With Nasser Al-Attiyah unavailable for the Island X Prix double-header, co-organised and coordinated by the Automobile Club d’Italia and Regione Sardegna, star quality was replaced by star quality at ABT CUPRA XE, as nine-time World Rally champion and Extreme E Season 2 winner Sébastien Loeb deputised for a one-off showing in Sardinia. Despite threatening speed throughout, Loeb and team-mate Klara Andersson were unable to take home the haul of points which matched their pace.
A difficult Free Practice ahead of the race weekend left ABT CUPRA XE with plenty of work to do ahead of the Qualifying heats for Round 5.
The team looked to be in good shape for a spot in the first Grand Final of the weekend, with Loeb and Andersson finishing second in their Q1 Heat behind Rosberg X Racing (RXR). This was confirmed in Q2 where, after initially running second, a slow driver change dropped ABT CUPRA XE down to third, but they had accrued enough points across both Heats to ensure safe passage to the Grand Final.
The team were unable to demonstrate their speed in the Grand Final, though, as Loeb picked up an early puncture which dropped ABT CUPRA XE down the order. Running last for much of the race, a late roll and subsequent retirement for Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E’s Catie Munnings ensured fourth place for ABT CUPRA XE after a difficult Grand Final.
Although hopes were high, there was to be no repeat run to the Round 6 Grand Final for Loeb and Andersson.
Despite great on-track action battling against Carl Cox Motorsport throughout, the best ABT CUPRA XE could manage in Q1 H1 was fourth place, leaving them plenty of work to do in Q2.
Despite initially running third, further problems impacted ABT CUPRA XE’s weekend as Andersson picked up a puncture on her run which dropped the team’s ODYSSEY 21 to the back of the field.
Although DNFs for NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team and X44 Vida Carbon Racing elevated the team to third, it was not enough to secure a place in the Final ensuring Loeb and Andersson would compete in the Round 6 Redemption Race.
A strong start from Loeb allowed ABT CUPRA XE to take first place as the Redemption Race got underway, and it was a lead the team would not lose, with team-mate Andersson eventually crossing the line just over two seconds ahead of Veloce Racing to claim a crucial eight points from Round 6.
ABT CUPRA XE will be looking for more positive results with sights now firmly set on the remaining four races of Season 3.
Sébastien Loeb, ABT CUPRA XE, said: “We got to the Final in Round 5 and the start was very tricky. All of the cars wanted to get to the same line and there is only space for one out of the five, so there was quite a bit of contact. We ended up third after the start, but there was a lot of mud on the windscreen and then we had a puncture. We had to make a stop during the race and that was not in the plan.
“It is what it is, though, and we just tried to set some good times after that to finish and we managed to get fourth, just off the podium.”
Klara Andersson, ABT CUPRA XE, added: “It was an up and down weekend. We were on the back foot for both days and that made it really hard to advance to the Grand Finals. The pace, though, was really good as was the car. We suffered a puncture in Q2 for Round 6 on the first run after some contact and that meant we could not make another Grand Final.
“We won the Redemption Race, though, with a really solid performance. Sébastien [Loeb] did a great start off the line and then I took over to bring the car home.
“That was good to show what we can do but, for sure, we feel we deserved more from the weekend.”
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