Its first season will be held in five remote locations that have been damaged or affected by climate issues, including the Arctic and the Amazon, raising awareness about climate change.
Hamilton, 35, called the opportunity to have his own team an “exciting new project” and said the series appealed to him because of its “environmental focus”.
“Each of us has the power to make a difference and it means a lot to me that I can use my love of racing, along with my love for their planet. us, to make a positive impact,” he said in a statement. .
“I look forward to the team participating in this new series, and I think it’s incredible that we’ve been able to do so while raising awareness about the climate crisis.”
The six-time world champion team, X44, is named after his F1 race number and will enter season one of the Extreme E Championship. The first X Prix race is scheduled for early 2021.
Extreme E will work with scientific experts from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge to raise awareness of specific issues, such as increased carbon emissions, melting ice, deforestation, desertification, drought, and climate change. drought, plastic pollution and rising sea levels.
Each race will consist of two laps over a distance of about 16 kilometers (10 miles), with two drivers – one male and one female – completing each lap.
The races will not be open to spectators, to minimize the impact on the environment, fans will instead watch the action on TV.
The command center for the championship series will be located aboard the RMS St. Helena, a ship is undergoing a multimillion-euro transformation to reduce emissions and make it the center of the championship’s operations.
X44 is the seventh team to sign up, joining Chip Ganassi Racing, Andretti Autosport, Abt, HWA, Techeetah, QEV Technologies and British co-owner outfit Veloce Racing.
