Seat time = lower lap times: how Extreme E and Veloce’s equality drive delivers results on track
Progress is the prize for our partners at E.ON Next Veloce Racing. Whether it’s the mixed gender driving format, the ‘race without trace’ sustainability ethos, or the electric off-road competition, the #innovation in Extreme E has served to consistently break the boundaries in motorsport and beyond
“There's no hiding place from the stopwatch and no ifs and buts – if you're fast, you're fast.
So as the reduction in the timing gap proves; if you give people the opportunity, progress is the prize.”
Our Director of External Affairs, Scott Somerville, summing up the success we’ve seen – on and off the track – through our partnership with Veloce Racing which goes back to 2021.
In just four seasons of the Extreme E electric off-road racing series, track data has shown the gap in performance times between male and female drivers has narrowed by almost 70%, proving that greater equality in competition environments drives measurable progress.
Extreme E’s founding commitment was the innovative step towards gender equality in racing – in a first for motorsport each team has to field one male and one female driver, sharing the same vehicle for the same number of laps, and carrying equal responsibility for the team performance.
Our first involvement with Veloce Racing was at the Jurassic X-Prix in Dorset in the 2021 Extreme E series and our relationship with the team has grown over the years, inspired by common goals across our two organisations – a commitment to sustainability and increasing diversity and inclusivity across our industries, as well as promoting the jobs and skills needed for a greener future.
The result, as the Extreme E data shows, is that increased seat time ensures female drivers get the same competitive experience and visibility as their male teammates. This approach encourages development as teams invest in training and development for both drivers. It also promotes confidence as female drivers are not only going head-to-head against the best drivers in the world, they also gain from their mentorship as team-mates, which supports development.
That innovative approach has been proved with on-track data from the race seasons 2021 to 2024 which shows the gap in performance times between males and females has narrowed by almost 70%. In season 1, f Female drivers’ times were, on average, 4.5 seconds slower than their male counterparts. However, by season 4, the gap had reduced to just 1.1 seconds, a 68.64% reduction.
Breaking it down across the seasons, the results showed:
- In Season 1, female drivers’ times were an average 4.5 seconds slower than their male counterparts
- By Season 2 there had been a 29.76% improvement.
- Season 3 saw an additional increase of 29.67%
- During the 2024 Hydro X-Prix race weekend in Scotland (which was won by E.ON Next Veloce Racing!) the median time difference between male and female drivers was down to just 0.61 seconds.
Extreme E’s mixed-gender format is a game-changer, and this data proves just how powerful equal opportunity can be. The data provided by this highly competitive – and innovative – racing series proves what opportunity and access to the best engineers and performance resources can really do for drivers.
Molly Taylor from E.ON Next Veloce Racing is one of Extreme E's most decorated drivers, achieving eight victories and the inaugural Championship title. With racing partner Kevin Hansen, the E.ON Next Veloce team currently sits at the top of the 2024 Extreme E standings after two podiums and two outright victories in the first four races.
