INDIANAPOLIS – Andretti Autosport has partnered with United Autosports for the inaugural season of Extreme E, an electric, off-road SUV racing series.
The combined Extreme E effort will take on the team name of Andretti United Extreme E and be represented by a badge featuring combined heritage elements.
The Andretti team already has experience in the electric space via Formula E. The two organizations are also partners in Walkinshaw Andretti United, a Supercars Championship team in Australia.
The new outfit will be staffed by experienced team members from both organizations.
Led by Michael Andretti, Andretti Autosport holds nearly two decades of accolades across various disciplines of motorsport, including five Indianapolis 500 victories and four IndyCar Series championships.
“I’m really excited to once again partner with Zak, Richard and the United Autosports family,” said Andretti. “We’ve had the opportunity to work together on various programs over the last few years, and this new adventure in Extreme E may be one of the most exciting opportunities to again come together. Both organizations have strong experience in diverse areas of motorsport and I’m confident our combined effort will be a contender from the start.”
United Autosports is one of the largest motorsport teams in the United Kingdom and competes globally in different sports prototype categories across the world. Based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, the company is co-owned by McLaren CEO Zak Brown and former racing driver Richard Dean. The team has raced in a number of different championships, with a vast range of cars and drivers including Fernando Alonso, Juan Pablo Montoya, Lando Norris and Paul Di Resta.
“We have been looking at getting into electric racing for a while now and this new off-road championship looks fantastic, so I’m pleased we can work with Andretti to make it happen,” said Brown. “They already have the contacts due to their Formula E entry, but we are working closely together to get up to speed as quickly as possible. The creation of the new company gives both teams an equal partnership moving forward in the Extreme E series. We are very much looking forward to starting this new journey for the team.”
The new Andretti United Extreme E team is preparing for receipt of its ODYSSEY 21 E-SUV with sights set on the first round of testing anticipated for December. A driver roster will be announced at a later date.