Carlos Sainz's team claim long-awaited victory at Desert X Prix Round 2

Laia Sanz and Mattias Ekström, supported on-site by team owner Carlos Sainz Snr., dominated the race from start to finish, establishing a comfortable lead as Veloce Racing and RXR fought over the runners-up spot.

In fourth place were ABT CUPRA XE, having recovered well from a crash in Round 1’s Redemption Race to make it to the Grand Final second time around.

No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing finished fifth, marking two Grand Finals out of two for the team’s new driver-pairing of RJ Anderson and Extreme E newcomer Amanda Sorensen.

Winners of the Redemption Race were X44 Vida Carbon Racing. aving tied fifth in Qualifying with eventual Round 2 winners, ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team, Fraser McConnell and Cristina Gutiérrez lost out on a spot in the Grand Final due to a slower time in the Continental Traction Challenge.

X44 Vida Carbon Racing came back swinging, ending Round 2 with the quickest time in the Traction Challenge on their way to victory in the Redemption Race, securing a valuable 10 points in the championship battle.

The Desert X Prix double-header delivered two maiden victories, with wins for Veloce Racing and ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team. What’s more, with the Round 2 podium featuring the same top three teams from Round 1, they will be the ones to watch as the series heads into the next X Prix weekend in Scotland on May 13-14.

Laia Sanz, ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team, said: “I am very happy, both for myself and the team. We clinched our maiden win in Extreme E! I want to thank Mattias for giving me the car with such a good advantage over the rest of the field. I did a good stint and was able to keep the distance, so I am more than satisfied.

"This victory is for all the people on the team because they truly deserve it for all the work we have done to be in this position, especially for Carlos Sainz. It was an honor that he called me to ask if I wanted to race with him in Extreme E and I am trying to pay back his trust with all my motivation and my willingness to improve even further. I learned so much with him as my teammate and it is fantastic that he is with us here, helping us and giving advice. Today we can feel proud, but we must keep up the good work.”

Mattias Ekström, ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team, said: “We had designed a strategy for the Grand Final and I executed it as well as I could. I am really happy that it turned out to be fruitful. It is always easier to race in front and have a clear view in front than being behind another car and having to deal with all the dust. I really enjoyed every corner. Laia drove very well and managed the gap perfectly. It is a good victory for the team.

"It is also very special for Carlos. We have been teammates at the Dakar Rally for the past two years, but ever since I joined ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team he has been really caring. He has taught me many things, as a father would. He is a great guy and it makes me really happy that we can dedicate this victory to him.”

Carlos Sainz Snr., ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team, added: “I am really happy that the first victory of ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team is finally here because we have worked a lot of time to achieve it. Laia and Mattias were spectacular and they already showed that they are one of the strongest driver pairings in the Championship.

"We have grown steadily and so have our results. Starting the Championship in this fashion is a good sign. We must keep up the good work and I hope the team is able to keep the same trend in the next race because our goal is to fight for the Championship. Today is also a day to be thankful to our sponsors, like Acciona, Santander Private Banking, and Asterra because without them it would be really difficult to achieve a success like this.”

Grand Final

As the top five teams from Qualifying took on the Grand Final in Extreme E, Ekström set the tone for the race as he charged into the lead for ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team.

Behind the Swede, Veloce Racing’s Kevin Hansen dug deep to get ahead of RXR’s Johan Kristoffersson to take second place, as the RXR machine bounced sideways through the dips in the course.

Just as the front three got some breathing space from No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing’s Anderson and ABT CUPRA XE’s Klara Andersson in fourth and fifth, respectively, Hansen accidentally hit the pit limiter. The Veloce Racing ODYSSEY 21 dropped back into third while Hansen recovered from the sudden loss of speed.

Ekström continued to extend his lead for ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team as the other teams lost time tussling for position, with Kristoffersson defending hard against Hansen until the Veloce Racing driver took a wider line and completed the overtake on RXR for second place.

Following the driver change, which saw Veloce Racing’s Molly Taylor and RXR’s Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky door-to-door as they exited the Switch Zone, it was a comfortable run for Sanz in the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team car.

