Duo narrowly missed Season 1 title in electric SUV series while driving for team founded by Lewis Hamilton LONDON: Extreme E Season One runners-up X44 have retained their driver lineup for the forthcoming campaign, with Sebastien Loeb and Cristina Gutierrez back behind the wheel for the team founded by seven-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton. Loeb and Gutierrez were narrowly denied championship honors in the inaugural season of Extreme E, when victory at the Jurassic X Prix in December saw them finish level on points with overall winners Rosberg X Racing, but lose out after a countback of victories (three to one). X44 finished as the fastest qualifier at all five X Prix raced in 2021, and they will be determined to maintain that imperious form on course as they bid for title glory in the second season of Extreme E, which begins next month in NEOM, Saudi Arabia, from Feb. 19. Loeb is one of the greatest rally drivers of all time with a record nine World Rally Championships and 80 race wins to his name. His 26-year career in motor sports has seen him achieve podium finishes in races as varied as the Dakar Rally, World Rallycross and 24 Hours of Le Mans. He has also achieved three Race of Champions wins in which he competed against the world’s best racing and rally drivers. The Frenchman has already had a busy start to 2022, finishing second overall in the Dakar Rally before taking his 80th WRC win last weekend with victory in the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo. “I’m very happy to be driving for X44 again in Season Two of Extreme E,” Loeb said. “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.” Gutierrez is a promising talent who is rewriting the rulebook for women racers. In addition to finishing the notoriously difficult Dakar Rally six times, she made history as the first woman to ever win the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, the second to win a stage in the Dakar Rally (2021) and the third to stand on a podium in the Dakar Rally (2022). Gutierrez has all the hallmarks of a great driver, showing grit and a natural talent, and has had a huge passion for the sport since she started racing aged four. “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,” she said. “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 where we are racing,” she added. “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.”