Lewis Hamilton today announced that he will be starting his own race team. Unlike Bruce McLaren or Alain Prost, the six-time F1 world champion will not form an F1 outfit. The Brit will be joining the all-electric Extreme E series as team owner of Lewis Hamilton X44.

Follow Double Apex on Instagram and Facebook where we share more car content.

Order from our online store and take advantage of free delivery in South Africa on orders over R349.

X44

Hamilton’s team is called X44 in reference to his own race number. Lewis Hamilton X44 will compete in the inaugural Extreme E championship scheduled to start in early January 2021. His involvement will be very much that of a hands-off team owner, as he keeps his focus on F1 and Mercedes-AMG. Lewis Hamilton X44 will join already announced teams: Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti United (USA), Abt and HWA (Germany), Techeetah (Indonesia), QEV Technologies (Spain), and Veloce Racing (UK).

Hamilton said: “Extreme E is an exciting new sustainability initiative, and this is a great opportunity to be involved from the outset as a team founder. Of course, my ambitions and commitments with Mercedes in Formula One mean that I won’t be operationally involved in X44, but I’m excited to play a different role in this new series, one that brings my vision for a more sustainable and equal world to life.

“Extreme E really appealed to me because of its environmental focus. 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. 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.”

Check out a powerful battery powered Mustang drag racer here.

All-electric off-roading

For those who don’t already know, Extreme E is a new electric race series. It was conceived by the same man, Alejandro Agag, responsible for the formation of the circuit-based Formula E championship (which is aiming to host a round in Cape Town soon). This new series will use identical battery powered all-wheel-drive buggies that will race in some of the world’s most extreme climates. The E-SUV named Odyssey 21 is manufactured by Spark Racing Technology. It can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4,5 seconds.

You can see the Extreme E racer in action by clicking here.

Five rounds have been confirmed for the inaugural season, each offering a completely different terrain. The races will take place in Dakar, Senegal (ocean) where the original Dakar Rally used to finish, Saudi Arabia (desert), Nepal (glacier), Greenland (Arctic), and Brazil (Amazon Rainforest). To minimise environmental impact races will not be open to spectators, with fans instead following the action through live TV broadcasts and on social media.

In his own words

Alejandro Agag, commented: “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.” X44 will provide opportunities to the next generation of drivers, engineers and technicians and will be dedicated to developing world class talent, providing an inclusive culture and promoting diversity.”