X44 Vida Carbon Racing took their first victory of the season in a dramatic first Antofagasta Minerals Copper X Prix Final in Chile for Extreme E. Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez finished second on course, but penalties for on track winners Emma Gilmour and Tanner Foust (NEOM McLaren Extreme E) dropped the team down the standings.
Following the penalties for NEOM McLaren Extreme E and No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing, ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team took second place and ABT CUPRA XE secured their first podium of Extreme E Season 2 with third.
“It was actually a really amazing weekend, so many positives,” commented Gilmour. “The whole team has shown stuff that we have worked on over the first three rounds.
“We’ve really shown how much we’ve grown as a team, how strong we are and how competitive we are. Really happy with our efforts and it’s a shame we had a few penalties in the Final. Overall, really positive.”
The scene was set for a thrilling climax to the Antofagasta Minerals Copper X Prix Final, with all three of Rosberg X Racing’s nearest championship rivals lining up on the start line after technical issues robbed the championship leaders (RXR) a shot at securing the title this weekend.
Loeb took the lead for X44 Vida Carbon Racing in the opening corners, while behind Tanner Foust muscled through the field to put NEOM McLaren Extreme E in second.
As the teams tussled for position, No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle LeDuc took third place from Carlos Sainz Snr. despite a half-spin after passing the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team.
ABT CUPRA XE’s Nasser Al-Attiyah kept the other teams in his sights as all five ODYSSEY 21s remained close, with Foust putting more and more pressure on Loeb out in front.
The American threw everything he had into a left-hander, passing Loeb while sideways to put NEOM McLaren Extreme E at the front of the pack as the teams neared the Switch Zone.
The fight for the win fell to Gilmour and Gutiérrez, and the Spaniard made clever use of her ENOWA Hyperdrive to steal the lead for X44 Vida Carbon Racing early on in their first lap.
The front two pulled away from No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing’s Sara Price in third, while Extreme E debutant Klara Andersson continued to impress for ABT CUPRA XE as she held off Laia Sanz in fifth for the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team.
More wheel-to-wheel action between X44 Vida Carbon Racing and NEOM McLaren Extreme E saw Gilmour side-by-side with Gutiérrez before passing down the inside to finish in first on course.
Aware of at least one penalty for NEOM McLaren Extreme E, Price pushed hard to close the gap to Gilmour, but a 5-second penalty of their own for missing a waypoint earlier in the Final thwarted her efforts and saw No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing classified fourth.
Laia Sanz crossed the line in fourth, having made it through despite Andersson’s defences, but the penalties for NEOM McLaren Extreme E and No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing meant the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team secured second place for the second time this season.
The penalties also promoted ABT CUPRA XE up the order, resulting in a third-place and a podium finish for Al-Attiyah and Andersson on her debut.
Results
1/ X44 Vida Carbon Racing 8:59:728
2/ ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team +6.093
3/ ABT CUPRA XE +8.612
4/ No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing +10.159 (Penalised)
5/ NEOM McLaren Extreme E +18.935 (Penalised)
Championship Standings
1/ Rosberg X Racing: 83 points
2/ X44 Vida Carbon Racing: 66 points
3/ ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team: 60 points
4/ No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing: 55 points
5/ NEOM McLaren Extreme E: 34 points
6/ Genesys Andretti United Extreme E: 33 points
7/ XITE ENERGY RACING: 29 points
8/ JBXE: 25 points
9/ ABT CUPRA XE: 21 points
10/ Veloce Racing: 8 points
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