Lewis Hamilton’s X44 team has retained the services of Sebastien Loeb and Cristina Gutierrez for the 2022 Extreme E season.
Having raced together in the first year, Loeb and Gutierrez will return for second Extreme E season for Hamilton’s X44 outfit. The pair missed on a championship win last year despite tying on points with Rosberg X Racing’s duo of Johann Kristofferson and Molly Taylor.
Loeb and Gutierrez will drive X44’s ODYSSEY-21 in 2022 with the season to kick-start on February 19-20 in Saudi Arabia, followed by races in Italy, Scotland/Senegal, Chile and Uruguay.
“I’m very happy to be driving for X44 again in Season 2 of Extreme E,” said Loeb. “Last year was very challenging for us, we had a lot of struggles with the car and some bad luck too, but we came top of qualifying at every race and finished the year with a win and level on Championship points – so we are feeling optimistic.
“I think the other teams are very strong, but Cristina and I have shown that we know how to win races in some of the toughest terrains in the world, so we will give our all to secure more podiums. Our fans have been very supportive ever since our first race, so I hope we can repay them with a Championship win in 2022.”
At the same time, Cristina Gutiérrez, X44, said: “I’m so excited to be returning to race for X44. We came very close to winning the Championship last year and now we’re even more motivated and excited to drive well and push to take first place in 2022. Since I first joined the team, I have learned so much and feel stronger and faster with every race, so I’m excited to get back in the car and show what I can do.
“I’m also looking forward to exploring the planet and learning more about the places we are racing. By highlighting the climate change challenges faced by the remote environments where we race, I hope to further educate myself on what we can do to help.”
