The Season 3 opener in NEOM marked a return to the championship for Mattias Ekström as he replaces the injured Carlos Sainz Snr. at ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team. We caught up with the Swede, who got back behind the wheel of an ODYSSEY 21 for the first time since the Season 1 finale – bagging a podium and maiden victory for the Spanish outfit along the way.
Extreme E: Mattias, welcome back to Extreme E! Can you tell us how you got the call to race for the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team?
Mattias Ekström: The week after Carlos had his incident and got hurt is when he asked me if I would be interested, and we started chatting about it. It took a couple of weeks and then we agreed and finally I arrived in Saudi Arabia very happy to go racing again!
XE: What are your memories of driving in Extreme E in Season 1?
Ekström: We had a couple of good races in Season 1, but we also had some issues. Mainly though there was some very cool locations and a lot of adventures, especially with the first event in Saudi Arabia which was pretty dramatic. It was in general a season full of excitement.
Carlos is very persuasive. I respect Carlos a lot and I must say it was a lot of fun to have him with us at the first double-header and hopefully he can come with us to other races as well.
XE: Do you feel the championship has changed a lot since your last race? Has anything stood out and impressed you?
Ekström: The girls and how fast they drive. The girls have really picked up the pace and I see that trend continuing as the series progresses.
Secondly, I would say the cars have also improved quite a bit and Extreme E has grown in the technical department since the series launched.
Thirdly, I think the new format is much more exciting. I prefer the new set-up with five cars – it will have the heartbeat up and continue to entertain people.
XE: Does the car feel different since you last drove it in 2021?
Ekström: The biggest difference this season with the cars is the steering. The car is still very kicky in the jumps, but the dampers have improved which helps a lot in the jumps.
XE: What’s the key to success in this new racing format?
Ekström: I think success in this very much depends on who you race against, and which start line you have into Turn 1. You have to try and read the situation as well as you can with the drivers on the grid.
With so many races happening across a weekend the track changes a lot, too. I think I have learned so much about driving in ruts and sand over the past two years in the Dakar Rally. Driving in ruts might look easy, but it requires a bit more if you want to master it. I’m not scared of ruts anymore – I actually enjoy them!
I always expect really rough racing in this series. There are a lot of ‘winner mentality’ drivers here – nobody wants to lose, everybody wants to win. But I think that’s what’s motor racing is about, especially for me. We all want to win, and I think with this format you stimulate that even more.
XE: You were on the podium in Round 1. Tell us about your first race back in the series.
Ekström: We had a good day on the first day of racing – we were second in Q1 and we won Q2 so I think you can be fair and say that we are a good pair and we have good pace. We ended up second in the round and also had the fastest Continental Traction Challenge time so it was a very positive day.
XE: You and Laia Sanz went on to get a maiden victory for the team in Round 2. What did Carlos have to say to you on the podium?
Ekström: For me, before the start of any Heat when he comes to grab me, it feels so special. I can really feel he wants me to do well, to show for himself, but also for the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team. Carlos’ way of treating me is like my dad used to treat me, and that means a lot.
Extreme E returns to action with the Hydro X Prix in Scotland. The racing action will be best viewed live on STV and ITV, in the UK, over both Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 May to enable the best views. Outside of the UK, please visit here for broadcaster details.
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