Extreme E is the world's first electric off-road racing series. Due to launch in March 2021, it's been called “Star Wars Pod Racing meets Dakar Rally” and promises to be the future of motorsport. Fancy seeing the world's top racing drivers ditch petrol and battle it out in five exotic locations? Here's what to expect from the all-electric extravaganza...
UK viewers can watch all the 2021 Extreme E races live for free on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website. Going to be abroad? You can use a VPN to watch online, as if you were back home in the UK!
Extreme E is the brainchild of Alejandro Agag, founder of the all-electric Formula E. It's already won the backing of F1 champion Lewis Hamilton thanks to its eco-friendly credentials and gender-equal teams. It uses all-electric 4x4 SUVs designed for tough circuits (check out the Extreme E championship trailer below).
Five Extreme E races are scheduled to take place from March 2021: Arctic, Amazon Rainforest, Desert, Glacier and Coastal. Each race is a two-day event: qualifying takes place on day one to determine the top four runners who will progress through to the final on day two. The team that performs the longest jump on the first jump of each race will get win a Hyperdrive award that will provide an additional boost of speed.
There will be no spectators due to remoteness of the locations. Instead, the five 'X Prix' will be streamed online, with filming carried out by futuristic 4K drone cameras.
Lewis Hamilton will head up one of 10 Extreme E teams, though the seven-time F1 champion won't actually get behind the wheel. Instead, the X44 car will be driven by rally champ Sebastien Loeb. Hamilton's ex-F1 teammate, Nico Rosberg, will field a rival team and 2009 F1 champ Jenson Button will drive for his own team.
To keep things gender-equal, each team will feature a male and a female driver. Confirmed 2021 Extreme E drivers include: rally legend Carlos Sainz Sr, W Series Champion Jamie Chadwick and European Ladies Rally Champion Catie Munnings.
The first Extreme E race will take place in the Sharaan desert, Saudi Arabia, on 20th – 21st March 2021. Here's how to live stream all the action for free...
How to live stream Extreme E for free
The BBC will broadcast free-to-air coverage of all five Extreme E races in 2021 and beyond. The action will also be streamed in full on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website. Highlights will be shown on BBC Two.
Of course, the streams only accessible to those in the UK. If you happen to be outside the UK, you'll need to use a VPN to access these live streams without being blocked.
The solution is to sign-up to a VPN risk free with a 30-day money-back guarantee. So, if you can't get it to work for any reason, then you can simply cancel and won't be out of pocket. Take a look below and we'll show you how that's done.
How to watch Extreme E from abroad using a VPN
Even if you have subscribed to the relevant Extreme E rights holders, you won't be able to access them when outside your own country. The service will know your location based on your IP address, and will automatically block your access.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) helps you get around this obstacle. VPNs are a doddle to use and create a private connection between your device and the internet. All the information passing back and forth is entirely encrypted.
We recommend paid-for VPN services, such as ExpressVPN or NordVPN, because they are entirely safe, come with 24/7 customer support and can be used to watch sport and other entertainment from any part of the world on almost any device. Try it out with the link below and get three months free.
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How to watch Extreme E in the USA and Canada
Fox Sports has the rights to air live Extreme E races in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.
The first three seasons of Extreme E will be screened across FS1 and FS2, as well as the Fox Sports app. The app is supported by Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV and Xbox.
Fancy watching an Extreme E race for free? You can take advantage of Sling TV's free 3-day trial on it's Blue package, which includes FS1.
Sling Blue costs $30 per month but there's no lock-in contract, so you can cancel at any time. Here's a full rundown of the best Sling TV packages.
How to watch Extreme E in the UK
Motorsport fans in the UK can watch all five X-Prix races live and in full across the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport websites. Highlights will be shown on BBC Two.
Going to be abroad the UK when Extreme E starts? You'll need to use a VPN to access these live streams without being blocked. Simply sign-up to a VPN risk free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Already a Sky subscriber? Sky Sports will also broadcast all five of the Extreme E-Prix's live - starting with the Desert X Prix on March 20 - 21 - with coverage details to be announced in due course.
How to watch Extreme E in Australia
G'day motorsport fans. FOX Sports Australia has the rights to show live Extreme E races in Australia.
That means Foxtel and Kayo Sports subscribers will get a front row seat when the action starts on 20th March 2021.
Kayo Sports is offering new subscribers a 14-day free trial. After that, you'll be bumped onto a rolling one month contract. Basic is $25 while Premium is $35.
Kayo Sports Get a free 14-day trial and watch Extreme E free!
Kayo Sports lets you live stream and catch up on over 50 sports including Extreme E, international cricket, rugby, football and Formula 1. You can choose a free 14-day trial of Basic ($25 a month) or Premium ($35 a month) and cancel at any time – there's no lock-in contract to worry about.
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How to watch Extreme E in Ireland
Virgin Media TV will be the home of Extreme E in Ireland. The broadcaster will air all five live Extreme E races as well as a range of highlights programmes.
Virgin Media's Big Bundle costs €69 per month, which gets you 50+ TV channels and a set-top box complete with voice control
How to watch Extreme E in New Zealand
TVNZ has picked up the right to show all five Extreme E races in New Zealand.
The public service broadcaster will screen five two-hour live programmes covering all the action from at every event. You can also get an on-demand fix via the TVNZ website and app.
TVNZ aims to become known as the home of electric motorsport in New Zealand, having already nabbed the rights to Formula E and the Jaguar eTrophy.
How to watch Extreme E in Latin America
ESPN will broadcast live racing action as well as highlights, magazine, preview and review shows across Latin American countries including Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Chile.
The final two race of the inaugural Extreme E season are set to take place in Brazil and Argentina, so expect coverage to get prime billing.
How to watch Extreme E in the Balkans
Resident of Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia or Slovenia? Arena Sport TV network will show Extreme E’s live race action, highlights and magazine on MTS TV Go.
Extreme E 2021 schedule
Desert: Sharaan, Al-‘Ula in Saudi Arabia on 20-21 March 2021
Ocean: Lac Rose, Dakar in Senegal on 29-30 May 2021
Arctic: Kangerlussuaq in Greenland on 28-29 August 2021
Rainforest: Santarém, Pará in Brazil on 23-24 October 2021
Glacier: Tierra Del Fuego in Argentina on 11-12 December 2021
Full details of each event can be found here.
Extreme E driver line-up 2021
Here is a list of the Extreme E drivers confirmed for 2021 so far:
Team X44 (United Kingdom)
Sébastien Loeb
Cristina Gutiérrez
Abt Cupra XE (Germany)
Mattias Ekström[29]
Claudia Hürtgen
Acciona Sainz XE Team (Spain)
Carlos Sainz
Laia Sanz
Andretti United Extreme E (USA)
Timmy Hansen
Catie Munnings
Chip Ganassi Racing (USA)
Sara Price
Kyle LeDuc
Hispano-Suiza Xite Energy Team (Spain)
Oliver Bennett
Christine Giampaoli Zonca
JBXE (United Kingdom)
Jenson Button
TBA
Rosberg Xtreme Racing (Germany)
Johan Kristoffersson
Molly Taylor
Techeetah (Indonesia)
TBA
TBA
Veloce Racing (United Kingdom)
Jamie Chadwick
Stéphane Sarrazin
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