ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team (ASXE) head into the final four Rounds of Extreme E Season 3 at the top of the standings.
As the series looks ahead to the upcoming Island X Prix in Sardinia, co-organised and coordinated by the Automobile Club d’Italia and Regione Sardegna, ASXE’s Laia Sanz outlines the team spirit in the camp, working with Mattias Ekstrom and their approach heading into the closing stages of the campaign.
Extreme E: You are coming towards the end of the season – what is the mood like within the team?
Laia Sanz: We are very motivated. We are really excited for the next event in Sardinia and the feeling throughout the year has been really good. We had some difficulties in Scotland, but across the rest of the season we have been really competitive. We enjoy fighting up at the front and we hope for the same at the next two rounds. We know we must be really strong to fight for the championship until the end.
XE: It has been an extremely successful year for ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team in 2023 and you are in championship contention. What has been the secret to your success?
LS: I think the secret is down to the hard work of the previous two seasons. The work that Carlos [Sainz Snr.] put into the team over those years, my improvement since Extreme E started and also the efforts from Mattias [Ekström] with all of his experiences – he has been great to work with. All of this, along with the support from the guys in the team, has meant that the whole team has improved.
The level across Extreme E is now extremely high, and for us we have mostly stayed together since the start as one family and improved altogether, which is important. We feel competitive and confident going into each event.
XE: What will be key in the battle with Rosberg X Racing (RXR) and Veloce Racing to claim the title for Season 3?
LS: There are so many teams which are competitive this year. Some have been a bit unlucky, and so we are aware that RXR and Veloce Racing are our closest competitors at the moment. We know, though, that in every race we need to fight with more teams. It is already very difficult just to get to a Grand Final at each Round and so it is crucial we get there, remain consistent and avoid any mistakes.
We will try to do that and then we will see what happens. The way to win the championship will be to try and reach all of the remaining Grand Finals and then go from there.
XE: Will you be keeping an eye on their performances or just focusing on your own races for the rest of the campaign?
LS: We will just focus on ourselves. There are so many things which can happen in this championship, so although it’s important to see what our opponents are doing, we must control what we can control. We just need to make sure we do our jobs as well as we can. That is the priority for us.
XE: You are returning to Sardinia where you picked up two podiums last time out. Can you go one further and take victory?
LS: I love the place and so the goal for us is to ensure we can get into the Grand Finals first, and then we will see. If we can achieve that then our objective will be to try and take the victory. It is definitely possible. We got a taste for winning earlier this season, and we were close last time in Sardinia, so we will be going all out to take the win.
XE: Do you enjoy racing in Sardinia?
LS: We definitely enjoy it. We feel we are both fast and it is definitely one of my favourite tracks in the series. You have to be quick there, but it is also one of the most complicated courses of the season with more cars racing. The starts can be quite tough and are so important for the race, so we will see how we get on.
XE: How is the relationship between you and Mattias heading into the final stages?
LS: We have a really good relationship as a team. He is helping me a lot in the car and is always there to help me improve. We work well together and he has been a huge help. I am really thankful for the team we have, so we will keep pushing together to keep improving. It is so cool to work with these guys, including Carlos and Mattias, and so we will look to keep moving forward.
XE: You also have Carlos Sainz Snr. offering advice, guidance and support in the background. How important will his influence be in Sardinia?
LS: It will be great to have him back in the paddock. We missed him a little bit last time out so we are looking forward to having him in Sardinia again. We gave him a victory in the first event and we want to do it again. He brings so much experience to the team and we love having him with us. We will do our best to make the boss happy!
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