- Sixth in Qualifying, Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz will now race for the team’s first appearance in an Extreme E Final
28 August 2021, Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
The ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team was sixth in the Qualifying session for the Arctic X Prix, which has held this Saturday in an 8.1-kilometre track near the Russell Glacier, in Greenland.
Therefore, Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz will race tomorrow in the first semi-final. If they finish in first or second place (of three cars in total), they will achieve an X Prix final for the first time in the team’s history.
With the new racing format of Extreme E, now both Qualifying sessions award points which then are used to constitute the grid of both semi-finals and the Crazy Race.
After enduring on Friday an electronic issue which appeared during the shakedown and which was not linked to the team, today the ASXE Team was sixth in Qualifying 1 and fifth in Qualifying 2.
This result translates into nine points, placing Carlos and Laia in sixth place overall.
In Qualifying 1, the team recovered from a slow driver change and an issue that prevented Laia from using the extra power of the Hyperdrive during her lap.
The mechanics identified the root of the issue and they solved it on time for Qualifying 2, when Laia was the first driver to get behind the wheel and Carlos completed the second lap to the finish line.
This Sunday, the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team will race against X44 and Veloce Racing in Semi-Final 1. There will be two tickets to the Final at stake.
QUOTES
Carlos Sainz, driver:
"Today many people had issues on track. We struggled a little bit at the beginning because of a technical issue we had yesterday, but we did some changes after Qualifying 1 and Qualifying 2 turned out better. Tomorrow we will be in Semi-Final 1 and our goal is to try to make it to the Final".
Laia Sanz, driver:
"Today was a tough day. Yesterday we didn’t start too well because we had a technical issue, which today ultimately cost me some confidence. The good thing is that we made it to Semi-Final 1 and that anything can happen still. With the mileage and the experience gathered today, I hope to be faster tomorrow and to get a better feeling in the car".
Albert Fàbrega, team principal:
"Today was a tricky day for every team. After the technical issues we had yesterday, which were not linked to the team, we knew that today the most important thing was to gather mileage and experience, and to pick up the speed. We improved throughout the day, both in terms of the set-up of the car and its pace. Laia and Carlos did a great job. The track is really rough. There are many stones out there and it is really easy to make a mistake and damage the car. Therefore, mission accomplished today. We will be racing in the Semi-Final 1, confident and eager to make it to the grand Final, which is our goal".
