Electric Off-Road Racing at NEOM

Extreme E staged its Desert X Prix in Saudi Arabia, bringing electric SUV racing to the dramatic landscapes of NEOM, AlUla, Jeddah, and Qiddiya City across all five seasons of the championship’s existence. The series combined high-performance electric racing with environmental advocacy, racing in locations affected by climate change and leaving behind legacy programs designed to create lasting positive impact. Saudi Arabia’s participation in Extreme E aligned with the Kingdom’s broader sustainability objectives under Vision 2030 and its commitment to hosting world-class motorsport events across multiple disciplines. This section covers race results, team performance, vehicle specifications, environmental initiatives, and the commercial framework of Extreme E in Saudi Arabia.

The Desert X Prix — Complete Saudi Race History

Saudi Arabia hosted the Desert X Prix in every season of Extreme E from 2021 through 2025, making the Kingdom the series’ most consistent host location. The complete results document a competitive chapter that produced memorable racing, showcased dramatic desert landscapes, and demonstrated Saudi Arabia’s capability to host electric off-road motorsport at the highest level.

Season 1 — AlUla (April 3, 2021): The first-ever Extreme E race was held at AlUla in the dramatic desert terrain of northwestern Saudi Arabia. Rosberg X Racing (Johan Kristoffersson and Molly Taylor) won despite a remarkable one-minute penalty for speeding in the driver switch zone, overcoming Lewis Hamilton’s X44 team who had led all weekend. The AlUla setting — with its sandstone formations and ancient Nabataean heritage — provided a visually spectacular backdrop for the series’ debut.

Season 2 — NEOM (February 19-20, 2022): Rosberg X Racing (Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky) won at NEOM, with Acciona Sainz XE Team second and Team X44 third. The race featured a dramatic final: Tanner Foust (NEOM McLaren XE) had a shocking roll on Lap 1. Kristoffersson took a bold wide line in the one-lap shootout to secure victory. RXR entered as reigning champions.

Season 3 — NEOM Double-Header (March 11-12, 2023): Round 1: Veloce Racing (Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor) secured their maiden victory. On-track winners RXR were demoted to third after a time penalty. Round 2: Acciona Sainz XE Team (Mattias Ekstrom and Laia Sanz), led by Carlos Sainz Sr., earned their debut Extreme E victory.

Season 4 — Jeddah Double-Header (2024): The first time Extreme E raced in Jeddah, with a new desert location near the city. Round 1 (Saturday): Rosberg X Racing won. Round 2 (Sunday): Acciona Sainz won. The Jeddah venue brought the series closer to urban infrastructure while maintaining the desert racing environment.

Season 5 — Qiddiya City “The Final Lap” (October 4-5, 2025): Team Hansen (Andreas Bakkerud and Catie Munnings) won the last-ever Extreme E race, held at Qiddiya City as the series concluded its five-season run. The venue connected the series’ finale with Saudi Arabia’s future motorsport hub.

Most Successful Team in Saudi Arabia

Rosberg X Racing (RXR) was the most successful team in Saudi Arabia across the series’ five-season run, with three Saudi victories (AlUla 2021, NEOM 2022, Jeddah 2024 Round 1) and five podium finishes from the Saudi rounds. RXR were two-time Extreme E champions and consistently demonstrated the highest performance at Saudi venues. The team, owned by 2016 Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg, combined experienced rally drivers with the strategic capabilities of a well-funded operation.

The ODYSSEY 21 Electric SUV

Extreme E races were contested in the ODYSSEY 21, a purpose-built electric SUV designed by Spark Racing Technology and based on a tubular steel spaceframe chassis. The vehicle’s specifications made it one of the most capable off-road racing machines ever built:

• Power: 550 horsepower from twin electric motors
• Acceleration: 0 to 100 km/h in approximately 4.5 seconds
• Weight: 1,780 kilograms including the 54 kWh battery
• Chassis: Tubular steel spaceframe

The standardized chassis ensured competitive parity between teams, with differentiation coming from driver skill, team strategy, and vehicle setup rather than powertrain development. This spec-chassis approach kept costs manageable while focusing competition on human performance factors.

The racing format featured teams of two drivers — one male, one female — each completing a lap of the off-road course. Teams competed in knockout rounds, with the top-performing teams advancing through quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. The format produced concentrated racing action within a compact event footprint, making it suitable for locations where extended circuit construction was impractical.

