- Today was the third appearance in a Final out of three X Prixes this season for Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz.
- A big stone damaged the front right wheel of the Odyssey 21 in the first lap of the race.
An unfortunate incident cut short the Final of the Island X Prix II for the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team, which still wrapped up the event in fourth place.
Carlos Sainz was forced to stop on track because a big stone had damaged the front right wheel of the car when he was halfway into the opening lap of the race.
This morning the ASXE Team qualified for the Final when Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz finished second in the Semi-Final 1, where they carried the momentum that has accompanied the team during its stay in Sardinia.
The formation of the starting grid was not good for the team's interests, as its Odyssey 21 was given the outermost slot and it was forced to take an alternate racing line around the outside in the first few meters.
Carlos was the first to get behind the wheel of the car. He was running in fifth and close to the bunch to make the most of any opportunities when he had to retire. The dust raised by the four cars in front caused him to hit the rock that left him out of the race.
One rival was disqualified after the race and thus the ASXE Team was promoted to fourth place in the Island X Prix II.
Despite not being the result the team wanted, ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team still managed to close the gap to second place in the Championship, which is now only three points away.
The next round in the Extreme E Championship is the Copper X Prix, which will take place on the 24th and the 25th of September in Chile. It will be the first time that the series races in America.
Quotes:
Carlos Sainz, driver:
"Bittersweet feeling today. We didn’t achieve the result we wanted, but we made great progress as a team and we overcame the trickiest situations we have encountered to date in Extreme E. The mechanics did an excellent job and both I and Laia are really grateful to them for their effort. I am confident that what we experienced and learnt in the Island X Prix will make us a stronger contender in the future."
Laia Sanz, driver:
"It bothers me a bit that we leave the Island X Prix without the result that we wanted because we deserved much more. We had to pace to fight for victory each time we were out there on the track and we showed once again that this season we are one of the strongest teams in the Championship. We didn’t manage to convert our potential into good points in Sardinia, mainly due to reasons beyond our control, but now we are more eager than ever to tackle the rest of the calendar."
Joan Orús, Team Principal:
"We are really proud of the work that the drivers did. This week was all about overcoming, solving issues and moving always forward. We expected a really tough weekend after the accident that we suffered on Thursday, but yesterday we still celebrated a victory in our heat in Qualifying 1 and we made our way to the first semi-final. We were full of ambition for the Final, but with the rules of GridPlay the unconditional support of our fans was not enough to pick a good starting position. This compromised the result of the race. In the end, we are left with a fourth place which doesn’t taste like much, because we have quick drivers and incredible mechanics, and we are a big team that aims for race victories. We want to fight in the next X Prix. We will need the support of all our fans to make sure that we are up there in the GridPlay because if we can pick our starting position we will move closer to victory. May everybody believe in us, because we will do it."
