Formula E founder Alejandro Agag and McLaren sporting director, Gil de Ferran have their sights on getting Formula 1 World Champions Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton to participate in a new series, Extreme E, which is set to start in 2021.
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The series will consist of electric SUV’s racing in extreme locations such as islands in the Indian Ocean, the Arctic, the Himalayas, the Sahara Desert and Amazon rainforest.
De Ferran and Alonso worked together at the Indianapolis 500 in 2017, which Alonso had to retire from, and hopes to convince his friend of potentially taking part when the series starts.
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“Fernando would certainly add a lot. He’s very famous, he’s fun, he’s a great driver and it would be great to have someone of his notoriety and character in our event,” De Ferran said at the launch of Extreme E to Daily Mail.
“I was texting him [Alonso] about it this morning.”
“This appeals to those that love challenges, have a sense of adventure and an environmental conscience.”
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Fernando Alonso
“It would be great to have Lewis Hamilton participate, race and be part of this adventure too. Drivers like that would add a lot.”
“Extreme E offers a unique sport, adventure and entertainment concept that has never been seen or done before. Viewers can expect a completely new way of consuming sport, with each episode telling not just the story of a race, but the need to protect these remote environments.”
Currently, Formula One is on hiatus as the 2019 season is yet to begin. However, the Formula E season is in full swing and three races are done already. Envision Virgin’s Sam Bird currently leads the championship standings but is one point ahead of Mahindra’s Jerome D’Ambrosio.
The teams to look out for are Virgin Racing, DS Techeetah and BMW Andretti. However, the likes of Mahindra, could be a dark horse due to their consistency.
Coming back to Extreme E, tempting Hamilton could be a stretch as he seems to be firmly locked into his Formula One duties. However, a case can be made for Fernando Alonso who could be willing to try something new.
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Lewis Hamilton
