ACCIONA | SAINZ very happy with Arctic X Prix podium but “must keep improving”

KANGERLUSSUAQ, GREENLAND - AUGUST 29: 3rd position, Laia Sanz/Carlos Sainz (ESP), Acciona | Sainz XE Team with trophy during the Arctic X-Prix at Kangerlussuaq on August 29, 2021 in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. (Photo by Sam Bloxham / LAT Images)
© Sam Bloxham

Rally legend and now Extreme E podium-finisher Carlos Sainz has said that the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team must continue to improve, following the squad’s maiden podium at the Artic X Prix last month, as the Extreme E championship only continues to get tougher.

The Spanish team added a new chapter to its history books in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, achieving its first target of qualifying for an X Prix final by finishing second in Semi-Final 1. Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz battled with the X44 and Veloce Racing teams for a place in the final, Sainz leading on lap one before Sanz completed the task after the Switch Zone.

Thanks to votes from fans, ACCIONA | Sainz also won GridPlay, giving the team the right to choose its starting position for that all-important final. Starting from the middle lane, the team delivered a strong performance, managing risk over reward and climbed from fifth to third during the race to secure its first Extreme E race trophy.

© Zak Mauger

"I’m very happy with the team’s first podium in Extreme E,” said Sainz. “Maybe we had in our side the good luck that was avoiding us in the previous events, but luck always tends to balance itself. We are very pleased, but we know that we have to keep improving because the championship is getting tighter. The two remaining X Prixs will be very tough".

The team now holds fifth place in the standings with 61 points in total, just 15 points behind a top-three position with two rounds remaining.

Speaking about the Arctic X Prix, Laia Sanz said: "I am very pleased with this result and very happy for the team and for Carlos. The start of the weekend wasn’t easy at all because we had a technical issue in Free Practice that was beyond our control, and I didn’t feel comfortable on Saturday during Qualifying, but today I felt an improvement, and I am very happy with the result we achieved in the Final”.