Åhlin-Kottulinsky teams up with Button in Extreme E season one
Extreme E, the all-electric off-road racing championship has confirmed its latest driver announcement with Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky joining 2009 Formula One World Champion Jenson Button as a driver for the JBXE team.
Åhlin-Kottulinsky joins a stellar line-up of drivers from a wide range of motorsport disciplines including the likes of Jamie Chadwick, Timmy Hansen, Sébastien Loeb, Carlos Sainz Snr. and Molly Taylor. All are set to compete on the deserts of AlUla in Saudi Arabia from 3 – 4 April, in what will be the first competitive event for the new sport.
“I am delighted to be joining the JBXE team alongside Jenson Button, it feels like a dream come true,” said Åhlin-Kottulinsky.“Not only do I get to race with such a fantastic team mate, but we both really believe in the platform of the series.
“Extreme E is more than just another motorsport, it is a sport for purpose which we can use to showcase electric vehicles and motivate people to rethink their views on the consequences of climate change. If we can make this racing series exciting, innovative and interesting to follow, the willingness to make big and small changes will grow – for the benefit of our world and everyone on the planet.”
Extreme E will feature all-electric SUVs with male and female driver pairings taking on some of the world’s most extreme locations and terrain and highlighting environmental and green issues impacting regions of the planet most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Starting off at the Desert X Prix, in Al-'Ula, Saudi Arabia Extreme E is scheduled to follow up with the Ocean X Prix in Senegal (May 29th-30th), the Arctic X Prix in Greenland (August 28th-29th), the Amazon X Prix in Brazil (October 23rd-24th), and the Glacier X Prix in Argentina (December 11th-12th).
As well as fast and furious racing competition, the groundbreaking series intends to highlight the varying environmental issues affecting the planet and the biggest emergency of our time - climate change. In addition to raising awareness, the series will also support Legacy Programmes in each of its five race locations leaving a long-lasting positive impact.
Åhlin-Kottulinsky is no stranger to Extreme E, as test driver for the championship’s Founding Partner, Continental. In that position she has played a pivotal role in developing the CrossContact Extreme E tyre, which is fitted to all the electric SUVs named ODYSSEY 21.
In recent years, the Swedish driver has successfully competed in the Scirocco R-Cup Germany and in the rallycross discipline. In 2015, she took part in the newly established Audi Sport TT Cup. She also started in the junior classification of the ADAC GT Masters in 2016 and in the Audi Sport Racing Academy in 2017, before switching to the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship in 2018, where she made history as the first, and only woman ever to win races in that series.
Jenson Button, Founder and driver, JBXE said: “I am delighted to be welcoming Mikaela to JBXE and to have her as my teammate. She brings with her some fantastic experience behind the wheel and her work with Continental and Extreme E to this point clearly demonstrate what an asset she will be to the team.
“In Mikaela I also have no doubt we have an incredibly valuable ambassador to represent JBXE, and Extreme E as a whole, in the fight to raise awareness of climate change and to help implement the Extreme E Legacy Programme projects along the way.”
Follow all the latest Extreme E news HERE