The Spaniard kept a cool head to complete a clean run, while Taylor brought her ODYSSEY 21 home in second for Veloce Racing.

RXR’s Åhlin-Kottulinsky fended off Nasser Al-Attiyah in the final stages of the race to claim the third step on the podium, with ABT CUPRA XE finishing fourth after Al-Attiyah got past No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing’s Sorensen.

Molly Taylor, Veloce Racing, said: "It was a really cool weekend for us and a great way to start the new season! For me coming back in – I’ve obviously been out of the car for a little while – so you like to have confidence and belief in yourself but then you’ve obviously got to get out there and prove yourself.

"The new format means there’s more racing which is a good thing and more fun for sure. We’ve seen how close everyone is. The teams that were on the podium were fast but there were plenty of teams that were also very fast and not on the podium."

Kevin Hansen, Veloce Racing, said: "It has been great to kick off the season like this and to get two podiums to start the year. For sure it was a big challenge, and the ruts were almost the same height as the car at some points in the finals but we managed to come through.

"It was a treat to start this way but there were the same three teams up there on the podium so we can expect all the others to improve as well before the next race and we need to do the same."

Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, Rosberg X Racing, said: "Getting a double podium on a weekend like this is obviously great, but it has also been a tough weekend. I found it hard to pick up pace and be in there, but I’ve really been struggling to improve and to get better.

"We are happy with P3 today and, of course, it was a shame about yesterday, but it’s so important just to collect points. There are so many great teams out there, so to be in the Grand Final every time and keep collecting those points is what is going to get you the championship in the end."

Johan Kristoffersson, Rosberg X Racing, said: "The track was very challenging but was rewarding if you were prepared to take risks. In the final today, I was a little bit too cautious and that allowed Kevin [Hansen] to pass me, but I think the weekend wasn’t too bad.

"It always feels a little bit like you left something on the table, especially yesterday and maybe today with that overtaking from Kevin, but in the end you know with the new format and tricky start conditions from both Q1’s Saturday and Sunday, to score important points is good."

Redemption Race

The remaining five teams fought it out in the Redemption Race in pursuit of those all important sixth to tenth place championship points.

Carl Cox Motorsport looked to have taken an early lead in the race as Timo Scheider pushed his ODYSSEY 21 to the limit, bouncing round the outside of the opening right-hander. X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s Fraser McConnell, however, stuck to his trusted inside line to jump to the front of the pack.

Behind them was Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E’s Timmy Hansen, followed by NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team’s Tanner Foust in fourth, and JBXE’s Heikki Kovalainen in fifth, until Foust pulled out onto a wider line and cut back in to overtake Hansen for third place.

Scheider kept just two seconds adrift of X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s McConnell as the German ran in second for Carl Cox Motorsport. Meanwhile the front three pulled away from Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E and JBXE, and as they approached the Switch Zone Scheider was late on the brakes, making contact with McConnell as they entered.

Carl Cox Motorsport managed to get the better of X44 Vida Carbon Racing at the driver change, as Christine GZ emerged ahead of Cristina Gutiérrez. The X44 Vida Carbon Racing driver soon retook the lead, however, as the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team continued a trouble free run behind.

The same cannot be said for Carl Cox Motorsport’s GZ and JBXE’s Hedda Hösas, though, as both suffered a roll during their stint. GZ was able to crawl home in fourth, handing second and third place to NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team and Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E, respectively, while JBXE ended their Desert X Prix with a DNF.

Results:

Grand Final:
1. ACCIONA SAINZ XE Team 11:10.821
2. Veloce Racing +5.527
3. Rosberg X Racing +7.429
4. ABT CUPRA XE +7.987
5. No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing +22.321

Redemption Race:
1. X44 Vida Carbon Racing 11:10.132
2. NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team +10.150
3. Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E +33.296
4. Carl Cox Motorsport +2:43.534 (PENALISED)
5. JBXE DNF

