- Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz finished third in Greenland in the Spanish team’s first appearance in an X Prix Final.
29 August 2021 – Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team wrote today an important page of its history in the Arctic X Prix, where this Sunday it scored its first podium in Extreme E, the ground-breaking electric off-road championship.
Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz came in third in their first appearance in an X-Prix Final, which they reached after finishing the Semi-Final 1 in second place.
The Spanish team wraps up its best X-Prix to date and scores 25 points for the Championship, where it now stands in fifth place with 61 points in total.
Following Saturday’s Qualifying, Carlos and Laia battled X44 and Veloce Racing in Semi-Final 1 for two tickets for the Final.
Sainz took the lead in the opening lap and reached the switch zone with a 13-second advantage over its rivals. Sanz defended from their attacks to secure their presence in the final round.
The ASXE Team won the Grid Play, the popular vote which gives one team the right to be the first one to choose its position in the Starting Grid of the Final. Carlos and Laia picked the middle lane.
Sanz kept the Odyssey 21 in one piece and Sainz performed a comeback drive to move from fifth to third.
The Spaniard overtook the X44 car after a wheel-to-wheel battle in the Pit-Lane and then seized a technical issue on the Rosberg X Racing car to reach the podium.
With this result, the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team achieves its first-ever podium in an X-Prix. Its next opportunity will be on the 23rd and 24th of October when Sardinia will host the Island X Prix.
Declaraciones
Carlos Sainz, driver:
"I am very happy with the team’s first podium in Extreme E. This Sunday maybe we had in our side the good luck that was avoiding us in the previous events, but luck always tends to balance itself. We are very pleased, but we know that we have to keep improving because the Championship is getting tighter. The female drivers are getting faster and the two remaining X Prixes will be very tough".
Laia Sanz, driver:
"I am very pleased with this result and very happy for the team and for Carlos. The start of the weekend wasn’t easy at all, because we had a technical issue in Free Practice that was beyond our control and I didn’t feel comfortable on Saturday during Qualifying, but today I felt an improvement and I am very happy with the result we achieved in the Final".
Albert Fàbrega, team principal:
"We are very happy after achieving the team’s first podium in Extreme E. Our goal for the weekend was to make it to the Final. We achieved that today, but we knew we had the speed and the pace to fight for the podium. The race was really tough for everyone, both Carlos and Laia drove excellent and they knew how to take risks when it was necessary. They kept their heads cool when the conditions were at their worst and they competed very well. That’s why we are here and why we are so happy after securing our first podium. Thanks to Carlos and Laia for their work, and thanks to the team for all the hard work they have put in to achieve this goal".
