Lewis Hamilton is officially joining the club of successful Formula 1 racers turned team owners. However, unlike Bruce McLaren, Alain Prost, Jackie Stewart and other famous names that came before him; Hamilton’s chosen to put his millions not in F1, but in the newly-founded Extreme E.
The electric off-road racing series announced Tuesday morning the debut of the X44 racing team, founded and financed by none other than the six-time F1 world champion. According to the official announcement, the team is expected to make its debut in early 2021 along with other squads owned by the likes of United States’ Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Autosport, as well as others from Europe and Asia with previous Formula E experience, such as Abt and Techeetah.
Hamilton will not be involved in the day-to-day operations of X44 due to his commitments to F1 and various sponsors, but claims to look forward to playing a different role, as well as further develop his vision for sustainable forms of racing.
“Extreme E really appealed to me because of its environmental focus,” Hamilton said in a press release. “Every single one of us has the power to make a difference. Not only will we visit remote locations facing the front line of the climate crisis, we will also work closely with these locations and leading climate experts to share our knowledge and leave behind a positive legacy in each location which goes far beyond the race track.”