Championship Standings:
1. Veloce Racing: 46 points
2. ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team: 46 points
3. Rosberg X Racing: 31 points
4. X44 Vida Carbon Racing: 23 points
5. No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing: 21 points
6. ABT CUPRA XE: 15 points
7. NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team: 14 points
8. Carl Cox Motorsport: 8 points
9. JBXE: 5 points
10. Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E: 5 points 

Extreme E:

Simra Gulzar, Communications Supervisor
E: media@extreme-e.com / T:+44 7552 858229

Josh Bell, MPA Creative:     
E: jb@mpacreative.com  / T: +44 7557 102540

Diego Bustos, BE Mass Media (Latin America -including Brazil-, US Hispanics, Spain, Portugal)
E: diego.bustos@bemassmedia.com / +569-8829-9138 or +1-660-847-4645

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Extreme E:

Now heading into its third season, Extreme E is a radical off-road racing series, founded by the same team behind Formula E, which showcases electric SUVs and futuristic technologies in some of the world’s most remote and challenging environments.

This five-event global voyage utilises its sporting platform for the purpose of promoting electrification, environment and equality. The series’ goal is to highlight the impact of climate change in some of the world’s most endangered environments, promote the adoption of electric vehicles to pave the way for a lower carbon future, and provide a world-first gender-equal motorsport platform.

The first sport to ever be built out of a social purpose, Extreme E aims to minimise environmental impact while maximising awareness, racing in places that have already been damaged or affected by climate change or human interference and taking fans deep into the heart of the most pressing issues facing our planet’s future.

Not only that, but Extreme E is also helping the car industry to develop future-facing technology using racing as a platform for road innovation, which accelerates change ten-fold.

Season 3 Calendar: 

Saudi Arabia
11-12 March 2023
Scotland
13-14 May 2023
Sardinia, Italy
08-09 July 2023
Amazon/USA
16-17 September 2023
Chile
02-03 December 2023

About NEOM:
NEOM is an accelerator of human progress and a vision of what a New Future might look like. It is a region in northwest Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea being built from the ground up as a living laboratory – a place where entrepreneurship will chart the course for this New Future. It will be a destination and a home for people who dream big and want to be part of building a new model for exceptional livability, creating thriving businesses and reinventing environmental conservation.

NEOM will include hyperconnected, cognitive towns and cities, ports and enterprise zones, research centers, sports and entertainment venues and tourist destinations. As a hub for innovation, entrepreneurs, business leaders and companies will come to research, incubate and commercialize new technologies and enterprises in groundbreaking ways. Residents of NEOM will embody an international ethos and embrace a culture of exploration, risk-taking and diversity.

For further information email media@neom.com or visit www.neom.comand www.neom.com/en-us/newsroom

About ENOWA:
ENOWA is a world-class energy, water and hydrogen company founded in NEOM, Saudi Arabia. ENOWA produces and delivers clean and sustainable resources for industrial and commercial applications using a customer-centric smart and connected system, designed to be circular and takes advantage of NEOM's optimal solar and wind energy profile. ENOWA benefits from NEOM's greenfield site, which has no legacy infrastructure, to advance Energy, Water, and Hydrogen innovation.

ENOWA will act as a catalyst and incubator for developing new, sustainable energy and water businesses while creating a robust economic sector regionally. Through its commitment to renewable energy and efficient water management, ENOWA seeks to become a global reference for industry leaders and setting a benchmark for sustainable economic circular systems around the world.

For more information, please visit: enowa.neom.com

About Continental Tires: Founding Partner and Official Tire Partner
Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent, and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation.

The tyres business area has 24 production and development locations worldwide. Continental is one of the leading tyre manufacturers with more than 56,000 employees and offers a broad product range for passenger cars, commercial and special-purpose vehicles as well as two-wheelers. Through continuous investment in research and development, Continental makes a major contribution to safe, cost effective and ecologically efficient mobility. The portfolio of the tyres business area includes services for the tyre trade and fleet applications, as well as digital management systems for tyres.

Continental has developed a new high-performance tyre for Extreme E Season 2, redesigned to include the use of more sustainable materials. Each of the 30 tyres that Continental has supplied to all ten Extreme E teams now contains recycled polyester made from approximately 60 PET bottles.  In total, around a third of each second-generation CrossContact Extreme E tyre consists of recycled and renewable raw materials.

