After finishing fourth in the final round of the inaugural five-race Extreme E season, Rosberg X Racing with drivers Johan Kristoffersson and Molly Taylor were crowned champions. The season ended with a tie for the top spot with X44’s Sebastian Loeb and Cristina Gutierrez also earning 155 points, but the tiebreaker went to Rosberg X on the strength of that team’s three wins.
Rosberg Racing won the first two rounds and Round 4, which gave them the lead heading into the finale. X44, owned by Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton and rally standout Sebastien Loeb, did their best to close the gap by winning the final round, the Jurassic X Prix. Rosberg Racing finished fourth in that race to force the tie.
“It’s fantastic; this has been a new racing series, new team, and new locations but we’ve worked so hard to get here, and to be champions really feels amazing,” Kristoffersson said in a series release. “Molly drove excellently today, managing the challenging conditions and I knew that all that remained for me was to not make any mistakes and bring the car home safely. We’re delighted to be champions and look forward to celebrating with the team.”
In most racing series, there can be only one champion. The unique rules of Extreme E pair a male and female driver in each team and provide two champions.
“It feels amazing to be the first-ever championship winners of Extreme E,” said Taylor. “This season has been brutal, racing in some of the most remote parts of the world in truly extreme conditions, but we’ve worked together as a team and we’re delighted with this result.
“The nerves were definitely there today but Johan and I kept our eyes on the final prize, and the whole team effort across many months has brought us to this point today.”
Champions mud fight 😂 This is how Team @rosbergxracing celebrates Extreme E Championships...😎 This reaction at the end!!
— Nico Rosberg (@NicoRosberg) December 19, 2021
Quite a challenge for @molly_rally & me against our 2 Meter Swedish GOAT @JohanKMS88 😁 pic.twitter.com/XqJwXAfsBN
While the top two teams finished first and fourth, the start of the final race of the season saw them leave the starting line wheel-to-wheel. Gutierrez feathered her Odyssey 21 to full power on the loose soil quickest with Taylor falling into second. As the race progressed, Taylor was passed by Mikhaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky (JBXE) and Catie Munnings (Andretti United). Taylor could not afford to fall any lower if Rosberg Racing wanted to win the title.
When the driving duties were handed over to Kristoffersson, the drama evaporated in the Driver Switch Zone as Rosberg X Racing padded the advantage over the Carlos Sainz led team. Securing the fourth position was enough to create the tiebreaker.
“This has been a challenging championship for us, but this weekend was the best so far,” said race winner and second-place championship contender Loeb. “We came first in qualifying in every X Prix, but we kept having bad luck in the finals - so to end on equal points with RXR after the season they’ve had is incredible and shows what we can do.
“I’m confident we will do even better next year, but for now we will be celebrating with the team.”