Team Ownership Ecosystem

Extreme E attracted team ownership from some of the most prominent names in motorsport and beyond, creating a star-studded ownership roster that elevated the series’ profile:

• X44: Owned by seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton. The team competed in every season, finishing second in the inaugural AlUla race.
• Rosberg X Racing (RXR): Owned by 2016 Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg. Two-time Extreme E champions and the most successful team at Saudi venues.
• JBXE: Owned by 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button.
• Acciona Sainz XE Team: Led by multiple Dakar Rally champion Carlos Sainz Sr., connecting the Extreme E operation with Sainz’s deep experience in Saudi desert racing through the Dakar.
• NEOM McLaren XE Team: Backed by NEOM, the $500 billion megaproject that also served as a race venue, creating a unique alignment between team sponsorship and host venue.
• Andretti Autosport and Chip Ganassi Racing: Bringing American racing pedigree to the series.

This high-profile ownership structure attracted media attention, commercial partnerships, and audience interest that exceeded what the on-track competition alone would have generated.

Gender Equality in Competition

The mandatory male-female driver pairing was Extreme E’s most distinctive competitive element and a significant contribution to gender equality in motorsport. Female drivers competed at the highest level alongside established male rally and racing drivers in an equal-opportunity format that few other motorsport series have attempted.

Notable female competitors in the Saudi rounds included:

• Molly Taylor: Won the first-ever Extreme E race at AlUla (2021) and won at NEOM (2023) with Veloce Racing.
• Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky: Won at NEOM (2022) with RXR.
• Catie Munnings: Won the final-ever Extreme E race at Qiddiya (2025) with Team Hansen.
• Cristina Gutierrez: Competed in Extreme E alongside her Dakar Rally career, where she became the first woman to win the T3 Challenger category in 2024.
• Laia Sanz: Won at NEOM (2023 Round 2) with Acciona Sainz, bringing extensive endurance rally experience.

Sustainability and Vision 2030 Alignment

Saudi Arabia’s participation in Extreme E aligned with the Kingdom’s sustainability commitments under Vision 2030, including the Saudi Green Initiative targeting 50 percent renewable energy generation by 2030 and the planting of 450 million trees. Hosting electric off-road racing at NEOM reinforced the megaproject’s positioning as a hub for clean technology and environmental innovation. NEOM’s stated net-zero carbon objectives connected naturally with Extreme E’s environmental advocacy mission.

The series’ emphasis on racing in locations affected by climate change and leaving behind environmental legacy programs provided a narrative framework connecting Saudi motorsport hosting with broader sustainability objectives. The electric racing format — zero emissions during competition — demonstrated alternative powertrain viability in extreme conditions, contributing to public awareness of electric vehicle capability.

NEOM as a Racing Venue

NEOM’s northwestern Saudi Arabia landscape provided Extreme E with a visually spectacular racing environment. The $500 billion megaproject’s combination of desert terrain, red sandstone formations, mountain landscapes, and coastal proximity created dramatic backdrops for racing and broadcast coverage. The region is located in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Province, offering terrain distinct from the southern and central regions used by the Dakar Rally.

NEOM’s positioning as a technology and sustainability showcase aligned naturally with Extreme E’s brand values. The Desert X Prix at NEOM demonstrated the region’s potential as an extreme sports and adventure tourism destination, proving that the remote area could host major international sporting events with world-class organization.

The NEOM McLaren XE Team’s participation created a unique dynamic where the venue sponsor also fielded a competing team, integrating the hosting and competitive dimensions of the series in a format not seen in other motorsport contexts.

Legacy Programs

Each Extreme E event included a “legacy program” designed to leave lasting environmental or community benefits at the race location. In Saudi Arabia, legacy programs focused on desert ecosystem conservation, mangrove restoration along the Red Sea coast, marine habitat protection, and community engagement with environmental sustainability. These programs were developed in partnership with local organizations and designed to continue operating beyond the race event.

The legacy program model represented a distinctive approach to sports hosting that connected event organization with environmental and social impact. The alignment between Extreme E’s programs and the Kingdom’s own sustainability commitments — the Saudi Green Initiative, the Middle East Green Initiative, and NEOM’s net-zero objectives — created a reinforcing narrative positioning Saudi motorsport hosting as compatible with environmental responsibility.

The Series’ Complete Arc

Extreme E completed five seasons from 2021 through 2025, with Saudi Arabia hosting a round in every season — the only country to achieve this distinction. The series evolved from single-event rounds to double-header formats, expanded to new Saudi venues (AlUla, NEOM, Jeddah, Qiddiya), and attracted increasingly competitive fields. The decision to end the series after Season 5 reflected commercial realities, but the Saudi racing legacy represents a complete chapter in both the series’ history and the Kingdom’s motorsport portfolio.

