#Team X44

[wejustvibing]

w.

[thepotentialof2007]

X44 Takes Their Second Season 3 Win at the Sardinia Island X Prix

Fraser McConnell secured the perfect start for X44 as he charged around the outside in the opening corner. Another impressive overtake followed, as Loeb managed to pass RXR’s Johan Kristoffersson to take second. As the next drivers took over, a confident drive from Cristina Gutiérrez ensured the win for X44 ahead of RXR’s Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky in second and ABT CUPRA XE’s Andersson in third.

[crosscountryrally]

Las claves del épico título de X44, Cristina Gutiérrez y Sebastien Loeb en la definición de la Extreme E en Uruguay según sus protagonistas

Apenas unos minutos después de las grandes emociones de haber logrado el título de la Extreme E en Punta del Este, Uruguay en un fin de semana donde parecía que todo estaba perdido, los pilotos de X44 Cristina Gutiérrez y Sebastien Loeb atendieron a la prensa en la conferencia posterior al Energy X-Prix. Ambos pilotos describieron lo que fue un torbellino de emociones y como enfrentaron el fin de semana para lograr el gran objetivo.

Según Sebastien Loeb, hubo varias claves para conseguir un resultado que era impensado luego del impresionante vuelco de Cristina Gutiérrez en la Qualy 1 que los obligó a correr el auto muleto. Lo primero que hicieron con el equipo cuando notaron que por más que ganaran la Qualy 2 no saldrían de la Crazy Race, fue usar esa sesión como una contra el reloj, donde la misión de ambos pilotos era conseguir el mejor tiempo en el Traction Challenge. Las condiciones para lograr el Traction Challenge empeorarían el día de carrera y con el polvo no sería posible mejorar, luego era la mejor opción para sumar esos 5 puntos clave. Loeb a propósito generó un espacio en la pista para tener el mejor registro y luego Cristina también hizo un rápido tramo y lograron mejorar 2 décimas al tiempo del resto de los pilotos y asegurarse esos 5 puntos.

Luego, tenían que ganar la Crazy Race justamente con el equipo de Rosberg como competencia. Para ello, Seb dice que tomaron con Cristina un approach de “olvidarse de la presión” y darse cuenta que “veníamos segundos y no teníamos nada que perder”. Así, Cristina tuvo una excelente largada en la Crazy Race mientras Ahlin-Kottulinsky se complicaba con contacto detrás y se aseguraron el paso a la Final. 

Finalmente, estuvo el trabajo del equipo. Según Cristina, el resultado es merecido por el gran esfuerzo de la escudería X44 en Uruguay, ya que pese a recibir un auto desconocido lograron adaptarlo al setup del equipo para la Crazy Race y la Final, según describió Loeb y el auto fue “perfecto” en el domingo de carreras.

El título tiene un valor especial para Gutiérrez ya que señaló que el nivel de todos los equipos subió mucho esta temporada, especialmente las pilotos femeninas y espera que si sigue en 2023, la competencia sea todavía más dura.

Pero por ahora, X44, Prodrive, Loeb, Gutiérrez y Lewis Hamilton pueden celebrar este importante éxito deportivo.

Imágenes: Prensa Extreme E

[sionisjaune]

congratulations to rosberg x racing for clinching another championship!!!!

[slvrarrws]

It's XE race week and x44 are the only team to have not announced drivers yet. Who do they think they are, JBXE? 🤪

[keepthedelta]

I really enjoyed your brocedes lore drop, do you have any lore about princess cake that you think people should know?

i could hardly talk about princess cake without mentioning the britney of it all. jenson talked multiple times about how into britney spears he was, how attractive he thought she was, he once even said that if he was stranded on a desert island he would take britney and an ugly man with him so she would sleep with him. he then nicknamed nico that because, and i quote "he was so beautiful". one time when nico and jenson went out clubbing with some of the others (mark, lewis, felipe etc.) jenson called out to nico "hit me baby one more time" and nico immediately got upset. since then jenson has gone on to date and marry a woman called brittny, reaching a stage of the psychosexual cycle that most don't ever get to.

jenson used to dock his yacht (park his yacht? idk the technical term) in the harbour overlooked by nico's building. i have no idea whether it was the most convenient harbour for him or not (although i'm pretty sure he didn't live in the same part of monaco as nico) and there's no indication it made any difference to their lives, but it amuses me. like a gatsbyesque kind of cry for attention.

