Nico Rosberg to join Extreme E with Rosberg Xtreme Racing

The new electric off-road racing series, Extreme E, has announced that Nico Rosberg is to join the 2021 championship with the formation of his own team, Rosberg Xtreme Racing (RXR).

Led by Rosberg, the 2016 F1 world champion, the team is an evolution of Team Rosberg, founded in 1994 by Rosberg’s father, Keke Rosberg, and builds on the team’s success in the German Touring Car Masters (DTM), as well as Nico Rosberg’s post-F1 career as an entrepreneur in the field of sustainable mobility.

RXR and Extreme E share a commitment to educate and inspire the series’ audience to take action in the fight against climate change both internationally and locally across the five-race calendar which spans four continents.

One of the first projects that RXR will support in its opening season is an initiative by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which works with rural communities in Senegal to monitor available water resources and the status of vegetation.

Commenting on the team’s unveiling, Rosberg said: “We are thrilled to unveil Rosberg Xtreme Racing as the latest addition to Extreme E. The series represents an amazing opportunity to not only drive awareness but also inspire action in the fight against climate change, the single biggest threat to our planet today. Since retiring from F1 I have dedicated my career to sustainable technologies so to be able to combine these endeavours with my passion for racing is incredibly fulfilling.”

Alejandro Agag, Extreme E founder and chief executive officer, commented: “We are ecstatic to finally announce that Rosberg Xtreme Racing will be joining our line-up for the first season of Extreme E. We have been talking about this project for many months and we are thrilled he has chosen Extreme E for his formal return to motorsport as founder and CEO of his own racing team. There is clearly a great synergy between Nico’s endeavours in the sustainability field and the aims of Extreme E so his team is a hugely welcomed addition to the series.”

RXR is the ninth team to sign up to Extreme E, which goes racing in early 2021 in five remote locations; arctic, desert, rainforest, glacier, and coastal, which are already damaged or severely under threat of climate change.

Teams will race an electric SUV named Odyysey 21, which can go from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds, at gradients of up to 130 percent. It is manufactured by Spark Racing Technology, with a battery produced by Williams Advanced Engineering and purpose built tyres designed by Continental Tyres.

Further partners will be announced in the coming months.