Three was a magic number for Andretti United drivers Timmy Hansen and Catie Munnings after standing on the podium in the season finale and finishing third in the Driver’s Championship.
The duo’s third-place finish in the Jurassic X Prix in Dorset, UK marked the third time this season they stood on the podium - a season that included a Round 3 win in the Arctic X Prix in Greenland. Their other podium finish came in the season opener in Saudi Arabia.
After disastrous qualification sessions in Dorset, the drivers needed to advance to the Main through the “Crazy Race” last chance qualifier. Hansen earned the hole shot and kept Kyle LeDuc behind him before making the driver swap. Munnings held the pace, narrowly edged the Chip Ganassi team and advanced.
In the Main, Munnings face a major challenge with the final grid pick. The only remaining slot was in heavy mud, but she managed to place the car third by the end of the first lap. This time it was up to Hansen to hold the position.
“We’re on the podium again which is always an amazing feeling – especially after we had such rough time in qualifying,” Munnings said in a team release. “We didn’t have an easy grid start for the final, it was practically a swimming pool of mud and I felt like I was sinking.
“I lost out in the fight for second after I was forced to use the brakes to avoid Mikaela (Ahlin-Kottulinsky) but to finish with another trophy, and our third podium of the year is a great way to round out the season. It’s even sweeter knowing it’s my home race too. It’s been an amazing adventure with Extreme E – I’ve loved working from Timmy and learned so much from him. Well done to our team and the entire Extreme E organization for creating such an awesome series. I can’t wait for season two.”
The number three was even more significant for Hansen, who just 10 days earlier ended the 2021 Nitro Rallycross season third in driver points.
“This was one of the easier courses of the season,” Hansen said. “Of course, the mud made conditions difficult, but it was more about ultimate pace which I really enjoyed.
“The standard of this championship is so high – all the guys and girls are on the limit all the time. Everyone is fast but it’s just about finding the small details which can make a difference. We’ve learned so much this year and I’ve loved working with Catie. It’s an honor to work with Andretti United too – they are a hugely experienced team with knowledge across lots of different disciplines.”
While the drivers finished third in that championship, Andretti United was edged by JBXE by a mere two points and finished fourth in the team standings.