Press release

Positive collective test for the Acciona | Sainz XE Team in Alcañiz

19 December 2020

Alcañiz, 19th December 2020 – The Acciona | Sainz XE Team concluded the second and final day of the collective tests of the Extreme E, the brand-new off-road electric series born to help preserve the environment. The drivers Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz drove the car on both days and successfully completed the run plan prepared by the team. The main focus was on optimizing the team and giving drivers time to adjust themselves to their new machine.

The organizers of the Extreme E series prepared two gravel tracks so the teams could gather mileage and experience in the one and only collective test of the entire pre-season. Teams ran one day in each circuit, just so there was room for every participant and they could make the most of the time available. The track activity went on from 09:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 17:00, with a three-hour break that was used to recharge the battery of the car.

Carlos and Laia took turns at the wheel of the Odyssey 21 as they got to know the electric car that they will be racing later in 2021 in five global locations affected by climate change. Their man focus was on getting the feel of the car and getting work done ahead of April, given that the next time they will sit behind the wheel will be in the first round of the series.

The engineers of the Acciona | Sainz XE Team worked on the set-up of the car and the energy management of the power-unit. Both factors will play a major role in this ground-breaking new sport.

Today, the team received the visit from Carlos Sainz Jr, who came to the track straight from Maranello just to get to know first hand the evolution of the project. The Spanish Formula 1 driver is a stake-holder in the Acciona | Sainz XE Team. He got behind the wheel and talked to the drivers and the team personnel.

The car and all the material of the team will be shipped by sea on January on the RMS St. Helena, which will sail to Saudi Arabia for the first round of the series, scheduled for the 3rd and the 4th of April.

The first and only two days of testing are over. The car is in one piece, which is important. I think it was a positive test, because we learnt some things. Still, I believe it was not representative of what we will find once we start the racing season, so it still takes a little imagination. Now is the time to analyse everything and do our homework to make sure that we are as well prepared as we can be for Saudi Arabia. When we get there, we will discover a new way of racing and we will also get to see how the car behaves in the desert, which is something that we haven’t been able to check so far. Many things will be new for us, so it will be important to react quickly as we adapt ourselves to the different circumstances and conditions of this new series

Carlos Sainz Driver

I think that it has been really positive to do these two days of testing. We have tested the full power of the car and we have seen how it performs, and we have also gotten a first glimpse of our rivals. For me, the important thing is to gather mileage and track-time and to further develop my understanding of motorsport on four wheels. I finished Day 1 much happier than I was at the start of it and today felt rather short, because the track was already very dirty and I would have liked to do more laps. Still, I am happy and I am already looking forward to see what can I do to improve as a driver. I hope that we get to do some practice once the Dakar is over.

Laia Sanz Driver

We are very satisfied after these two days of collective testing in Motorland, Alcañiz. We prepared an ambitious run plan and we were able to complete it entirely. We didn’t have any setbacks and both Carlos and Laia did an excellent job that allowed us to improve and advance with the set-up of the car, both in terms of suspensions and in the powertrain. There is still a lot of work to be done, but we leave with the feeling that we are already ready to face the start of the championship

Albert Fàbrega Team principal