(Motorsports news) With the fourth season of Extreme E underway, in its short history the championship has trailblazed and broken down barriers across the motorsport industry.
International Women’s Day marks an opportunity to reflect on the series’ pioneering nature, none more evidenced than its championing of the best women drivers on the planet forming its grid and ensuring a level playing field on track. The championship mandates that each team races with both a male and female driver pairing – the first gender-equal motorsport format in the world.
Reflecting on the championship’s commitment to gender equality since the series’ inception in 2021 Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “We were a first in motorsport when we launched our gender-equal sporting format. At Extreme E, we strongly believe that the most effective combination of drivers, team, engineers and car will rise to the top – and that has been proven since the very beginning.
“There is still a long way to go, but International Women’s Day is an opportunity to look back and reflect on the progress which has been made so far. The performance between all of the drivers on the Extreme E grid is incredibly close, and that should be attributed to the greater platform for women drivers created by our pioneering series – and there is still more we can do.
“I am proud that Extreme E remains a leader. As a Championship, we are hugely supportive of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), better known as the Global Goals, with Goal 5 – gender equality – an important focus for the series. The key to success in Extreme E should be solely down to talent and ability, and we as a championship will continue to strive for gender equality.”
As established in the championship’s most recent Sustainability Report, which compared Season 2 median race time data with Season 1, the statistics revealed that the woman-male performance difference had closed by a notable 26 per cent, highlighting that the gender gap can be narrowed by providing equal access to track time and performance development opportunities.
This gap is expected to reduce further upon publication of the Season 3 Sustainability Report next month – more proof of the benefits of providing women drivers equal track time, training and engineering preparation as their male counterparts.
Extreme E has gone one step further with its revised racing format for 2024, ensuring that come the end of the campaign the starting drivers between men and women must be equal across the season – guaranteeing greater frequency of men and women battling it out on track for position.
However, it is not just amongst the series’ driver line-up where the championship has underlined its commitment to equality and equal opportunities.
Extreme E’s Racing for All programme continues to go from strength to strength. Informed by the findings of the Hamilton Commission Report, the initiative aims to support opportunities for a new generation of young mechanical and engineering talent to join the world’s most radical off-road electric racing series, with more than half of the Extreme E grid supporting a candidate for the season ahead.
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, Rosberg X Racing, said: “International Women’s Day is a day where we celebrate women’s progress, and I’m incredibly proud to be part of a championship that supports gender equality and sustainability. Extreme E’s unique male and female driver pairing continues to ensure a level playing field for female drivers, and the narrowing performance gap between genders clearly indicates our progress. I feel like I’ve grown and developed so much as a driver, and the stats for all the female drivers speak for themselves.
“I’m more determined than ever to push the boundaries. We’re racing not just for the thrill but for a better, more inclusive future. I hope to break more barriers and set new benchmarks for equality in motorsports.”
Klara Andersson, SUN Minimeal Team, added: “I think it’s incredible to see what Extreme E have done for female drivers in just a couple of years. To have this platform to showcase our speed against some of the very best drivers in the world is honestly a dream. Especially this year the level is so high and it’s so close between every driver on the grid!”
Catie Munnings, Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E, said: “I’m so proud to be part of a championship that promotes significant change for women in motorsport. From the beginning of the series to now, we’ve witnessed noticeable improvements with the female drivers rapidly matching the pace of their male counterparts. The results speak volumes – just take a glance at the timing sheets or watch a race. Seeing women and men lining up together and achieving results in races illustrates the progress we’ve made towards equality in motorsport over the past few years.
“Additionally, initiatives like the Racing for All programme have provided invaluable opportunities for new talent in motorsport, extending beyond the current roster of drivers and hopefully inspiring the next generation.”
