What could have been in Season 3 for third-placed Veloce Racing
The British squad entered the Season 3 finale third in the standings, but an incident-packed Antofagasta Minerals Copper X Prix meant the team ultimately came up short in the championship decider.
Here’s how the Season 3 title slipped away from Veloce Racing’s grasp.
Extreme E Season 3 saw the Veloce Racing team secure the same number of wins as two-time champions Rosberg X Racing (RXR). Taking three victories in a year that saw five teams in the title fight indicates just how close Veloce Racing was to taking home the Season 3 trophy.
In their most successful campaign to date, the team not only stood on the top step of the podium three times, but also secured a debut first-place finish, with Molly Taylor and Kevin Hansen securing a healthy number of points and podiums over the course of Season 3.
The London-based outfit entered the Season 3 finale in Chile mathematically within reach of the top spot, sitting just 21 points behind leaders ASXE. However, misfortune for the team in Round 9 denied Veloce Racing their first-ever Extreme E title.
Hansen and Taylor started Round 9 strongly, comfortably winning the very first Heat of the day with an eye-catching new chrome livery, voted for by VEXT token holders. Hansen performed a striking overtake on fellow Swede and eventual Season 3 champion, RXR’s Johan Kristoffersson, in the opening stages to help secure a positive start and an extra championship point for Veloce Racing.
In the next Qualifying Heat it was Taylor’s turn to strike, as the Australian charged off the line to take an early lead. A red flag in the first corner, which saw a roll for ABT CUPRA XE’s Klara Andersson, meant a restart. Taylor appeared unfazed, as the Australian surged into the lead once again.
Taylor remained ahead throughout the opening lap, before a puncture and broken suspension allowed ASXE’s Sanz to shoot round on the outside at the start of lap two.
The situation worsened for Veloce Racing, though, as Munnings, unaware of Taylor slowing down, launched her Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E ODYSSEY 21 over the top of the Veloce car. This brought about the second red flag of the Heat and an end to both teams' races.
Nevertheless, Veloce Racing still had enough points for a Grand Final appearance. With hopes high for a podium result, having won GridPlay and securing a strong spot on the start the line, the team suffered another DNF due to damage suffered in Qualifying.
Fifth-place for the London-based team in the penultimate round of Season 3 put Veloce Racing just out of reach of a maiden championship title, with the squad's nearest rivals RXR and ASXE finishing first and second, respectively.
Just as the team started off Season 3 strongly with a win, they ended it with a victory, too. Kicking off Round 10 in positive fashion, Hansen and Taylor finished their Qualifying 1 Heat in second, hot on the heels of ASXE after several striking overtakes from Hansen. Delivering strong starts throughout the weekend, the second Qualifying session proved no different as Taylor stormed to the front of the pack in Q2 Heat 1.
In the Round 10 Grand Final Hansen held his ground ahead of RXR's Kristofferson to take second place behind ASXE's Mattias Ekström. Taylor took over in a prime position, and the Australian deployed her ENOWA Hyperdrive at the exit to the Switch Zone to the lead from ASXE's Laia Sanz to end a strong Season 3 campaign with a third win and a third-place finish in the championship.
Veloce Racing ended the campaign just 27 points adrift of 2023 champions RXR.
Molly Taylor, Veloce Racing driver, said: “It feels amazing to end the season with a victory here in Chile. This course really suited Kevin and myself, and we showed race winning pace throughout the double-header. The team executed everything perfectly today and they truly deserve this victory. While it stung to fall short of a maiden Extreme E title, our campaign this year has been so strong and we will be riding this momentum into 2024."
Kevin Hansen, Veloce Racing driver, said: “This is the perfect end to such a great season with the team. We had a frustrating time in Round 9 where we fell out of contention for the Extreme E title despite showing race winning pace, but I'm so happy we could repay the team with what is our third victory this year. For Molly, myself, and the team to make it into the top three in our first full campaign together is an amazing achievement, and there is so much for us to build on heading into next season."
Dan Bailey, CEO, Veloce Racing, added: “While we missed out on our maiden Extreme E title there is still so much for Veloce Racing to be proud of. Kevin and Molly put on a stellar performance over the weekend, and the team worked tirelessly to provide a race winning car. The same can be said for the whole season, as we found ourselves wheel-to-wheel with the best on the grid, never dropping out of the top three in the championship standings.
"Our attention has already switched to Season 4 and we'll be looking to build upon our three victories this year and convert our pace into an Extreme E championship trophy."
