Hear from McLaren Extreme E drivers Emma Gilmour and Tanner Foust as they prepare for Round 1 in Saudi Arabia.

Key info

Round	1/5
When	18 - 20 February
Where	NEOM, Saudi Arabia
Terrain	Sand/sand with rocks
Sustainability issue	Desertification, loss of biological diversity

The drivers

“I’m really looking forward to the challenges of the Desert X Prix, especially the sand dunes, although I feel certain there will be plenty of other natural obstacles the desert landscape will present. Our team has made some adjustments to the car, which will hopefully stand us in good stead and enable us to put in a solid performance.

“I’ll be looking to draw on my previous Extreme E experience, although I’ve never raced in the desert before so this is all new to me and Tanner. Tanner and I have really enjoyed the process of getting to grips with the car – as well as with one another’s humour and previewing the course layout and racing conditions, which are certainly going to be challenging, but we’re raring to go!”

“It’s been a long time coming and loads of hard work and dedication has gone into getting everything ready, so I’m stoked to get this season underway. The team and I have spent a lot of time familiarising ourselves with the car at shakedown in December and at the McLaren Technology Centre, so there’s a lot of excitement in the garage.

“This will be my first Extreme E race, and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the MX58; it’s a monster! It’s a little different to what I’m used to, but it’s a really cool car to drive! However, I’ve got a fantastic co-driver in Emma, and we’re lucky to have an incredibly talented team behind us.

“This is my first time racing in Saudi Arabia and although we have the McLaren name behind us, we’re the new team on the grid. It will be quite a demanding week, however, we’re looking forward to getting out there and here’s hoping for a great race.”

Mark Grain, Sporting Director

“It’s a huge privilege to lead the team’s entry into Extreme E’s Season 2 Championship. It will be a great feeling to get the season started in Saudi Arabia to showcase all the hard work we’ve put in over the past few months during the testing and development phase.

“Having been the first Formula 1 team to be certified fully carbon neutral more than 10 years ago, and with the goal of becoming carbon net zero by 2030; McLaren Racing’s entry into Extreme E is a natural fit and will help to accelerate our own learnings as well as our sustainability objectives.

“Aside from the racing, we hope to highlight some of the environmental challenges the regions we race in are facing and we’re looking forward to raising awareness and learning more about the desertification and the loss of biological diversity in this part of the world.”

When and where to watch

Shakedown (18 Feb)	22:00-22:30 local/19:00-19:30 UTC
Qualifying 1 (19 Feb)	11:00-12:30 local/08:00-09:30 UTC
Qualifying 2 (19 Feb)	15:00-16:30 local/12:00-13:30 UTC
Semi-finals 1 & 2 (20 Feb)	12:00-13:30 local/09:00-10:30 UTC
Race Programme (20 Feb)	15:00-17:00 local/12:00-14:00 UTC

• Shakedown: XE Social Channels
• Qualifying / Semis: Eurosport Player, XE Website & XE Social Channels
• Final: ITV 1, BBC iPlayer & Website, Discovery+, Eurosport Player

Find the broadcast options in your territory here.

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