McLaren revs up for inaugural Extreme E

McLaren is set to make its debut in Extreme E, the e-racing series that starts in Neom, Saudi Arabia in the Desert leg of a race calendar that will take place on four more off-road race tracks – Island, Ocean, Copper, and Energy – that are designed to push each team’s 1780kg Odyssey 21 vehicle to its limits, and also to highlight the impacts of climate change on the terrain which they race.

Fans watch the races remotely to lessen the environmental impact on each race venue, and the entire racing entourage is taken from race-to-race onboard St Helena, a ship used to transport the championship’s freight and infrastructure, including vehicles, to the nearest port to each of its five race locations. The ex-postal ship acts as a floating paddock for the teams, but it also reiterates the aim of minimising Extreme E’s emissions profile, as well as enabling scientific research through an on-board laboratory.