Team X44
X44, who competed as Team X44 (2021–22) and as X44 Vida Carbon Racing (2022–23, for sponsorship reasons), was a British Extreme E racing team. The team was founded by seven-time Formula One World Champion, Lewis Hamilton, and took part in the series that highlighted the impacts of climate change.[1]
| Founded | 8 September 2020 |
|---|---|
| No. | 44 |
| Nation | United Kingdom |
| Founder(s) | Lewis Hamilton |
| Folded | 7 February 2024 |
| Former names | Team X44 (2021–22) X44 Vida Carbon Racing (2022–23) |
| Former series | Extreme E |
| Noted drivers | Cristina Gutiérrez Sébastien Loeb Fraser McConnell |
| Races | 20 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Podiums | 10 |
| Best qualifiers | 8 |
| Super sectors | 5 |
| Points | 362 |
| Teams' Championships | 1 (2022) |
| Drivers' Championships | 1 (2022) |
| First entry | 2021 Desert X-Prix |
| Last entry | 2023 Copper X-Prix 2 |
| First win | 2021 Jurassic X-Prix |
| Last win | 2023 Island X-Prix 2 |
History
In September 2020, Lewis Hamilton announced that he had founded his own team for the newly established racing series. The name "X44" was chosen due to Hamilton using the number on his Formula One car since 2014, when the drivers were able to choose their own numbers.[2] In December 2020, X44 announced that Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez were signed as drivers for the team in the competitions first season.[3] During the team's first season, they were the fastest qualifiers for each race and won one race. X44 finished the season in second place, behind champions Rosberg X Racing (RXR) (run by Hamilton's former teammate Nico Rosberg).[4]
Loeb and Gutiérrez returned for the 2022 season. In September 2022, X44 signed a title sponsorship deal with carbon credit investment firm Vida Carbon, and raced as X44 Vida Carbon Racing.[5] The second season saw X44 finish on the podium four times in five races, including the team's only win of the season at the Copper X-Prix in Chile. Going into the final race of the season, RXR were ahead on points of X44. After the team managed to secure a podium finish, and with RXR coming last for the weekend, it saw the team finishing the season as champions, 5 points ahead of RXR.[6] Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez also finished the season as champions in the drivers championship.
For the 2023 season, X44 entered a partnership with British single-seater team Rodin Carlin and signed Jamaican driver Fraser McConnell to replace Loeb, alongside the returning Gutiérrez.[7] In the expanded format which saw teams racing 10 times during the season, X44 struggled to see the same form they'd had during the first two seasons. The team won two races, and finished on the podium a total of 4 times as X44 finished the season in 4th place overall.
Prior to the 2024 season, X44 announced that the team will depart from Extreme E.[8]
Team results
Racing overview
| Year | Name | Car | Tyres | No. | G. | Drivers | Rounds | Pts. | Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Team X44 | Spark Odyssey 21 | C | 44. | F | Cristina Gutiérrez | (1–5) | 155 | 2nd |
| M | Sébastien Loeb | (1–5) | |||||||
| 2022 | Team X44 / X44 Vida Carbon Racing | Spark Odyssey 21 | C | 44. | F | Cristina Gutiérrez | (1–5) | 86 | 1st |
| M | Sébastien Loeb | (1–5) | |||||||
| 2023 | X44 Vida Carbon Racing | Spark Odyssey 21 | C | 44. | F | Cristina Gutiérrez | (1–10) | 121 | 4th |
| M | Fraser McConnell | (1–10) |
Racing summary
(The qualifying heats were introduced from the 2023 season)
| Year | Series | Races | Wins | Pod. | B/Qual. | Q/H | S/S | Pts. | Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Extreme E | 5 | 1 | 2 | 5 | – | 2 | 155 | 2nd |
| 2022 | Extreme E | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | – | 1 | 86 | 1st |
| 2023 | Extreme E | 10 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 121 | 4th |
| Total | 20 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 362 | – | |
Complete Extreme E results
(Races in bold indicate best qualifiers; races in italics indicate fastest super sector; H indicates qualifying heat winner (from season 3))
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Pts. | Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Team X44 | DES 3 | OCE 4 | ARC 4 | ISL 5 | JUR 1 | 155 | 2nd | |||||
| 2022 | Team X44 / X44 Vida Carbon Racing | DES 3 | ISL1 6 | ISL2 2 | COP 1 | ENE 3 | 86 | 1st | |||||
| 2023 | X44 Vida Carbon Racing | DES1 4 H | DES2 6 | HYD1 1 H | HYD2 9 | ISL1 8 | ISL2 8 | ISL1 9 | ISL2 1 H | COP1 3 H | COP2 3 H | 121 | 4th |
References
- "Extreme E unveils Scientific Committee and first Legacy Programme initiative". extreme-e.com.
- "Lewis Hamilton founds Extreme E team". extreme-e.com.
- "HAMILTON'S X44 EXTREME E TEAM SIGNS WRC LEGEND LOEB". the-race.com. 11 December 2020.
- "Rosberg X Racing team win first Extreme E title". electrive.com.
- "Lewis Hamilton's Vida Carbon Racing partnership". Vida Carbon. 7 September 2022.
- Whitfield, Steve (28 November 2022). "Energy X-Prix: Hamilton's X44 team snatches Extreme E title as Abt wins finale". www.autosport.com.
- "Hamilton's X44 revamps Extreme E structure partnering with Carlin". FormulaRapida.net. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- Newbold, James (8 February 2024). "Hamilton's X44 team departs Extreme E". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 8 February 2024.