Six-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton has confirmed he is launching his own team in the new all-electric Extreme E championship.
The off-road series takes racing to the most remote areas of the world to demonstrate the ever-changing damage caused by the climate change crisis.
Hamilton’s team will be branded as X44, inspired by the number he races with in his F1 career, and is a big environmental statement by the current F1 world champion.
Although he will not be behind the wheel himself, or involved in the day-to-day runnings of the team, having Hamilton’s name involved in the sport will promote it to a wider audience and bring a huge deal of attention to the championship.
“Extreme E really appealed to me because of its environmental focus,” Hamilton said in a statement about his new racing venture.
“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.
“Not 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.
“As 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.”
Due to launch next year, Extreme E has already gained support from big manufacturers and motorsport teams such as current Formula E constructors’ champions Techeetah and Chip Ganassi Racing in their first electric adventure.
Alejandro Agag, the CEO and founder of Extreme E, said in a statement:
“We 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.
“Lewis is one of the most successful drivers of all time, and we’re 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!”