Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has launched a new race team called X44 that will join the Extreme E field when the all-electric off-road championship begins in early 2021. The on-event race team will be made up of seven personnel including a professional female and male driver. It's called X44. Loeb is one of the greatest rally drivers of all time, with a record nine World Rally Championships and 79 race wins to his name. X44 usurps Rosberg Xtreme Racing after pit lane penalty Leave a reply Despite having recorded slower times in both qualifying sessions, it will be X44 rather than Rosberg Xtreme Racing who will end day one of Extreme E on top after the German team accrued a penalty after they were found to have been speeding in the switch zone. The move marks Hamilton's first role in team ownership, with the squad's X44 name referencing the #44 race number that the Mercedes grand prix driver has carried in F1 since 2014. Extreme E Videos. Lewis Hamilton's X44 Team, with the driver line-up of Cristina Gutiérrez and Sébastien Loeb, is the First Car to Start an Extreme E Qualifier The Lewis Hamilton-owned X44 team will field Sebastien Loeb and Cristina Gutierrez for the inaugural Extreme E season. He won't be the one racing, though. Hamilton's X44 - named after the now iconic number on his Mercedes F1 car, which originated on his go-kart as a boy - is the eighth team of the 10 expected to compete. But Taylor entered the driver changeover zone at 44km/h, receiving a 60s penalty to deny the team its chance of holding on to the lead, having delivered a strong run. He has also achieved three Race of Champions wins. X44 will provide opportunities to the next generation of drivers, engineers and technicians and will be dedicated to developing world class talent, providing an inclusive culture and promoting diversity. The team founded by six-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton is the last to join the electric SUV off-road racing series completing the grid of the 2021 inaugural campaign. The Rosberg X Racing duo of Molly Taylor and Johan Kristoffersson ran 4.7s clear in the afternoon qualifying session to surpass X44 drivers Cristine Gutierrez and Sebastien Loeb. “Extreme E is an exciting new sustainability initiative, and this is a great opportunity to be involved from the outset as a team … Load Error Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton announces he will start an Extreme E off-road racing team. The move marks Hamilton's first role in team ownership, with the squad's X44 name referencing the #44 race number that the Mercedes grand prix driver has carried in F1 since 2014. Diverse icons and rising stars from across motorsport were behind the wheel or on the pitwall, but it was a classic Formula One rivalry which took centre stage as Lewis Hamilton’s X44 team… Six-times Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has launched his own motorsport team, X44, which will make its debut in the inaugural season of Extreme E..