Our team

ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team is the only Spanish team in Extreme E, the ground-breaking electric off-road championship that visits landscapes threatened by climate change in order to raise awareness about the climate emergency.

The team is a joint project between ACCIONA, QEV Technologies and Carlos Sainz, who is also a race driver for the team together with Laia Sanz from the very first season of the championship. The Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr is also involved in the ownership of the team.

One of the biggest strengths of the ASXE Team is the competitiveness of its drivers. Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz have multiple world championships and are widely regarded as Spain’s biggest stars in their respective motorsport series.

Sainz is a two-times Rally world champion and three times Dakar Rally winner, while Sanz is transitioning from two wheels to four after clinching fourteen world titles in trial and six in Enduro, among other achievements.

QEV Technologies is behind the technical structure of the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team. QEV is a leading Spanish company in the field of electromobility and has a great racing record in international competitions.

Based next to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, QEV has been involved in the development of electric hypercars and managed teams to championship glory in the Formula E Championship.
The team principal of ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team is Joan Orús, CEO of QEV Technologies. He has also developed this role in the past in the Formula E Championship.

2022: FIGHTING FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP UNTIL THE VERY END

The ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team made a step forward in the 2022 season and was involved in the championship fight until the very last round of the calendar. In the end, though, it had to settle for third place.

Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz were teammates once again and they rapidly showed everybody that they were one of the strongest pairings in Extreme E. They clinched three podiums in five races, including two second places in Saudi Arabia and Chile, the best result of the team to date.

The season started in Neom, Saudi Arabia, home to the Desert X Prix. It didn’t take long to notice the growth of the team. The drivers of the ASXE Team did a brilliant start and led the race until the very last lap when another car managed to find a way past them.

This second place was a great boost for the team. The next round was in Sardinia, Italy. The ASXE Team was in the fight for the win, but the weekend came to an end sooner than expected when another car hit Carlos Sainz from behind.

The crash was so heavy that Carlos was taken to a local hospital to do a medical check-up. He did not suffer any serious injuries. The car of the team, though, was so damaged that it was necessary to turn back to Spark’s development chassis in order to be in the grid of the second heat of the Island X Prix.
Even though there was barely any time to set up the new car, the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team still managed to reach the final and finish the race in fourth place, scoring vital points to stay in the fight for the championship.

The series then travelled to South America.

Chile played host to the Copper X Prix, where the chances of the ASXE Team were once again compromised by another car. Still, the team managed to overcome the accident and put together a splendid recovery drive, ultimately climbing up to second due to several penalties.

The ASXE Team was third in the championship with one race to go. The title was still possible, although difficult.

Sadly, though, it wasn’t possible. Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz put together a great performance in the Qualifying session, but it all went wrong in the semi-finals. There was a crash and the car rolled over twice, suffering extensive damage and losing up to 100 horse power. In this conditions, Carlos and Laia couldn’t do anything to advance to the finals and fight for the title.
The ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team finished the 2022 Extreme E season in the third place of the Teams’ and Drivers’ Championships, and made a big step forward to establish itself as one of the strongest forces in the series.

2021: EXTREME E DEBUT

The story of ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team in the Extreme E Championship began in December 2020 in Alcañiz, Spain, where the series hosted two days of winter testing. It was the first time that the teams got to work with their respective off-road vehicles.

It was also Carlos Sainz’s and Laia Sanz’s first time at the wheel of the Odyssey 21. The test was also useful for the team mechanics and engineers, who got to learn about the set-up and the energy management of the car.

Once the testing was over, the car was shipped to Saudi Arabia in the Sainte Helena for the first round of the season.

The Desert X Prix was the first X Prix ever to take place and ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team was at its starting grid as one of the founding teams.

Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz set the second fastest time in Qualifying and advanced to the first semi-final, although they ended up missing the final due to an incident of a rival.

Their luck didn’t improve in the following round, Dakar’s Ocean X Prix in Senegal, where a water leak in the radiator during Qualifying compromised any chances.

But all the work paid off in Greenland’s Arctic X Prix, where Carlos and Laia finished third and clinched their maiden podium in the series.

The Greenland race proved the team could be competitive, but sadly the 2021 season didn’t finish as everyone expected.

In the fourth round, Sardinia’s Island X Prix, the gearbox failed during the semi-final, leaving Carlos and Laia out of the final.

The Spanish team managed to fight back in Dorset’s Jurassic X Prix, the last round of the calendar, where they scored their second podium despite the poor visibility and a troubled start.

Throughout the 2021 season it became obvious that ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team had one of the most powerful driver line-ups in the series. Carlos was among the fastest and Laia’s growth was exponential as she gained more and more experience racing on four wheels. Their chances were compromised by reliability.

Instead of giving up, the team decided to work even harder through the winter with one goal in mind: to take a significant leap forward in 2022.