Following two nail-biting opening races in AlUla, Saudi Arabia and Dakar, Senegal, the Extreme E paddock arrived in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland for this weekend’s historic Arctic X Prix (28/29 August). As has been the case in each of this season’s X Prix events, Lewis Hamilton’s X44 team hold the Top Qualifier spot overnight, laying down a marker for the chasing pack.
The pioneering electric off-road racing series’ third event sees the 18 world-class drivers in unfamiliar territory, with a dramatic drop in temperature and vastly different terrain to those seen earlier in the year. The 8.1-kilometre Arctic X Prix course features the other-worldly backdrop of the Russell Glacier as Extreme E’s unprecedented calendar locations continue to ‘wow’ drivers, teams and fans alike.
With terrain changes, sand and water hazards, ridge drops and the now-notorious ‘Rock Garden’ at the end of the lap to negotiate, this course poses one of the biggest challenges yet for the nine teams. The ‘Super Sector’ also returns in Greenland with five points being awarded to the driver with the fastest time over the weekend.
A revised racing format means classification points are now allocated to teams across the two qualifying runs instead of the combined session time deciding the result as in the first two rounds. The total of those points provides the intermediate standings and decides the order for the Semi-Finals.
It was the X44 squad that streaked ahead of the chasing pack in the qualifying points classification, as the only driver pairing to enjoy uninterrupted runs in both sessions. The potent combination of Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez stormed to victory in Qualifying 1 and followed it up with another quietly consistent performance to go P2 in Qualifying 2. Overall, the #44 car accrued 17 points – six more than their nearest competitor to mark their third top qualifier spot from three events.
Sebastien Loeb, X44 said: “Finishing in first place is definitely the start we wanted for the weekend. It wasn’t easy at all on a difficult course but we secured some important championship points so the team is happy. We’re against some very tough teams again tomorrow and even though we’re in first place at the moment, the starting positions are quite similar when it comes to the Semi-Final and Final so it’s still a big challenge. We’re not going to take anything for granted but we’ll be pushing again for a podium finish and I believe we can get there.”
Cristina Gutiérrez, X44 said: “Today was a good result for us. To finish top of qualifying again is a big success and I think it shows how strong we are as a team. Tomorrow could be totally different, and with this terrain in this weather it will be a very challenging course, so we’ll have to be careful and look after the car whilst also going fast enough to win. Having five cars in the Final will be a big challenge for the teams that make it but I’m confident we have what it takes.”
Next up in the points classification was the ABT CUPRA XE team, with the pairing of Mattias Ekström and Jutta Kleinschmidt pushing X44 all the way in the first session, finishing just 3.7 seconds behind to mark a competitive start to the day. However, a double puncture in Qualifying 2 signalled retirement and a seventh place in that session.
Tied on 11 points with ABT CUPRA XE was Rosberg X Racing, the championship leaders looked on the pace from the outset but Johan Kristoffersson encountered technical gremlins on track during his first Qualifying run, stopping multiple times in the process. The three-time FIA World Rallycross champion handed over to Molly Taylor who brilliantly recovered from a spectacular barrel roll but left the pair way down the order. A spirited comeback drive from the duo in the second session catapulted them up to third in the overall qualifying standings.
Fourth and fifth in the classification were also tied on points, continuing to highlight the competitive and unpredictable nature of the championship. Andretti United Extreme E recovered well from a hampered-run in Qualifying 1 to go third in the second session earning themselves 10 points and fourth place overall.
Veloce Racing secured another consistent qualifying result with fifth in the points classification. Despite Emma Gilmour – stand-in for Jamie Chadwick – earning herself a 10-second penalty with a costly course marker and both Gilmour and Stéphane Sarrazin completing their run without power steering in Qualfiying 2, the pairing managed to avoid any major incidents to occupy the middle of the table.
The ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team duo of Carlos Sainz Snr. and Laia Sanz resumed their ongoing struggles with the Switch Zone in Qualifying 1 as Sainz pulled into the wrong slot, followed up by a slow driver switch ensuring their time was only good enough for sixth in the session. A cautious run over the ‘Rock Garden’ in Qualifying 2 for Sanz meant fifth place confirming sixth in the points classification.
The luckless SEGI TV Chip Ganassi Racing car continued its season-long trend of setting eye-catching lap times to no avail in today’s qualifying. An ultra-competitive Qualifying 1 time was dealt a serious blow thanks to a track marker infringement but Kyle LeDuc and Sara Price still managed to go third fastest. There was worse to come though, as a complete rear suspension collapse early in their Qualifying 2 run brought out the red flag, relegating them to last in the session and seventh in the overnight standings.
A team that endured similar misfortune was the JBXE squad. Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky ran into trouble early in her Qualifying 1 run with the car stopping for nearly two minutes, once she was up and running again the Swede hit a boulder in the ‘Rock Garden’ causing the steering arm to shatter, leaving team-mate Kevin Hansen on the side-lines. Hansen then encountered troubles of his own when the #22 ODYSSEY 21 cut out while braking for the switch zone in Qualifying 2. The disastrous day for the pairing meant eighth was the final result.
Last up in the standings was XITE ENERGY RACING powered by myenergi. A competitive run in the first qualifying session for Oliver Bennett and Christine GZ rewarded the duo with fifth place, but technical problems for Bennett in Qualifying 2 relegated the squad to ninth in the points classification.