jenson was a huge fan of triathlons, even organising some for charity i think, and nico also got into them. nico did what (according to jenson) many triathlon lovers do and got into finding ways to reduce his time, including getting a really lightweight bike. he and jenson would talk about that sort of thing leading to (what i consider to be) this iconic "hey jb jb jb" moment. they even competed together in several triathlons, including a charity triathlon they did as a team with alex wurz (jenson did the swim, alex the bike and nico the run).

nico originally wanted to do his extreme e team with jenson. he asked jenson, but jenson had already been looking into it and struggling to find sponsors so nico went off and did his team alone. they eventually both ended up entering teams, and nico's team rxr, lewis's team x44 and jenson's team jbxe ended the first season of extreme e as the top three teams (in that order). nico also later stole jenson's female driver mikaela ahlin-kottulinsky for the second season.

jenson's dad's favourite f1 driver was keke rosberg, so when jenson got the chance to meet keke at the 1998 spanish grand prix he was really excited. in his book he wrote about how irritating he found nico (who was 12) because nico was trying to tug keke away and jenson just wanted nico to leave them alone.

this is them both on that day. i like to think that it really is nico pulling at keke's arm in the second photo.

[piastrionpole]

So I was thinking (whilst I should have been sleeping) and many fans still seem shocked at the recent change in Lewis' attitude to Nico, however I don't think it is that new and it has been occurring for a while.

2016: Obviously, Nico wins the championship after Abu Dhabi, despite Lewis trying to use Seb to take the championship himself. This is followed by Nico's shock retirement announcement at the prize-giving press conference. Both Nico and Lewis claim not to be friends and are uncomfortable with mentions of the other. Lewis goes on for years to refuse to call Nico by name.

2018: Nico does his first Sky Sports gig, and Lewis absolutely refuses to be interviewed by him.

2019: Niki Lauda, who convinced Lewis to join Mercedes, passes away which Lewis said hit him harder than expected. Niki had been there for Lewis since he welcomed him onto the grid at a time no one else did (a trait he tries to carry forward with the rookies). Niki, who was the one who tried to fix things between the teammates - locking them in rooms together, making them pay for damages after they crashed, etc. Niki who encouraged them to put it all aside and never got to see them start to repair their friendship. Very few people would have known Niki like Lewis, and, unfortunately, one of them will have been Nico. No escaping there!

2020: Nico starts RosbergXRacing who proceed the spend Extreme E competing against Lewis' Team X44 and swapping championship titles between them. Nico, however, appears to take a more active role in this than Lewis.

2021: Lewis, of his own accord, adds that he is a better teammate now than in 2016 to a press answer before Abu Dhabi. Nico's reaction is caught on camera and is kind of emotional. Lewis then goes on to lose AD and the championship, which should have been his. This is the first time he's lost since 2016 and in a very similar situation. He also loses to the kid who took his first win in Barcelona in 2016, partially due to him and Nico crashing each other out when they were at their worst. All of this happens in front of Nico. Lewis has since opened up about how he struggled mentally after losing this championship, whereas he has always chosen to avoid discussing 2016. This is essentially character growth.

2022: This is the year that Mercedes goes to shit and Lewis contemplates what he's still doing in F1 and at his lowest whether he should quit. He has given everything to this sport but whether it was enough. There is no way that Nico didn't cross his mind during all of this given the many many similarities.

2023: Lewis talks about his first time in Monaco not being for a race, but because a friend invited him to stay. The friend obviously being Nico. He is still being careful not to give too much away or refer to Nico by name, but seems happier bringing him up in conversation and seems to fondly remember their past. Also, Nico says Lewis is still his best friend in his heart during Hungary GP commentating, before trying to brush it off and lighten the atmosphere. He, then, in true Nico style proceeded to spend the rest of the race praising Lewis.

