ABT CUPRA retains Nasser Al-Attiyah, Klara Andersson for 2023 XE

The 2022 Extreme E season came to a magnificent close for ABT CUPRA XE when Nasser Al-Attiyah and Klara Andersson secured the team’s maiden victory at the Energy X Prixx. To little surprise, the team will hope to carry their newfound momentum into 2023 as the two will comprise the driver lineup yet again.

On the other hand, the team’s traditional blue livery will not come back as it has been replaced by a purple-and-yellow design that matches CUPRA’s UrbanRebel production and racing electric cars as well as their Formula E challenger. Their Extreme E car is nicknamed the Tavascan XE as a nod to the CUPRA Tavascan, the Spanish company’s first all-electric road car.

“Our second season saw us make serious progress in terms of understanding how we work best as a team,” said CUPRA Racing boss Xavi Serra. “We ended the season with a run of strong results, and we’re keen to build on that. Our goals are clear: We are here to fight for the titles. Adding Klara to the team provides race win experience, and I can’t wait to see both her and Nasser out competing once more.”

Al-Attiyah has been atop the off-road world since September. He and Andersson scored ABT CUPRA’s first podium of the year at that month’s Copper X Prix, which was followed by retaking the World Rally-Raid Championship T1 points lead from Sébastien Loeb at the Rallye du Maroc in October then sealing the title at the Andalucía Rally two weeks later. November then saw ABT CUPRA win the Energy X Prix to wrap up the XE season, with Loeb coincidentally winning the series championship for X44. His 2023 then got off to a flying start as he notched his second straight Dakar Rally victory ahead of Loeb.

He joined ABT CUPRA for the 2022 XE season, replacing another Dakar competitor Mattias Ekström. Al-Attiyah revealed his intent to remain in XE in an interview with Motorsport Network in October.

“We are ready for the 2023 season and I am really happy that Klara is joining me behind the wheel at ABT CUPRA XE,” commented Al-Attiyah. “I am very excited and really looking forward to fighting for the championship this year. We have updated the livery, which looks amazing, and we are ready to drive, get out there on track and take some wins for the team.”

Andersson arrived at ABT CUPRA at the Copper X Prix as an injury substitute for Jutta Kleinschmidt, and quickly made waves as she and Al-Attiyah finished third there. She remained with the team for the Energy X Prix and helped deliver the win in just her second career XE start. It was a strong conclusion to a season that began with disappointment when she was due to compete for XITE Energy Racing but tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the opener.

While Al-Attiyah excels at long-distance rally raid, Andersson hails from the frenetic world of rallycross. She finished seventh in the 2022 FIA World Rallycross Championship RX1e standings with a third-place run in Portugal to become the first female podium finisher in a top-level rallycross race. Her World RX outfit CE Dealer Team also follows Extreme E’s model of having one male and female driver apiece as she partnered up with Niclas Grönholm who won said Portugal round.

“It is an amazing team. I have done two races already for ABT CUPRA XE stepping in for Jutta, and those went very well,” Andersson stated. “I am extremely excited to join full-time and race alongside Nasser again. He’s an amazing driver and person overall, and so I am really happy to continue the momentum that we got last year in Chile and Uruguay.

“We want to fight for the Extreme E title. That’s what every team wants and we will do our best to perform as well as we can.”

The duo plus Kleinschmidt combined to finish sixth in the 2022 standings. The 2023 season begins with the Desert X Prix in Saudi Arabia on 11/12 March.

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