It has been quite the year for Fraser McConnell, who joined Extreme E Season 2 champions X44 Vida Carbon Racing at the beginning of 2023 after a whirlwind 12 months in the series. Extreme E caught up with the Jamaican ahead of the next round of the campaign in Scotland following his debut for Sir Lewis Hamilton’s team at the Desert X Prix.
Extreme E: You’ve gone from Championship Driver to working with last season’s champions in the series – how does that feel?
Fraser McConnell: I’m super excited to be competing full time in the series. It’s an amazing feeling to be driving for the reigning champions and for boss man Lewis Hamilton! I’m also really proud that X44 is such a diverse team which prioritises giving people an opportunity to work in motorsport, we have such a young and up and coming team and I love being part of that.
Extreme E: How has your relationship with your new team-mate Cristina Gutiérrez been since joining the team
FM: I’m loving working alongside Cristina. She’s so talented and has really helped me get to grips with everything during the first race weekend. We had some great conversations on track at the Desert X Prix and went to dinner a couple of times too, she has some funny stories about her time with X44 so far!
I’m excited to get back together with her in Scotland and see what we can achieve for the team
Extreme E: Looking ahead to the next round in Scotland, what are you expecting there?
FM: It’s always fun going to different locations around the world and I have high hopes that Scotland is going to be a lot of fun – I mean, racing in an old coal mine, that’s pretty cool. To be honest I’m now just looking forward to getting on track and getting a better feel for the car on the terrain. I’m also looking forward to trying some traditional Scottish food. Maybe haggis, or the team are telling me a battered Mars bar could be the way to go. I can’t wait!
Extreme E: What experiences do you have of racing in the UK?
FM: I raced at Lydden Hill last year in Nitro Rallycross and I loved it, such an historic circuit and the fans were amazing. There’s such a strong motorsport tradition in the UK and of course most of the X44 team including our boss Lewis are from here, so it’s going to be like a home race for us.
That said, I always try to bring a bit of that Jamaican flavour so you can expect to hear some dancehall tunes coming out of the X44 garage over the weekend.
Extreme E: This season has seen the implementation of double-header events, which means more racing and wheel-to-wheel action. How have you found it?
FM: The more racing, the better! It’s been cool so far; and I love being able to get more time on track to get to grips with the car and learn as much as possible on each terrain as well. I feel very comfortable racing wheel-to-wheel with my go kart and rallycross knowledge so I’m looking forward to being able to give Cristina the car in the switch with a healthy margin.
Extreme E: Lastly, what are your expectations for the Hydro X Prix?
FM: Well as everyone knows by now, anything can happen in Extreme E, so we’re just going to work hard on the car and our strategy to put us in the best place possible. We’re going to go out there and push for the win and with a team as good as ours, we’re confident we can do it.
I’m hearing rumours of a boat party with DJ Carl Cox too so lots to look forward to!
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