2024: The change in their relationship is now obvious to even the less attentive of fans. It starts off with Nico telling Suddeutsche Zeitung that they have repaired their friendship, see each other occasionally, and that Lewis sends the girls presents every Christmas. Then, Nico gets two one-on-one interviews with Lewis, the latter starting with a "good to see you" and ending with a wink. Lewis brings up Nico unprompted and by name to give happy anecdotes of their shared history - despite claiming his memory is really bad the rest of the time. Nico bets on Lewis for some wins because he knows how good he is and jokes about him when he is receiving his Mercedes hypercar. He also seems a lot more comfortable joking about the whole team orders situation with Mclaren and comparing it to his time in Mercedes with Lewis, even when his colleagues get nervous for bringing it up. Lewis also brings up Nico in Grill the Grid (incorrectly) because he was told that he should know the answer and that the driver hated media. There is so much to read into that and the fact that Nico was the first person to cross his mind from those clues. His reaction after when he realised that he'd slipped up was great, though.

[chussyracing]

f1 news and rumours to keep us in shape during the winter break:

apparently Fred didn't want Charles to risk p2 in the race and his own position in the standings with the brave move he did to grt the team p2 in constructors

points are calculated and with them also entrance fees which for red bull for next year equals a huge amount of 7.4 mil

Merc team found the missing wedding ring in Yas Marina, congrats!

everyone heard the story about how Newey almost went to Ferrari (because they offered huge paycheck, a flat in Monaco and complete autonomy over F1 and hypercar projects to him), but I never knew Aston Martin was the key to tying him to Red Bull. Apparently Marko took him to the side at the time, asked what Ferrari offered and then offered more money (which is not what sealed the deal) AND a full hypercar where he can design his car how he wants - and that's how Aston Martin Valkyrie was born out of his papers

Este and George were sick (again) in Abu Dhabi and some team members across all teams were too, which raised important question that has been floating around f1 spaces for a while - how huge of an impact has this extensive calendar (even more so in 2024) on the mental and physical health of both the drivers and the team crew

Pourchaire potentially going to Ferrari/AR WEC? Or maybe Superformula, because he didn't manage to grab the F1 seat, but hinted at a new contract

cooling equipment from 2024 should be used at races with extremely warm condition as a reaction to Qatar gp this year, more over there is rumoured [very simplified non technical explanation from me coming] solution of making a small hole from the bottom of the front spoiler to make space for more air and fia claims it will all have precise rules so nobody could end up using it to gain unfair advantage

Merc seem to be finally scraping up the concept that didn't work for 2 years now and said they are completely reworking basically every single part of the car

Val rased 150k with his BotASS

Stephanie Carlin who is CEO/team principal of Rodin Carlin and Lewis' extreme e team x44 will be joining mclaren as business operations director

Ben Sulayem expressed how he would love to get Masi back into FIA

Logan has been official announced to complete the 2024 grid which remains unchanged for the first time

Tina Hausmann to Aston Martin F1 academy seat (I can't wait for Ferrari to announce who they decided to sign)

Jessica Hawkins expands her role in Aston Martin to head of racing for f1 academy too

Pato Oward now has enough points to qualify for a super licence

wet weather wheel covers will be tested in in spring 2024

no work on 2026 cars before 2025 is allowed to make sure nobody gets an unfair advantage

CBS is planning a comedy with Guenther Steiner

the Apex movie with Brad Pitt had its release date pushed back to summer 2025 (they face financial issues apparently as well as staff issues after the strike in Hollywood)

Iwasa is headed to Superformula for the next season

Forbes calculated what each driver made in 2023 (idk what their sources are for this tho) and the order is: Oscar + Pierre 8 mil, George 9 mil

Alfa Romeo as a brand is focusing from f1 to WEC now after the contract with Sauber expired (so no Alfa Romeo to Haas as some rumours suggested)

speaking of Sauber, on 10th December they are announcing a new name (based on new title sponsor) in the UK

Honda racing Thanks day (or whatever they call it) happened a few days ago and Yuki looked very cute, also Ferrari had an event in Jeddah last week and Charles could finally do his wishful donuts

Autosport Awards took place and Horner, Verstappen, Piastri and Norris (and who knows who else of the people i don't like) won in some categories i am too tired to list here

