Rosberg penalty hands Veloce first win
Nico Rosberg’s RXR squad took the chequered flag first during the round-one Grand Final on Saturday – only for a time penalty for speeding in a slow zone to drop the 2016 Formula 1 world champion’s drivers, Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, to third place. That was great news for Veloce’s Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor, who inherited the victory and sent their team into rapture.
The series featured a fresh format in Neom, as the fastest five cars from the two qualifying heats progressed direct to the new Grand Final. Reigning champion team X44 – owned by Lewis Hamilton – proved fastest as new signing Fraser McConnell set the pace. The Jamaican faces a bit of pressure in his first Extreme E season, because he has replaced come chap called Sébastien Loeb… In such circumstances, what a great way to start.
But the race came down to a battle between three Swedish heroes as Kristoffersson, Mattias Ekström (Sainz) and Veloce’s Hansen vied to hold the advantage from the start. Kristoffersson was fifth into Turn One, yet on the run to Turn Two still emerged with the lead, as Hansen also made gains from the unfavourable outside lane at the start.
The five-car field completed two laps of the 2.1-mile course, then headed to the switch zone for the female drivers to take over for two more laps. Now it was RXR’s Åhlin-Kottulinsky versus Veloce’s Taylor. Australian rally driver Taylor won the inaugural Extreme E title with RXR before a surprise split with the team at the end of season one – so it must have been extra sweet when news emerged that her rival had been caught speeding in a slow zone.
The breakthrough win meant everything to Veloce, a team born from the virtual world of Esports. It also marked a perfect start for its new Team Principal, former skier turned racing driver Luc Alphand. “I think all of us in the team have clicked right from the beginning and we’re developing and improving,” said Taylor. “We were able to start at a really good level in Uruguay [at the end of season two] and from there they’ve been really good at bringing the best out of every aspect that we look into. Luc knows what it takes to win. Having faith in someone like that, who’s got the scores on the board, who knows what you’re feeling and knows how to translate that into results, is a real advantage for us.”