Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor win the inaugural Extreme H event

Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor drove Jameel Motorsport to victory in the FIA Extreme H World Cup, the world's first hydrogen-powered motorsport competition. The eight-car final in Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia, decided the winner after three days of activity that included Time Trial, Head-to-Head duels, and Multi-Car races.

From Extreme E to Extreme H: The Evolution to Hydrogen

The series is born from the transformation of Extreme E, the electric off-road championship that now adopts hydrogen technology. Alejandro Agag, founder of both categories, explained: "We gave Extreme E a new life as Extreme H. This format is definitely going to take off. We have all the Extreme E experience and we are using it for this."

Photo By Extreme H

The Pioneer 25 car is the result of more than two years of development by Spark Racing Technologies. Mark Grain, Extreme H Technical Director, was in Race Control during the final: "We are very proud of the car we have been developing. Some of the best drivers in the world and great teams pushed this car to its limits."

Agag compared the initial skepticism to what Formula E faced over a decade ago: "Many people were afraid that electric cars would explode or give electric shocks. With hydrogen, there are also many myths, that the car will crash or explode. But we had rollovers, we had crashes, and you can see that hydrogen is perfectly safe."

Jameel Controls from Pole Position

The Saudi squad led the qualifying points table, which allowed them to choose their grid position. Hansen selected the inside line of the front row and took the lead into the first corner. Carl Cox Motorsport with Timo Scheider and Klara Andersson finished second, followed by Team EVEN with Ole Christian Veiby and Hedda Hosås in third.

Andreas Bakkerud and Catie Munnings of Team Hansen made contact with Scheider at the start, sending Bakkerud off the track. Johan Kristoffersson of Team KMS tried to pressure Carl Cox before the driver swap, but his teammate Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky went wide at Gate 15 during the third lap.

Taylor described the experience: "It's been quite an emotional day. It's been a very intense week, particularly the last three days. It feels very sweet to be able to deliver this for Jameel Motorsport, for our whole team."

Photo By Extreme H

FIA Governs Its First Hydrogen Series

The international federation participated in the creation of technical and sporting regulations. Emilia Abel, FIA Road Sport Director, described it as "the FIA's first hydrogen competition". The format combines multiple disciplines into a single event, designed for modern audiences.

"Clearly for the FIA, it is an important moment," added Abel. "It has been hard work throughout the year to get to where we are today. The whole format is quite new, and it's not usual that we have so many competition formats within one race as we have here. Now the goal is to grow it from one event to more events."

Agag acknowledged that the outcome "was better than planned". The series aims to differentiate itself with cutting-edge technology, sustainability, and an equitable gender format. The broadcast reached 90 networks in 180 global markets.

Five Years in Qiddiya and Eyes on the Future

HRH Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, President of SAMF and Saudi Motorsport Company, stated: "From the heart of Qiddiya City, we write a new chapter in global motorsport today. The launch of the FIA Extreme H World Cup shows how competition, innovation, and sustainability can advance together."

Extreme H signed a five-year agreement to hold the World Cup in Qiddiya. Agag left open the possibility of other events during the year: "We will have the World Cup here every year. We can do other events leading up to this, but this will always be the World Cup Final."

The founder also mentioned the future possibility of incorporating hydrogen combustion engines alongside the current fuel cells: "I think it could potentially replace it. We have to see where the market goes. Maybe we'll have two races, maybe we'll equalize and have both technologies running."

The event was supported by PIF as the main partner, along with Fox, Yokohama, Vodafone Business, Siemens, and Symbio. Team KMS received a penalty that dropped them off the podium. Team STARD managed a penalty to finish fourth. JBX finished seventh with engine problems, and ZEROID Motorsport did not complete the second lap when Fraser McConnell rolled over at Gate 15.