Hear from NEOM McLaren Extreme E drivers Emma Gilmour, Tanner Foust and Sporting Director Gary Paffett after the 2023 Hydro X Prix I & II in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

Round 3

NEOM McLaren XE Team #58

*The team was awarded a 5 second time penalty due to a Switch Zone infringement

“It was a disappointing end to our first race here in Scotland. We should’ve been in the Grand Final. However, I enjoyed the race, it was fun and challenging, with the dusty conditions. We also had a wiper issue in our qualifying session which made our race difficult. We have a car that’s ready to go again tomorrow. We’re expecting very different conditions tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to that.”

“Round 3 in Scotland is in the books. It was a difficult day for us, we had pace in the car and the resources from the team were working. Ultimately, a clot of mud clogging the windscreen wiper ended up making our qualifying very challenging. Emma did a great job of seeing through the mud and making a pass. 

“Unfortunately, we got a Switch Zone infringement, which put us in the Redemption Race and we finished eighth overall. Tomorrow is a new day, and a different weather pattern, it’s supposed to be raining cats and dogs. We’ll come out swinging.” 

“It was a very interesting day here in Scotland for the Hydro X Prix. When we arrived on site today, there was a lot of thick fog that took a while to clear. Due to this, the Qualifying 1 heats were cancelled, which left all teams with one qualifying race to decide their position. We finished second in the qualifying race, but we got a five-second time penalty for a Switch Zone infringement, which dropped us to third place. This put us equal on points with another team, and they were a bit quicker in the Traction Challenge sector, which meant they were through to the Grand Final. 

“Once again, we ended up sixth in the overall standings, which put us into the Redemption Race. It was disappointing - the first aim is to get into the Grand Final. We didn’t achieve that today. In the Redemption Race, things didn’t go to plan, and we finished third. There is some potential and good pace in the car, and we need to work hard to get ourselves into the Grand Final and give ourselves to reach the podium in tomorrow’s race.” 

Championship standings after Round 3:

P1 Acciona | Sainz XE Team (56 points)
P2 Veloce Racing (52 points)
P3 X44 Vida Carbon Racing (49 points)
P8 NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team (18 points) 

Round 4

NEOM McLaren XE Team #58

“It was fantastic to bounce back from the disappointment of yesterday and get our first podium of the year! We had two strong qualifying heats, which meant we got into the Grand Final. Conditions were really tricky, which made it a big challenge as you didn’t want to make a mistake. We performed really strongly and I’m so happy to come away with a podium finish.”

“A podium at Round 4 is exactly what we needed at the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team. The first two rounds of the year were a bit difficult, and the course here in Scotland is one of the most challenging the series has ever had. After Round 4, to walk away with some silverware and good results and points is a great result for the team. The team put in a huge amount of work – powerwashing the car for 40 minutes after each time on track. It was an insane course. Emma did a great job and carried good speed – I managed to make a pass in the final and with Emma holding that position, we came home in second place. It was an awesome result for the team.”

“What a different day today. We made a good step forward overnight, looking at the data. We made some changes to the cars, and Emma and Tanner did more learning on the course. Today we had two good qualifying races, we didn’t get in any accidents and had good pace as well. We finished second in both qualifying sessions, which put us in the Grand Final for the first time this year, which is fantastic. We had a lot of rain ahead of the Grand Final and the course was very difficult and slippery but both Tanner and Emma did a fantastic job. We were chasing down Veloce for the win, and ended up finishing P2. A podium at the end of a tough weekend, and a fantastic result for the team.” 

Championship standings after Round 4:

P1 Veloce Racing (80 points)
P2 Acciona | Sainz XE Team (69 points)
P3 Rosberg X Racing (52 points),
P6 NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team (36 points)