Ferrari movie red carpet happened yesterday and some big names including susie and toto wolff were there (fun fact: toto and Christian were asked about charles' rumoured contract extension and they both said he is a great driver and tvereis no reason for ferrari to not lock him down before 2024 contracts expiring carnage happens)

speaking of, Gazzetta reported that charles apparently signed a 5 year contract extension with ferrari and Carlos is expected to extend as well except he is asking for 2 year contract (or at least 1+1) and the team wants to sign him for one year only

some people (cough Horner cough) were concerned about conflict of interest of Susie and Toto Wolff because they hate to see the girlboss winning - there is now official investigation that neither the Wolffs/Mercedes nor the F1 were informed before FIA let the info go into media

Madrid street circuit signed a contract for 10 years starting with 2026 and while Barcelona promoters are trying to keep their place on the calendar i doubt we would have 2 spanish gps with how packed the calendar already is

F1 also announced 6 sprint locations for 2024 and it will be a mess :))))

also remember how Doohan tried to get a place in Alpine wec before mick took it? He is now out of f2 for 2024 and turned down indycar offer too so rip to him

Ferrari drivers are on sim duty this week to give feedback on 676 project

Fred also admitted they scraped 2 more upgrades they had planned out for this season to instead focus those sources (financial and designer) for 2024

Alonso and Verstappen are reportedly planning to do Le Mans together and looking for a third one (worst threesome in the history of universe, no matter who they choose)

Prize money was also calculated and it's 140 mil for rbr, 131 mil for merc and 122 mil for ferrari (etc etc)

everyone is so silent about Andretti (who got approved by fia but didn't get an agreement to join the grid from other f1 teams yet) because apparently Hitech who also tried to get into f1 got turned down despite being much futher in development (concept in wind tunnel, merc pre contract for engine supplying etc) and they will be launching legal action against fia/fom acussing them of bias

And finally Liam Lawson is now a youtuber (as he waits for f1 opportunity because he has the 2025 seat confirmed and ricciardo has a clause in his contract to be 1st priority for rbr if they let go of Checo but also to hire lawson for his place if it happens)

[umlewis]

Following three seasons in Extreme E and a championship title in 2022, X44 has announced the team will be leaving the championship ahead of the 2024 campaign.

Following three seasons in Extreme E and a championship title in 2022, X44 has announced the team will be leaving the championship ahead of the 2024 campaign. In a statement, X44 said: "After three years as part of the Extreme E family, we’re today announcing that X44 will be departing the series. We’ve had an incredible three seasons competing as X44, winning multiple races and even a world championship. Thank you to our drivers Cristina, Fraser and Seb, and all our talented teammates who worked hard to help us achieve everything we did. Even more than the results on track, we’re proud to have been part of a bigger conversation about how to make motorsport more sustainable, of our success in giving people from all kinds of backgrounds an opportunity to thrive in this team, and of the legacy our team owner Lewis will leave behind with the Racing for All programme. Although we won’t be competing ourselves in 2024, we’ll be cheering on the series from the sidelines and keeping an eye on the exciting developments at Extreme H. Thank you for all your support." Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: "We would like to thank Sir Lewis Hamilton and his X44 team for their valued contribution to Extreme E during a successful three seasons in the series. They showcased their credentials on-track with some excellent race wins, not to mention their championship success in Season 2, but have also played a key role in implementing initiatives off-track which focus on gender equality, diversity and inclusion, such as the series’ Racing for All programme. X44 has been a driving force in increasing diversity and representation in the paddock – an ethos Extreme E has shared since day one – and we wish them well for the future."

[blorbocedes]

for the second year in a row, the extreme e championship battle is between Rosberg x Racing (nico rosberg's team) and X44 Racing (lewis hamilton's team)

[wejustvibing]

a great day for 44 🫶🏾

[thepotentialof2007]

so after finishing both heats: yes, the commentary team - especially the dude - is going to annoy me, although not enough that it will stop me from watching. it's the first race of the season and they've made the point that quali started very early in the day for them so quite possibly they'll get better. right now: too many errors and i didn't appreciate, e.g., suggesting that experienced rider and dakar runner laia sanz's initial reaction at making an error would obviously be to "panic".

the racing otoh, i am enjoying very much.

just now watching the start of the first extreme e quali heat and tho the announcers did do a good job of keeping the tension up re the close following top two, i feel like if there are five (5) total cars, announcers should be capable of noticing and mentioning that the ~46-time dakar winner has fallen to the back because of an impact at the start - perhaps clued in by how a big chunk of his bodywork went flying?