Mattias Ekström, ABT CUPRA XE said: “We had a decent first qualifying where we didn’t take too much risk. In the second run I had a puncture very early on the lap and then even another one in the famous rock garden. It was kind of a tough day but the good thing is, there is another one tomorrow with our Semi-Final where we will meet quite strong competitors. Our goal for this weekend remains the same, we will be going for our first Extreme E trophy.”
Jutta Kleinschmidt, ABT CUPRA XE said: “Greenland not only provides us with an amazing scenery but also with some drama on track. It was a day with ups and downs for us. After a great first session we had two punctures in the second run so we had to retire before I got into the car. But due to the good morning session we still made it to the second Semi-Final and fight for a place in the Final. So, it’s a new game tomorrow and we are hoping for a smooth day.”
Molly Taylor, Rosberg X Racing said: “What a day. We anticipated this would be an unpredictable race and we were correct. Qualifying 1 was really tough with the technical issues we experienced alongside the roll of the car. The team showed incredible tenacity to come back and get the car ready in time for Qualifying 2 so we are thrilled with the result.”
Johan Kristoffersson, Rosberg X Racing said: “Qualifying 1 was very frustrating with the three power shutdowns I had. The team did an incredible job to get the ODYSSEY 21 ready again for Q2 and I am pleased we managed to complete a much better performance and get the results the team deserves. Now we can move on and look forward to the Semi-Final tomorrow.”
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, JBXE said: “We did not get the result that we deserved today which is a shame but I mean sometimes you have the luck on your side and that was not the case for us today. So, we are taking the positives with us – we did good starts and we had good pace so we’re going to give it all for the crazy race tomorrow.”
Sara Price, SEGI TV Chip Ganassi Racing said: “We started out the day solid with a good run in the first qualifying session. We did have a 10-second penalty for hitting a flag, but overall a good run and we were in a good spot for the second round of qualifying. Unfortunately, a parts failure occurred early in the run that ended our session. We’re going to diagnose the issue and start getting the car ready for tomorrow to hopefully make it to the Final and turn things around.”
Kyle LeDuc, SEGI TV Chip Ganassi Racing said: “Qualifying 1 went pretty good, just a little hiccup with clipping the flag. The lap started a little aggressive but got the car back in shape and had a good, fast lap. I hadn’t seen the final sector until today, so that was a little sketchy but the car through there was pretty good. The second session didn’t go as well as the first, with a suspension issue early in the lap. The issue may have started in the first round, but it was pretty big and brought the lap to an early end. A tough break for the team, but with the updated structure we still have a shot to make the Final, so we’re going to get to work on repairs and keep the podium in our sites.”
Emma Gilmour, Veloce Racing said: “Qualifying was a big learning curve for me today – although I got to double my experience in Extreme E in first qualifying! Quali 2, Stephane had a problem with the car and then I also had a different problem which made it a bit of a challenge but we still battled through, but I think we’ll still have a pretty good overall result in Q2 as a lot of teams are also having problems. It’s all an amazing experience, although pretty hard being thrown in at the deep end but the Veloce team are great to work with, everyone has been so welcoming, and Stephane is also an amazing teammate.”
Stephan Sarazin, Veloce Racing said: “Positive Qualifying 1 this morning as we secured P4 with two good laps. Emma and I can still improve as we need to adjust some settings. Qualifying 2 was more complicated as I lost power steering right after the start. The time loss is important however we still managed not to damage the car. The site is simply amazing. This is nothing compared to Saudi and Senegal! And I look forward to the race tomorrow.”
Catie Munnings, Andretti United Extreme E said: “We didn’t have a good Qualifying 1, we lost some time so we were down in the points system. I think every car that went before us except for X44 had issues and so yeah, our strategy completely changed – just taking it easy as it’s a really challenging track lots going on, everyone seems to be running into different issues and the track is getting so destroyed now, it’s so rough out there so we decided to make sure that we brought the car back safely. It just wasn’t about pushing on this one.”
Under the revised format, X44, Veloce Racing and ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team progress through to Semi-Final 1 while ABT CUPRA XE, Rosberg X Racing and Andretti United Extreme E go through to Semi-Final 2 with the top two from each race booking a slot on the grid for the Final. The Crazy Race will feature the bottom three teams – SEGI TV Chip Ganassi Racing, JBXE and XITE ENERGY RACING powered by myenergi – with the winner earning themselves a place in the Final. With each Semi-Final now offering the opportunity to make it to the Final, it’s all to play for on finals day at the Arctic X Prix.
Wheel-to-wheel action gets underway tomorrow (Sunday, 29 August). For more information on how to watch in your region, visit the Extreme E website.
Qualifying points classification*
- X44 (Sébastien Loeb / Cristina Gutiérrez) 17 points
- ABT CUPRA XE (Mattias Ekström / Jutta Kleinschmidt) 11 points
- Rosberg X Racing (Johan Kristoffersson / Molly Taylor) 11 points
- Andretti United Extreme E(Timmy Hansen / Catie Munnings) 10 points
- Veloce Racing (Stéphane Sarrazin / Emma Gilmour) 10 points
- ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team (Carlos Sainz / Laia Sanz) 9 points
- SEGI TV Chip Ganassi Racing (Kyle LeDuc / Sara Price) 8 points
- JBXE (Kevin Hansen / Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky) 7 points
- XITE ENERGY RACING powered by myenergi (Oliver Bennett / Christine Giampaoli Zonca) 7 points
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