Carlos Sainz’s team claim long-awaited victory at Desert X Prix Round 2 in NEOM

NEOM: ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team secured a historic first win in Extreme E with a dominant run in the Grand Final, finishing ahead of Round 1 winners Veloce Racing in second and Rosberg X Racing (RXR) in third on the sands of NEOM.

Laia Sanz and Mattias Ekstrom, supported on-site by team owner Carlos Sainz Snr., dominated the race from start to finish, establishing a comfortable lead as Veloce Racing and RXR fought over the runners-up spot.

In fourth place were ABT CUPRA XE, having recovered well from a crash in Round 1’s Redemption Race to make it to the Grand Final second time around.

No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing finished fifth, marking two Grand Finals out of two for the team’s new driver-pairing of RJ Anderson and Extreme E newcomer Amanda Sorensen.

Winners of the Redemption Race were X44 Vida Carbon Racing. Having tied fifth in Qualifying with eventual Round 2 winners, ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team, Fraser McConnell and Cristina Gutierrez lost out on a spot in the Grand Final due to a slower time in the Continental Traction Challenge.

X44 Vida Carbon Racing came back swinging, ending Round 2 with the quickest time in the Traction Challenge on their way to victory in the Redemption Race, securing a valuable 10 points in the championship battle.

The Desert X Prix double-header delivered two maiden victories over the weekend, with wins for Veloce Racing and ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team. What’s more, with the Round 2 podium featuring the same top three teams from Round 1, they will be the ones to watch as the series heads into the next X Prix weekend in Scotland on May 13-14.

Laia Sanz said: “I am very happy, both for myself and the team. We clinched our maiden win in Extreme E. I want to thank Mattias for giving