- Laia Sanz and Carlos Sainz are the only drivers in the series that have been present in each and every Final of the season so far.
- With one round to go, the ASXE drivers are just eight points behind the leader of the Drivers' Championship.
Another podium for ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team, which closes the gap to the leader of the Championship with a second place at the Copper X Prix.
Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz reached the Final for the fourth time this year, becoming the only duo to not miss a single one so far this season.
This consistency strengthens their chances in the Drivers’ Championship, where they are second and trail the leader by just eight points.
Their chances of victory in Chile, though, were compromised when a competitor hit Carlos at the start of the race. The ASXE driver was running in second place at that time.
He dropped to fifth but managed to hold on and reach the Switch Zone without losing contact with the cars in front.
Laia Sanz then set off on a magnificent recovery drive, overtaking the car of ABT Cupra.
She then fought with Chip Ganassi’s car, until one of her tyres failed right before the finish. She still managed to take her car to the chequered flag.
This fourth place then translated into a second-place finish due to penalties to McLaren (20 seconds for dropping two flags) and Ganassi (5 seconds for missing a waypoint).
Now there is only one event to go on the calendar: the Energy X Prix, which will take place in Uruguay on the 26th and the 27th of November.
Laia Sanz and Carlos Sainz are second in the Drivers’ Championship with 60 points, just 8 points behind the leader. In the Teams’ standings, ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team is third and its title hopes are also alive.
Quotes:
Carlos Sainz, driver:
"Overall, the balance of the Copper X Prix is positive, because in the end, we brought home second place. The start of the weekend was really challenging, but then things slowly turned around. We were hit and dropped to last place at the start of the Final, but Laia made a great recovery and in the end, we finished second after the flags and the penalties. We are happy with this result. We’ll go to Uruguay aiming for everything. We can be champions or finish second, so naturally, we will fight all the way".
Laia Sanz, driver:
"It was a good weekend. It is true that in the end you are left with a bittersweet feeling because after all, I think we had the pace to win. But I am pretty convinced that we would have happily taken second place in the Final after what happened in the first Qualifying session. I think it is fine. It is true that X44 is a direct competitor and today they scored more points than us, but everything will be at stake in Uruguay. We must stay positive because we have seen that we can be even further up ahead".
Joan Orús, Team Principal:
"Super happy with this second place at the Copper X Prix. It was an intense weekend with a lot of action on track in the races. Carlos showed once again that he is magnificent at the starts and Laia did perhaps her best race to date in this Championship, proving that right now she may very well be the best female driver and that she is among the best in the Championship. We have a great team to fight for victory. We only have the X Prix of Uruguay left, where we can still be champions. We are third right now, but we have our options and we have a great team. Happy with this weekend".
