- Laia and Carlos Sainz were fifth in the Final at Dorset, where poor visibility and an issue at the start impeded a potential podium finish.
ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team finished fifth in the Final of the Jurassic X Prix, the fifth and final round of the maiden season of Extreme E. The Spanish team finishes sixth in the Team’s Championship, with the highlight of a podium finish in the Arctic X Prix in Greenland.
The Dorset event was held in poor weather conditions, under an intense fog that compromised the drivers’ visibility and a drizzle that muddied the track once again, as in previous sessions.
Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz found for themselves on Sunday morning as they headed to the grid of Semi-Final 2, a race where the line-up of ASXE Team crossed the finish line in second place to clinch its second appearance in the Final of an Extreme E X Prix.
Nevertheless, in the Final things didn’t turn out as expected. Laia Sanz suffered an issue at the start and fell to fifth place, and moments later she spun due to the poor visibility when she was trying to overtake the car of Rosberg X Racing. Carlos Sainz completed the final lap, but the order of the standings didn’t change.
With this X Prix, ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team completes a journey that began in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and that has travelled through the most spectacular scenarios in international motorsport, among them the glaciers of Greenland, where the team scored a podium.
The first season of Extreme E is now history, but the next one is just around the corner. Saudi Arabia will hold the first event on the 19th and 20th of February of 2022.
Quotes
Carlos Sainz, driver:
"In the end, the Jurassic X Prix didn’t unfold as well as we hoped. We have to take a look at what happened at the start and check Laia’s telemetry because maybe we had an issue. I take with me the positives, which is the good progress that we made. The evolution of the team was really good and this weekend we were genuinely fast. We are well prepared for next season. I hope we start the new year with the same strength and speed we showed in this last X Prix".
Laia Sanz, driver:
"Bittersweet feeling. I am disappointed about the start. It was a shame because in this track it was really important. When I was closer to the cars in front, I couldn’t see anything and I spun the car because I had no visibility at all. The good thing is the pace we showed, fighting the cars in front throughout the weekend. We have to look forward to next season when I hope we can fight for better positions. Personally, I have improved through the year and I hope to keep progressing in order to further help the team".
Albert Fàbrega, team principal:
"We were really looking forward to ending the season on a high. We had the speed and the pace to be up there, but we knew that we would have to risk all our chances at the start. We risked and it didn’t turn out as we expected, but I keep with myself the positive things we have seen throughout the year. The work of the team was extraordinarily good, and Carlos and Laia had the pace and the speed to fight for podiums and victories in each race. We must hold in high regard this first season because only some small details have kept us away from better positions. I can only congratulate the entire team and obviously Laia and Carlos on their extraordinary work. We have set the foundations to fight for everything next season".