About Kaizen Clean Energy: Official Clean Energy Technology Provider
Kaizen Clean Energy (KCE), a manufacturer of hydrogen generators, is developing integrated solutions for electric vehicle (EV) charging, hydrogen fuelling, and distributed power for the grid and critical assets.

KCE offers its mobile microgrid to customers through an Energy as a Service contract, which eliminates large capital expenses and provides customers with the flexibility to scale with energy needs over time.

Kaizen Clean Energy will support ENOWA - NEOM’s energy, water, and hydrogen subsidiary and Green Hydrogen Power Partner to Extreme E - in delivering a pioneering hydrogen microgrid solution to the championship.

Find out more on: www.kaizencleanenergy.com.

About Zenith: Official Timekeeper and Founding Partner
Zenith exists to inspire individuals to pursue their dreams and make them come true – against all odds. Since its establishment in 1865, Zenith became the first watch manufacture in the modern sense of the term, and its watches have accompanied extraordinary figures that dreamt big and strived to achieve the impossible – from Louis Blériot’s history-making flight across the English Channel to Felix Baumgartner’s record-setting stratospheric free-fall jump. Zenith is also highlighting visionary and trailblazing women – past and present – by celebrating their accomplishments and creating in 2020 its first-ever collection dedicated entirely to them, Defy Midnight.

With innovation as its guiding star, Zenith features exceptional in-house developed and manufactured movements in all its watches. Since the creation of the El Primero in 1969, the world’s first automatic chronograph calibre, Zenith has gone on to master fractions of the second with the Chronomaster Sport and its 1/10th of a second precision and the DEFY 21 with a precision of 1/100th of a second.

About Allianz: Founding Partner and Official Insurance Partner
The Allianz Group is one of the world's leading insurers and asset managers with more than 100 million private and corporate customers in more than 70 countries. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. Allianz is one of the world’s largest investors, managing around 790 billion euros on behalf of its insurance customers. Furthermore, our asset managers PIMCO and Allianz Global Investors manage 1.7 trillion euros of third-party assets.

About Vodafone Business: Official Technology and Communication Partner
With expertise in connectivity, global scale and the leading IoT platform, Vodafone Business is a leading technology communications company helping organisations succeed in a digital world and keeping society connected. Vodafone’s purpose is to connect for a better future, enabling an inclusive and sustainable digital society, and many of its solutions have sustainability and inclusivity embedded.

Unique in its scale as the largest pan-European and African technology communications company, Vodafone transforms the way we live and work through its innovation, technology, connectivity, platforms, products and services. Vodafone operates mobile and fixed networks in 21 countries, and partners with mobile networks in 52 more.  As of 31 December 2021, they had over 300m mobile customers, more than 28m fixed broadband customers and over 22m TV customers.

This collaboration will see Vodafone Business leading innovations and capabilities such as 5G, MPN, IOT and MEC, integrated into Extreme E’s global operations and will include full involvement in the purpose- driven elements of the series, with special prominence on Extreme E’s Legacy Programmes and the Science Laboratory on board the St Helena.Through its IOT solutions, Vodafone Business is helping sustainability efforts, including agriculture, forestation and decarbonisation of energy grids.

Find out more on http://www.Vodafone.com/business  and follow Vodafone on its social media channels:

Twitter: @VodafoneGroup
LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/vodafone

About ALLCOT: Extreme E’s Official Environmental Credit Supplier
ALLCOT provides innovative project development, carbon markets, and sustainability advisory services since 2009.ALLCOT’s unique approach is based on using Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, its linkage to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), non-market approaches, and other market mechanisms.

ALLCOT aims to lead and accelerate the global transition towards a climate-neutral society by 2050. ALLCOT provides knowledge and expertise to implement climate change intervention initiatives and carbon projects that rely on nature-based and technology-based approaches.

ALLCOT supports firms and public bodies in developing their own emission reduction initiatives by providing consulting services for various carbon quantification standards (CDM, VCS, GS), as well as for various sectors (forestry, waste, renewable energy, transportation, sports). The entire carbon credit value chain is encompassed by these consulting services created under the Paris agreement.

