- Nico Rosberg’s team now sit 4 points behind leaders ACCIONA | SAINZ XE in the championship standings
SARDINIA: Rosberg X Racing have emerged the big winners in round six of Extreme E Season 3, marking back-to-back victories at the Island X Prix, co-organized and coordinated by the Automobile Club d’Italia and Regione Sardegna.
Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky and Johan Kristoffersson reached the top step of the podium for the second time this weekend, becoming the first team to do so in the new doubleheader format.
The haul of championship points sees Nico Rosberg’s RXR outfit leapfrog Veloce Racing in the standings, and are now just four points off the lead, at the halfway point of the season.
The victorious Kristoffersson said: “We had a great weekend here in Sardinia, which seems to be a proper RXR island. Yesterday we managed to take the win from a very tricky grid slot, and then today, we found ourselves in the same slot again but went for a different tactic, and when I saw a small gap I went for it. For a split second, I regretted it because there was no space, but I managed to get through, and from there, I managed the pace quite well.
“We also had a brilliant switch and managed to open that gap a bit more, and from there on, Mikaela (Ahlin-Kottulinsky) did a fantastic job bringing it home. Today was the perfect day winning all three of our races, and the car has been in perfect condition. A big thanks to the team, the mechanics and everyone for making this possible. It’s great to be back in the fight for the championship.”
Teammate Ahlin-Kottulinsky said: “Wow, what an epic weekend. We had really good pace all weekend, and the team worked so hard to get the car in the perfect shape every time. Today, I thought it would be hard at the start, but Johan (Kristoffersson) just did what Johan does best. When I took over, there was some pressure from Laia (Sanz) behind me, but I tried to keep it tidy and keep the lines. It just feels surreal to have two wins in Sardinia. It’s epic.”
Rosberg, CEO and founder of RXR, said: “The level of competition in Extreme E is world class, and so to win two races this weekend is absolutely epic. During yesterday’s final we were last after the start and managed an incredible comeback, and today we were second to last but the others had a tangle and we managed to slip through. Huge driving from Johan and Mikaela means we’re now back in the championship battle.”
The runners-up once again were the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team, that retained their lead at the top of the championship standings with 109 points, having also stood on the second step of the podium in round five. Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E completed the podium, after a sensational overtake at the death from Catie Munnings that saw the team seize third from No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing.
Extreme E returns to action for rounds seven and eight from Sept. 16-17, with the location to be revealed soon.
Results
Grand Final
Rosberg X Racing: 8:54.133
ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team: +444 seconds
Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E: +7.185 seconds
No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing: +7.759 seconds
JBXE: +13.028 seconds
Championship points
ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team: 109
Rosberg X Racing: 105
Veloce Racing: 95
No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing: 80
X44 Vida Carbon Racing: 59
Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E: 55
NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team: 44
ABT CUPRA XE: 40
Carl Cox Motorsport: 26
JBXE: 26