[crosscountryrally]

Energy X-Prix: Cristina Gutiérrez y Sebastien Loeb consiguen el título de Extreme E para X44 y Lewis Hamilton, Nasser Al-Attiyah y Klara Andersson ganaron en Uruguay

Una definición al rojo vivo tuvo la Extreme E en Uruguay, luego de que Cristina Gutiérrez y Sebastien Loeb se quedaran con lo justo con el título de campeones 2022 tras conseguir exactamente el tercer lugar que necesitaban más los puntos del Continental Traction Challenge. Fue una carrera difícil para Gutiérrez y Loeb afectada por el polvo y solamente lograron la P3 en los últimos metros cuando se anunció una penalización de 7 segundos sobre el Andretti United. En cuanto a la carrera en sí, ABT Cupra dominó completamente las acciones con Nasser Al-Attiyah y Klara Andersson logrando su primera victoria en la serie de SUV eléctricos.

La carrera arrancó con Sebastien Loeb teniendo una gran partida por fuera y poniéndose primero, pero desafortunadamente se pasó en un par de curvas y fue superado por Nasser Al-Attiyah primero y luego por Tanner Foust de McLaren y Timmy Hansen de Andretti después. Con el polvo no le era posible progresar pese a mostrar que era más rápido, y así se mantuvieron las posiciones hasta el cambio de pilotos. Ese fue el momento trascendental luego de que Andretti United cometiera un exceso de velocidad en la calle de boxes y fuera penalizado. Con McLaren, Andretti y X44 muy apretados en el final de la carrera con Emma Gilmour, Catie Munnings y Cristina Gutiérrez respectivamente, el equipo Andretti United cayó al cuarto puesto y quedó fuera del podio, subiendo a X44 con Loeb y Gutiérrez al puesto que necesitaban para ganar el campeonato. Adelante, Klara Andersson confirmó el gran manejo de Al-Attiyah y terminó ganando con cómoda ventaja. 

Los comisarios de todas maneras investigan un contacto entre Gutiérrez y Molly Taylor de Veloce en la tercera vuelta, que terminó con el auto de Veloce fuera de la pista.

X44 consigue el título luego de un excelente cierre de temporada con victoria y podio en Uruguay que coincidió con dos fines de semanas muy malos para el Rosberg X Racing, que tuvo un cierre de pesadilla en Uruguay después de haberse perdido la Final en Chile. El duelo entre Lewis Hamilton y Nico Rosberg en Extreme E queda igualado y también es el primer título para Prodrive en la categoría de SUV eléctricos, socio técnico de Hamilton en la Extreme E. 

Imágenes: Charly López - Prensa Extreme E

[l8tof1]

Hi Kat! I thought you'd be the go-to person for this or if one of your anon knows but I was just minding my business scrolling through Mission 44's page and came across the trustee's page and there is a man on there who is the chair of Project 44 which they say is Lewis's management company? I'm not sure if I've missed something or if is this a new thing but since when does lewis have this management company?

i’m fascinated by this topic because i always wonder what he’s like as a boss or stakeholder, how he manages his personal team, how one (1) little guy can be involved - and actively involved, not purely to make a profit - in so much, etc. i remember him saying a while ago that he makes use of all the time he spends on flights to answer all his emails and then they all go out to people in a big batch when he lands.

he wears so many hats! 🙇‍♀️

apparently PROJECT FORTY FOUR LTD. was first registered in the uk back in 2014 and idk what it was back then but i think now it’s essentially the company where he employs his personal team to help him manage all of his business and philanthropy efforts - like mission 44 and his extreme e team x44. i imagine also things like the f1 movie, his involvement in neat burger and the broncos, plus 44 merch, any non-f1 appearances, contract negotiations, etc. are all managed through project 44.

in 2021 penni thow joined project 44 as lewis’ (new) manager as well, i believe.

[arsonistmp3]

seb vettel should join extreme e so that i have a team to support after being BETRAYED by x44

[youjustwaitsunshine]

what did mclaren do?

hit the back of the x44 car in the extreme e final, making them retire and giving rxr (rosberg team ew) a free position and now rxr also thanks to that (and general carnage, only one of five cars in the final didn't break) rxr are now champions 🤢