Rosberg X Racing (RXR) brought an end to X44’s Qualifying streak as they finished top of the pack heading into Finals day in Sardinia.
After finishing first in Qualifying 1, Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky dominated their Heat in Qualifying 2 to head the overall Qualifying standings ahead of Finals day.
In the other five-car Heat, the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team took the maximum 10 points from Q2. This, combined with their second-place finish in Q1, put them just one point behind RXR and into Semi-Final 2.
Johan Kristoffersson, RXR, commented: “It was a fantastic qualifying session. I felt very comfortable. The track suits me, even though the conditions are a bit tricky. Tomorrow will be an interesting day as the track will certainly change again. We will spend some time with analysis tonight and then we should be ready for a great race.”
It was tight off the line between RXR, X44 and XITE ENERGY Racing in Heat 1, with Kristoffersson leading from Cristina Gutiérrez before the X44 driver lost control and dropped to the back of the pack.
Kyle LeDuc soon overtook XITE’s Timo Scheider to take third for No.99 GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing behind Genesys Andretti United Extreme E’s Catie Munnings.
While it looked like the American had the pace to challenge at the front of the pack, his efforts were thwarted as his car came to a halt, meaning his team finished last in Qualifying overall and will take part in the Crazy Race tomorrow.
Munnings initially kept Scheider at bay, before the German debutant charged up the inside to overtake, stealing second from Munnings in the final corners, albeit 16 seconds behind the dominant RXR.
On the second lap the teams bunched together as they went through a yellow sector, passing the stationary No.99 GMC Hummer EV at a safe pace. Demonstrating his experience, Sébastien Loeb took a wider line than Timmy Hansen in front and managed to get past the Swede as they exited the yellow sector to snatch third.
A great run from Loeb brought the team from last to second as the Frenchman then overtook XITE ENERGY Racing’s Tamara Molinaro in the final corners to finish third overall in Qualifying. This was enough to secure X44 a spot in Semi-Final 2 and keep their chances of victory in the X Prix alive.
Third and fourth for XITE ENERGY Racing and Genesys Andretti United Extreme E, respectively, puts the teams into Semi-Final 1 with 12 points each where they’ll face RXR.
ACCIONA | SAINZ took a comfortable victory in Qualifying 2 Heat 2. Setting off from Spot 2 like RXR, Carlos Sainz Snr. surged to the front on what appears to be the favoured racing line.
Veloce Racing also started well as Christine GZ stormed into second place from the far-right of the starting line, until Tanner Foust passed on the outside to take second place for NEOM McLaren Extreme E.
The top three entered the Switch Zone in this order, as JBXE’s debutant Hedda Hosås kept the more experienced ABT CUPRA XE driver Jutta Kleinschmidt behind her in fifth.
Following the driver change, an opportunist move from Veloce Racing’s Lance Woolridge put the team into second place as they held off NEOM McLaren XE’s Emma Gilmour, and the charging JBXE of Kevin Hansen.
Despite an impressive comeback in Qualifying 2 to cross the line in second, a ten second penalty for Woolridge for speeding in the Switch Zone put Veloce Racing down to fourth in the Heat.
JBXE’s subsequent promotion into third place was enough to secure them sixth overall in the Qualifying standings, placing them in Semi-Final 2. This means Veloce Racing will compete against ABT CUPRA XE, NEOM McLaren Extreme E and No.99 GMC Hummer EV in the Crazy Race tomorrow.
Q2 Results:
Heat 1:
- Rosberg X Racing 9:58:521
- X44 +9.021
- XITE ENERGY Racing +13.659
- Genesys Andretti United Extreme E +15.498
- No.99 GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing DNF
Heat 2:
- ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team 9:32:591
- NEOM McLaren Extreme E +10.233
- JBXE +10.461
- Veloce Racing +16.181
- ABT CUPRA XE +17.002
Having completed both rounds of Qualifying, Intermediate Classification points were awarded as follows:
- Rosberg X Racing – 20 points
- ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team – 19 points
- X44 – 12 points
- Genesys Andretti United Extreme E – 12 points
- XITE ENERGY Racing – 12 points
- JBXE – 11 points
- ABT CUPRA XE – 9 points
- NEOM McLaren Extreme E – 8 points
- Veloce Racing – 4 points
- No.99 GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing – 0 points