Rosberg joins Hamilton in team owner battle
Nico Rosberg has followed in the footsteps of fellow Mercedes-mounted Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton by creating his own Extreme E squad.
Rosberg Xtreme Racing is the ninth entry set to contest the all-electric off-road SUV racing championship, which launches in spring next year, and will act as a development of Team Rosberg. Established by Rosberg’s 1982 F1 championship-winning father Keke, Team Rosberg runs Audi RS5 drivers Rene Rast and Jamie Green in the DTM. But it faces an uncertain future with the manufacturer poised to exit the series at the end of the current campaign.
Since departing F1 as the reigning champion, Rosberg has been active in the field of sustainability and is an investor and stakeholder in Formula E, co-founded by XE chief executive Alejandro Agag.
Rosberg said: “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.”
The announcement of RXR indirectly renews Rosberg’s rivalry with former team-mate Lewis Hamilton, whose X44 XE squad will focus on creating opportunities for mechanics and engineers from minority ethnic backgrounds. It also means that the three most recent Silver Arrows drivers all have an association with XE, as Valtteri Bottas tested the 550bhp ODYSSEY 21 machine in France earlier this month.
Agag added: “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.”