2023-11-27

Adrien Tambay to compete for ABT CUPRA in Extreme E finale

ABT CUPRA will be fielding a new driver pairing for the Extreme E season finale: Klara Andersson will share the cockpit with Adrien Tambay for the series’ event in the Chilean Atacama Desert this weekend (2 and 3 December). The Frenchman has been part of the ABT and CUPRA family for a long time and will be venturing into unfamiliar territory for the first time: gravel and sand.

“We have known and respected Adrien for a long time – from the DTM and as a rookie in Formula E. Now he has expressed the wish to experience his first off-road adventure with us and we would like to fulfill this wish together with CUPRA,” says Thomas Biermaier. Tambay contested a total of 48 DTM races for ABT between 2012 and 2015 and celebrated the title in the ETCR electric touring car championship with CUPRA in 2022.

The two races in Chile mark the end of the third Extreme E season. Last year ABT CUPRA experienced a turbulent weekend at the Copper X Prix: regular driver Jutta Kleinschmidt retired due to injury after a spectacular jump and was spontaneously replaced by Klara Andersson. Together with Nasser Al-Attiyah, the Swede conquered the podium on her debut, followed by her first victory one race weekend later.

The race days on Saturday and Sunday will start with qualifying at 9:30 local time (13:30 CET), followed by the two final races at 16:10 (20:10 CET). A list of all the channels broadcasting the visit to Chile can be found here: www.extreme-e.com.

Klara Andersson: “Best track on the calendar”
“The race in Chile has a special place in my heart because I made my Extreme E debut there last year. From my point of view it is the best track on the calendar: it is fast, wide, offers different lines, has spectacular jumps and allows good overtakings. For all teams this is the last big race of the season – all the more reason to give it our all and achieve a good result. I’m looking forward to the new challenge of working with Adrien at my side. Teaching him everything as quickly as possible and helping him to feel comfortable and fast in the car will be the most important task.”

Adrien Tambay: “Learn fast and avoid any traps”
“It is a great honor for me to drive for ABT and CUPRA in Chile. I’m really looking forward to my Extreme E debut. It’s my first foray into the off-road world – so there’s a lot to learn, which makes the challenge even greater. I will do my best to repay the trust placed in me. Klara and the whole team have been great in helping me prepare at home, and now it’s on to the track. My goal is to learn quickly and avoid as many of the traps of the series as possible. I like the format of close racing against each other, which I have already done in some ice racing. I can’t wait to experience the Extreme E world now.”

GridPlay: How fans can support ABT CUPRA XE
The starting positions for the “Grand Final” are determined by fan voting. Fans can vote twice daily on the Extreme E website. The teams that do not make it to the “Grand Final” will give their votes to their preferred team. Starting positions for the “Redemption Race” will be determined by the results of the qualifying sessions, with the sixth-placed team voting first.