Two of the largest powerhouses in motorsport, Andretti Autosport and United Autosports, have created a partnership to join the new all-electric off-road series Extreme E in 2021 under the Andretti United Extreme E banner.
The American outfit confirmed earlier this year their participation in the new series and now they will take on a new look as they have partner up with the British outfit United Autosports for the inaugural season of the series.
Andretti is already involved in the all-electric Formula E series and both teams have already been worked together in previous projects under the Walkinshaw Andretti United name. This co-operation will continue in the new championship, with staff from both outfits working together on the new project.
Andretti Autosport, led by founder Michael Andretti, have gained huge success in various different motorsport disciplines and have claimed multiple championship titles, including five Indianapolis 500 wins and four IndyCar championships and have been involved Formula E since its inaugural season and have taken multiple race wins.
“I’m really excited to once again partner with Zak, Richard and the United Autosports family. We’ve had the opportunity to work together on various programs over the last few years, and this new adventure in Extreme E may be one of the most exciting opportunities to again come together. Both organisations have strong experience in diverse areas of motorsport and I’m confident our combined effort will be a contender from the start.” Andretti, Chairman and CEO, said.
United Autosports have become one of the largest motorsport teams in the United Kingdom and have competed in various different disciplines also – mostly in the prototype category of Endurance racing.
The team is based in Leeds, West Yorkshire and the team are co-owned by the McLaren CEO Zak Brown and former racing driver Richard Dean.
“We have been looking at getting into electric racing for a while now and this new off-road championship looks fantastic, so I’m pleased we can work with Andretti to make it happen. They already have the contacts due to their Formula E entry, but we are working closely together to get up to speed as quickly as possible. The creation of the new company gives both teams an equal partnership moving forward in the Extreme E series. We are very much looking forward to starting this new journey for the team.” Brown, Team Owner and Chairman, said on the news.
“I’m really pleased we can announce our partnership with Andretti Autosport on the Extreme E project. We have worked with the team at Andretti for a while now and it’s great to have a hugely exciting and innovative race series added to the United programme.” Dean, Team Owner and Managing Director, added.
Alejandro Agag, the CEO and Founder of the Extreme E series is really pleased to see the both teams partnering up for the series; “I’m really pleased to see Zak Brown and Richard Dean’s United Autosports team joining Michael Andretti in the Extreme E line-up in this powerhouse collaboration of motorsport talent and experience. “
“Both teams have enjoyed huge success and bring incredible experiences to the table, but Extreme E offers a totally new challenge and will be their first joint electric racing collaboration. I’m sure I am not the only one who can’t wait to see what Andretti United Extreme E can achieve together, bring on 2021!”
The team will receieve their Odyssey 21 E-SUVs later this year, with their first test expected to take place around December. The driver line-up will be announced at a later date.
