Extreme E inaugural electric off-road race won by Nico Rosberg’s team

Nico Rosberg’s workforce won the 1st race of the new electrical Intense E off-highway collection in Saudi Arabia on Sunday though Lewis Hamilton’s X44 outfit strike troubles and concluded third in a cloud of dust.

Retired 2016 Method Just one winner Rosberg was in Al Ula to rejoice the Desert X Prix victory with Sweden’s triple rallycross winner Johan Kristoffersson and Australian rally driver Molly Taylor.

Andretti United, operate by Michael Andretti and McLaren F1 boss Zak Brown, were being next in the 3-car last with Sweden’s Timmy Hansen and Britain’s Catie Munnings 23.73 seconds off the tempo.

Hamilton’s workforce of France’s nine periods world rally winner Sebastien Loeb and Spaniard Cristina Gutierrez had been speediest in Saturday’s qualifying but endured steering troubles.

The 7 periods F1 world winner, who did not show up at, despatched a great luck message on Instagram ahead of the race expressing his pride in what they had carried out so much.

Jenson Button, the 2009 Method Just one winner, concluded sixth after his JBXE workforce failed to make the last though triple Dakar winner Carlos Sainz was fourth.

Time trials had started off on Saturday, all-around a sandy and rock-strewn keep track of that also highlighted a plunging fall amid the dunes.

Kristoffersson made the finest begin in the last, leaving the some others trailing in the dust, ahead of Taylor put in a stable operate after the handover to seal the win.

The pair had been speediest also in the semi-last when the identical Odyssey 21 cars went wheel to wheel for the 1st time.

Sunday noticed the 1st multi-car collision, with Chip Ganassi’s Kyle Leduc and ABT Cupra driver Claudia Huertgen coming collectively.

Intense E aims to spotlight climate modify and promote sustainability by racing in distant areas of the world affected by international warming or suffering environmental injury.

There are 5 rounds ranging from places in the Arctic to the Amazon and each and every workforce have to area a male and female driver.

The upcoming race is in Senegal in May well.