On the same weekend that Formula 1 was having its 17th round of 2021 in Texas and the 2nd round of Vios Challenge Season 4 was being run in Malaysia, the fourth round of the Extreme E series took place in Sardinia, an island adjacent to Italy. Unlike the cars in the other two events, those in Extreme E do not consume any petrol or diesel and emit virtually zero toxic emissions. They are fully electric SUVs and the series is all-new, with a focus on environmental issues as well.
The round in Sardinia – called the Enel X Island X Prix – was won by Rosberg X Racing (RXR), which made it 3 wins from 4 rounds. This puts the team, owned and managed by former F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg, in a commanding championship lead.
“It was pretty slippery out there, so it was a bit difficult to judge at first. From that point, it was just trying to manage the risk and I think that is what we did really well. Johan brought it home and again it was just an amazing effort by all of the team. We had a very challenging weekend from our side, but we never gave up and are very happy to be the winners here,” said RXR’s Molly Taylor, who was partnered with Johan Kristoffersson.
Consistent in changing conditions
The RXR drivers remained consistent in changing conditions to seal a dramatic victory ahead of ABT CUPRA XE, who secured their best result of the season in second. It was heartbreak, though, for long-time leaders in the Final – SEGI TV Chip Ganassi Racing – after Sara Price’s crash on Lap 2 caused terminal damage and meant she had to stop on track, ensuring the team could only finish as high as fourth on their Finals debut.
That moved JBXE into their third podium finish in succession with third place despite also suffering damage out on the course. Bad luck once again befell X44, the fastest qualifiers, in the final as Sebastien Loeb was forced to stop out on track and retire with broken steering. Loeb was running in second behind SEGI TV’s Kyle LeDuc despite driving with a slow puncture at the time of the stoppage, which meant the team now fall even further behind winners and championship leaders RXR in the standings.
Wet Final, new challenges
A heavy downpour prior to lights out made for the first ‘wet’ Final of the Extreme E season, providing the 5 finalists with a new challenge to overcome in their bid for victory. X44 was able to take their place in the Final despite suffering heavy damage in the opening Semi-Final of the day. In a sign of the unique camaraderie demonstrated across the Extreme E paddock, X44’s efforts to rebuild their damaged car were boosted by the support of mechanics and engineering teams from the Andretti United Extreme E team. The joint efforts ensure that their ODYSSEY 21 e-SUV WAS ready in time for the Enel X Island X Prix showpiece.
In treacherous conditions, 4 of the 5 teams were able to get off the start line cleanly, although ABT CUPRA XE were left with plenty of work to do after Jutta Kleinschmidt stalled on the grid. It looked like X44 had staged a remarkable comeback to lead into the first corner, but were beaten spectacularly by LeDuc who managed to get in front after using the alternate route.
A spin for Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky put JBXE at the back of the field, while the slow-starting Kleinschmidt quickly made up ground on RXR’s Taylor to battle for third. This soon became a 3-way tussle for second as Loeb began to lose pace as he struggled with a slow puncture, allowing LeDuc to build an impressive lead out in front.
After Loeb was forced to retire with broken steering, Taylor and Kleinschmidt remained nose-to-tail in their battle for second as they headed towards the Driver Switch zone. As LeDuc exited his car in the zone following a superb opening lap, it appeared the so-far luckless team was about to complete a heroic turnaround and bring home their first Extreme E win. However, they were cruelly denied as Price suffered terminal damage to her car after making contact with a rock out on the course, which ruled them out of contention for victory and meant they could only finish as high as fourth.
This left RXR’s Kristoffersson in the lead and chased by Mattias Ekstrom, who continued on at great speed despite driving without his left-hand door throughout the lap! The ABT CUPRA XE driver was no match for Kristoffersson, though, who kept up the pressure to extend his lead and take RXR’s third win of the campaign and put his team as the firm favourites for championship glory at the final of the season in the in December.
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