Find out more: www.allcot.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allcot/

About CBMM: Founding Supplier
CBMM | Niobium is a founding supplier of Extreme E and the Championship’s official Niobium Technology Supplier and Chassis Technology Supplier.

Critical to the automotive sector, niobium produces stronger, lighter and more sustainable cars with better energy efficiency. Its technologies are already widely applied in different areas, including light-weighting, safety, emissions reduction and electronics that will help lead to a sustainable sector transformation. Key applications of niobium in the Mobility sector include chassis, brakes and exhaust systems, drivetrains, batteries and EV charging stations and any number of ancillary components. Its qualities mean materials can be made lighter, stronger, more robust and more reliable – all while being more sustainable than other materials. 

CBMM offers technical innovation to customers around the globe through a team of over 2,000 highly trained, dedicated professionals providing cutting-edge niobium products and technology to over 400 clients in around 40 countries.

About Neat Burger: Official Plant-based Partner
Neat Burger is one of the world’s fastest growing plant-based sustainable burger chains, backed by key investors Formula 1 Champion and X44 Extreme E team owner, Lewis Hamilton, and actor and environmentalist, Leonardo DiCaprio.

Established in 2019, Neat Burger has achieved not only a loyal fanbase but industry recognition too, having won for a second year running the UK’s Best Vegan Restaurant of the Year at the Deliveroo Restaurant Awards and it was nominated for the 2021 GQ Food & Drink Sustainability Award. Most recently, the brand was awarded PETA’s inaugural Company of the Year Award for its game changing approach to plant-based diets, encouraging people to eat delicious, protein-packed plant-based meals.

As part of its mission to create a sustainable future, Neat Burger is working with Eden Reforestation Projects on its large scale reforestation initiatives. In 2021, Neat Burger funded the planting of over one million mangrove trees in Madagascar.

About EY: Official Innovation Partner
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, strategy, transaction and consulting services. The insights and quality services they deliver help build trust and confidence in capital markets and in economies the world over. EY develops outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, they play a critical role in building a better working world for their people, for their clients and for their communities.

EY originally joined the Championship to help Extreme E achieve its commitment of minimizing the overall footprint whilst creating a positive legacy. In collaborating with Extreme E, EY has become a vital part of creating an Environment Impact Assessment framework which further drives the championship in the direction of positive change. Whilst Extreme E strives to race without leaving a trace, the framework provided by EY has allowed the championship to minimize its environmental impact across each race location. Both prior and post-racing impact assessments have allowed Extreme E to strategically plan their actions within these areas.

About INTERprotección: Official Insurance Broker
INTERprotección is composed of a group of Mexican insurance, reinsurance and surety bond brokerage companies. With global presence and recognition, INTERprotección has more than 40 years of experience in management and comprehensive risk consulting in the Mexican market. Its business model is focused on bringing the client to the forefront and offering them the best service through innovative and disruptive products, more recently with its new brand inter.mx,  its insurance digital platform that is transforming the insurtech game.

About LuisaViaRoma: Official Fashion Partner
Defined by the Financial Times as “a haven for directional fashion,” LUISAVIAROMA.COM is the top online luxury fashion destination with 5,000,000 visitors per month and worldwide shipping. With each new season, the website presents the collections of more than 600 established designers and young emerging talents.

About Enel X Way: Official Smart Charging Partner
Enel X Way is the Enel Group's new global business line entirely dedicated to electric mobility. Currently, Enel X Way manages approximately 320,000 charging points, both directly and through interoperability agreements in place worldwide1. As a global platform for e-mobility, the company is focused on developing flexible charging technologies and solutions to improve the customer experience by supporting the electrification of transport for consumers, businesses, cities and public administrations.

Find out more on https://enelxway.it/en/home  and follow Enel X Way on its social media channels:

LinkedIn: Enel X Way
Twitter: @enelxway
Instagram: @enelxway 
Facebook: @enelxway

¹ Public and private charging points, including points of interoperability.