NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team end their season on a high in Uruguay
The team’s maiden series podium in the Uruguay Natural Energy X Prix last month was richly deserved and, with drivers Tanner Foust and Emma Gilmour signing up for Season 3, momentum is with them ahead of 2023.
Mark Grain, NEOM McLaren Extreme E Sporting Director, said: “Just over twelve months ago we built out a whole new race team – people, car, equipment, systems of working, and even drivers! Here we are, a year later… We’ve been in three Finals, we’ve had two Crazy Race wins and in Uruguay, after all that hard work, we finished on the podium.
“We’ve had some incidents and accidents in our final race of the year, but we finished on the podium, and all credit for that goes to everybody involved and is a reward for everyone’s hard work."
NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team made an immediate impression on the Championship at its debut X Prix in February. In NEOM, Saudi Arabia, the team made the Final at their first attempt with a dramatic Desert X Prix Crazy Race victory.
A shunt in the Final ensured Foust and Gilmour could only finish as high as fifth, but this result was hoped to be the springboard for the rest of the campaign.
A difficult NEOM Island X Prix double-header in Sardinia followed, before NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team returned to form for the series’ debut in South America in September.
Penalties accrued for hitting waypoint flags in the Antofagasta Minerals Copper X Prix denied Foust and Gilmour a famous victory, after they had come out on top of a race-long battle with X44 Vida Carbon Racing in the Final.
The resulting penalties demoted NEOM McLaren Extreme E team to fifth once more, however the team’s performance clearly demonstrated a statement of intent as the Championship headed towards its finale in Uruguay.
With proven pace in their armoury, Foust and Gilmour headed to the Uruguay Natural Energy X Prix in November with wins on their minds. An action-packed weekend, including a roll for Gilmour in practice, did not hold their charge, with their speed in Punta del Este culminating with a second-place finish and their best result in the championship to date.
Ian James, NEOM McLaren Electric Racing Managing Director, said: "It has been great to have witnessed the team perform so well from up close here in Uruguay. The progression seen throughout the inaugural season is testament to the quality within each element of the team. This result was well-deserved and will provide a springboard into next season and beyond."
That maiden podium certainly delivered a positive end to what had been a character-building season.
Tanner Foust, NEOM McLaren Extreme E, added: “There’s been momentum building all season from a rough start — rolling in the first event, making the final, but also destroying the car, then another roll in the second event. And there’s so much work that goes on behind the scenes, even with a small team, that when you do start getting a little bit of momentum with the results, it’s sort of a payoff for all that work for everybody.”
Emma Gilmour, NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team, said: “After Chile where we came so close to being on the podium, I felt it was so nice to be able to finish the season where we hoped to be.
“It wasn’t an easy weekend for us; it definitely got off to a bad start in free practice. The team have worked so tirelessly this year with all of the challenges we’ve had, rebuilding a car back in Sardinia with the one-day gap between the two events. They’re just such an amazing team, so it’s a fantastic thank you for them for what they’ve done and the amount of work they’ve put in.”
