to seeing our team join Extreme E to do our part in leaving an impactful legacy in each race location.”
Teams are expected to each take delivery of their ODYSSEY 21 E-SUVs in late October of this year, with a group test of the vehicles to take place shortly thereafter.