- The car stopped on track during Qualifying 1 after a leak on the radiator led to a loss of water pressure
- This issue prevented the team from reaching the semi-finals, given that the Qualifying time is the aggregate lap-time of both sessions
- Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz will take part on Sunday’s Shoot Out, where they will try to minimize the damage
Dakar, Senegal
The hopes of the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team for the Ocean X Prix were cut short by a water leak on the radiator of the electric engine. The second round of the Extreme E championship takes place this weekend at Lac Rose in Dakar, Senegal.
The electric off-road vehicle of Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz stopped on track during Qualifying 1 and therefore the team was unable to set a lap-time. The mechanics then discovered a loss of water pressure following a leak on the radiator.
This mechanical issue came at a high price for the team given that Extreme E leaves no room for error: Sunday’s races are defined by the aggregate time of both Qualifying sessions and therefore not finishing one of them compromised the whole weekend.
The team mechanics were able to repair the Odyssey 21 on time for Qualifying 2. Laia Sanz did the opening lap and Carlos Sainz got behind the wheel on the second one. They set the sixth-fastest time of the afternoon (11:23.131) when the track conditions were at their worse, therefore proving that the team had the potential to fight for better results.
Sadly, the mechanical problem suffered in Qualifying 1 left the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team on the last place of the standings of the day, meaning that tomorrow Carlos and Laia will take part in the Shoot Out race, where they fight for points for the championship to try and minimize damage.
Quotes
Carlos Sainz, driver:
"Things didn’t go well for us today. Given the current rules of the championship, any issue you encounter in Qualifying compromises your whole weekend and you miss any chance of making the semi-finals and the final. It is something that we should look at it in the future because it is a shame that we go around the world only to drive four minutes if you have bad luck in one Qualifying session. I think there will be time to look at it, but for now, we will keep our heads down and have full focus on tomorrow’s race, where we will try to keep on learning for the future".
Laia Sanz, driver:
"It is a shame because both Carlos and myself were feeling very well at this track. He did a great job and I was feeling very confident. It is a shame that we had an issue that prevented us from finishing Qualifying 1. I took it easy in Qualifying 2 because there was nothing we could do and the surface of the track was already in a bad state. It is a shame because I think it could have been a good weekend".
Albert Fàbrega, team principal:
"Today was not a good day for the team. We lost water pressure in Qualifying 1 after a leak in the radiator and the car stopped on track. It is a real shame because Carlos and Laia were driving really fast. We would have definitely made it to the semi-finals and we were fighting for a podium finish, but this championship is like this and any problems you encounter on Saturday compromise your whole weekend. We can only move on and focus on Sunday’s race to wrap up the weekend on a good note and test new things that will come in handy in the next few events".
