Jamie Chadwick says racing in the inaugural Extreme E Championship in 2021 is different to anything she has done before in her career, but she hopes she can be in the mix for strong results straight from the get-go.
The first-ever W Series champion and current Development driver for Williams Racing in Formula 1 will line up for Veloce Racing in Extreme E alongside veteran Frenchman Stéphane Sarrazin, with Chadwick eager to hit the ground running in the Desert X Prix in Saudi Arabia this weekend.
Chadwick is hoping for a strong result in the Al Ula region of Saudi Arabia, although she believes it will be whoever adapts and learns the quickest this weekend will come out on top.
“I’m just so excited to start racing in Al Ula,” said Chadwick. “This is massively different to anything I’ve done before, but I’ve trained harder than ever and spent a lot of time trying to understand the unique challenges this series will throw at us.
“It gives me a lot of confidence that I’ll be alongside someone as experienced as Stéphane going into an innovative championship like Extreme E with such unprecedented rules and sporting formats.
“I’m hopeful of a strong result straight out-of-the-blocks, but I certainly don’t underestimate the level of competition in the field. I think ultimately, it’s going to come down to who can adapt the quickest and learn how the series works from the word ‘go’ – none of us quite know how things are going to play out!”
“I think the team are all in really good shape ahead of the first event” – Sarrazin
Sarrazin feels Veloce Racing are heading into the first round in good shape, with the team having done as much preparation as they could have done within the boundaries of the current climate the world current faces.
The Frenchman feels the championship is going to be an ‘extraordinary spectacle’ involving many big names in motorsport, with Sarrazin ready for the challenge of racing rallycross in the world’s largest continuous sand desert.
“What a journey it has been to get to this stage!” said Sarrazin. “I think the team are all in really good shape ahead of the first event. We have all done our best to prepare and given the current circumstances around the world, it’s been an amazing effort to get everything organised for this race.
“Jamie and I are both ready for the challenge and excited to go racing! There are so many big motorsport names involved that it’s going to be an extraordinary spectacle – particularly against such a breathtaking backdrop.
“It’s also going to be a really great experience to involve ourselves in the Extreme E Legacy Programmes and leave a lasting positive impact at each of the race locations. That is something that will be really special.”
