Written by William Stephens, Edited by Ishani Aziz
Extreme E returned to Sardinia for the Island X Prix; the first event in the double header! Let’s take a look at some of the action …
Qualifying
Q1 was the traditional time trial where Rosberg X Racing took the top spot after running first. However not everyone had easy running, with the McLaren XE and Veloce Racing teams both having their upgraded front suspension failing, booting them to the bottom of the charts. The sport's most unlucky team continued its streak of poor luck as the HUmmer EV Chip Ganassi car failed to leave the switch zone with a ‘BMS’ error code. A crucial championship challenger X44 also suffered problems with a rear right puncture after pushing it off the rim through two very harsh compressions meaning they would finish last of the running cars.
In Q2 Heat 1, the no 99 Chip Ganassi car stopped on track on the first lap causing a yellow slow zone. This sparked controversy between the Andretti United, and X44 cars. The latter was investigated for overtaking under the yellow, which was not acted upon. Acciona Sainz dominated the second race in Q2 when Veloce made a rather large mistake in the switch zone, getting a penalty for leaving before they should have. Mclaren XE had a better time of it, finishing second, but it still wasn't enough to salvage a semi-final spot.
Semi-Finals
Semi-final 1 saw RXR take the win, securing the maximum points before the final, extending their championship lead. Xite Energy had a changed lineup, and finished second, providing the team with its final appearance in the championship. Andretti United were the first to end the first set of events, giving them time to learn and improve for the weekend's second event.
JBXE won in the Semi-final 2, with the Veloce reserve driver, Hedda Hosâs taking the car to the flag in her first event in the championship. Acciona Sainz took the flag in second ahead of title challengers X44, preventing them from reaching the final and almost ending the title hunt for the team. The race started spectacularly, after the Mclaren XE car rolled going into the lane after contact with the ABT Cupra team. This left Veloce and Chip Ganassi to fight for the win with the latter coming ahead of the former.
Final
The final started with an equally hard crash, this time at Waypoint 2, where the lines merged between RXR and Acciona Sainz. Carlos Sainz Sr. rolled severely, taking a wheel off in the process and causing a red flag and 30-second post-race penalty for RXR. The latter won on the road after an incredible fight from Chip Ganassi before penalties were applied. Xite Energy finished second ahead of the penalised RXR car and JBXE who also received a penalty.
Overall an eventful couple of days for the Island X Prix!