The experience gained from hosting Extreme E — including desert venue operations, electric vehicle racing infrastructure, environmental legacy program delivery, and coordination between remote venue logistics and international sporting standards — contributes institutional knowledge that supports Saudi Arabia’s broader capabilities as a multi-discipline motorsport host.

Extreme H — The Successor Series

Extreme E announced its successor series, Extreme H, in 2022. Extreme H will use hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles instead of battery-electric, advancing the technology demonstration mission to the next generation of clean powertrains. Saudi Arabia’s hydrogen production ambitions — part of the broader energy diversification strategy under Vision 2030 — could create a natural alignment for hosting Extreme H events in the future, connecting the Kingdom’s hosting capability with its industrial strategy in a format that directly descends from the Extreme E experience.

Comparison with Other Electric Racing

Extreme E occupied a unique position in the electric motorsport landscape. While Formula E provided urban, circuit-based electric racing with a manufacturer development focus, Extreme E delivered off-road electric racing in extreme natural environments with an environmental advocacy mission. The two series were complementary rather than competitive — serving different audiences, racing in different settings, and pursuing different strategic objectives.

Saudi Arabia’s simultaneous hosting of both Formula E and Extreme E demonstrated the Kingdom’s ability to support multiple electric racing formats. The combination reinforced Saudi Arabia’s positioning across the full spectrum of sustainable motorsport — from precision circuit racing to raw desert competition — providing diversified exposure to different audience segments and technology applications.

Desert X Prix Broadcast and Media Value

The Desert X Prix’s remote locations meant that on-site spectator attendance was limited compared to urban motorsport events. The series’ primary audience reach was through broadcast and digital distribution, with coverage reaching viewers across international sports networks and streaming platforms. The broadcast value of the Saudi settings — sweeping drone shots of electric SUVs racing across dramatic desert terrain against sandstone formations and mountain backdrops — generated compelling visual content for both live broadcasts and social media distribution.

The media exposure contributed to Saudi Arabia’s destination marketing objectives, providing sustained, visually striking international coverage that showcased the Kingdom’s diverse landscapes and reinforced tourism narratives. The combination of celebrity team owners (Hamilton, Rosberg, Button), dramatic racing action, and spectacular natural settings created content that performed well across traditional broadcast and digital platforms.

Key Data — Extreme E in Saudi Arabia

The Complete Saudi Legacy

Extreme E’s five-season arc in Saudi Arabia produced a uniquely complete motorsport story. The series was born in Saudi Arabia (AlUla, 2021), raced at Saudi venues in every season, and concluded in Saudi Arabia (Qiddiya City, 2025). No other country shared this distinction of hosting every season. The evolution of Saudi venues — from the heritage landscape of AlUla to the futuristic setting of NEOM to the urban proximity of Jeddah to the motorsport hub of Qiddiya — traced the Kingdom’s own development trajectory from leveraging existing landmarks to building purpose-built sporting infrastructure.

The mandatory gender equality requirement left a meaningful legacy for motorsport in the region. Female competitors demonstrated world-class performance in Saudi Arabia — Molly Taylor winning the first-ever race at AlUla, Catie Munnings winning the last-ever race at Qiddiya, and Cristina Gutierrez competing before becoming the first woman to win a Dakar Rally category. These achievements, visible to Saudi audiences and the international media, contributed to the evolving narrative of women’s participation in sports within the Kingdom.

The environmental legacy programs — desert conservation, mangrove restoration, marine protection — provided tangible sustainability outcomes that connected motorsport hosting with the Saudi Green Initiative’s environmental objectives. While the competitive impact of individual legacy programs is modest relative to the Kingdom’s broader environmental challenges, the model established a framework for linking sporting events with local environmental action that future series and events can build upon.

Extreme E’s Place in Saudi Motorsport History

Extreme E holds a unique place in Saudi motorsport history as the only major racing series to complete its entire lifecycle with Saudi Arabia as a host. While Formula 1 and Formula E continue as ongoing commitments, and the Dakar Rally operates under a multi-year agreement, Extreme E’s five complete seasons with Saudi rounds provide a complete dataset for evaluating the returns from hosting an emerging electric racing series. The series demonstrated that Saudi Arabia could attract new motorsport properties, deliver world-class event organization in remote locations, and build institutional capability in electric off-road racing.

The infrastructure and operational knowledge gained from hosting Extreme E at four distinct Saudi venues — from the heritage landscape of AlUla to the construction site of Qiddiya — supports future hosting across other motorsport disciplines and contributes to the institutional depth that the Saudi Motorsport Company brings to every event it promotes.