BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Former Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg is to run a team in the new all-electric Extreme E racing series.
Since retiring from F1 at the end of his championship-winning 2016 season, Rosberg has invested in sustainability start-up businesses, and was an early investor in the electric Formula E championship, whose first race was in Beijing in 2014.
"[Extreme E] represents an amazing opportunity to not only drive awareness but also inspire action in the fight against climate change - the single biggest threat to our planet today," said Rosberg.
"Since retiring from F1 I have dedicated my career to sustainable technologies so to be able to combine these endeavours with my passion for racing is incredibly fulfilling."
Rosberg's move echoes that of his former Mercedes F1 teammate Lewis Hamilton, who revealed last month that he too would launch an Extreme E team.
Said Extreme E founder and CEO Alejandro Agag, "We are ecstatic to finally announce that Rosberg Xtreme Racing will be joining our line-up for the first season of Extreme E. There is clearly a great synergy between Nico's endeavours in the sustainability field and the aims of Extreme E so his team is a hugely welcomed addition to the series."
Set to begin early next year, Extreme E aims to highlight the impact of climate change, help rebuild affected communities and promote the use of E-vehicles.
Likened to an electric version of the famous Dakar Rally, the inaugural season will take place across five remote locations across the world that are threatened by climate-related issues, with teams to run male and female driver pairings.
Despite the disruption to global sport caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Agag told media in April that the series was still on track to begin as planned in Lac Rose, Senegal in January 2021. Enditem
