X44 top a dramatic Round 9 Qualifying in Chile
Four of the five title hopefuls qualified for the Grand Final, but a DNF in Qualifying 1 and a 30-second penalty for using the championship car in Qualifying 2 sees No. 99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing in the Redemption Race and out of title contention.
Coming out on top in Qualifying 1 Heat 2 and finishing second in Qualifying 2 Heat 2, Cristina Gutiérrez and Fraser McConnell secured 18 points to head the Qualifying standings, giving them a chance to climb from fifth on the championship leaderboard.
Championship leaders ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team's (ASXE) hopes were in jeopardy after a retirement in Qualifying 1. A win in a dramatic Qualifying 2 Heat 1 - which saw three DNFs and penalties for both ASXE and the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team – brought them back into the mix. It all came down to the team’s Continental Traction Challenge time, which proved just enough for the Spanish outfit to steal fifth in the rankings and a spot in the Grand Final.
ASXE’s closest rivals, Rosberg X Racing (RXR), join them in the Grand Final to keep the title fight alive. Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky and Johan Kristoffersson recovered from P4 in their Qualifying 1 Heat to take the win in Qualifying 2 Heat 2.
Also remaining in contention for championship glory are Veloce Racing. A win in Q1 H1 was followed by a DNF in Q2, but with two other DNFs in the same Heat Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor earned enough points to progress to the Grand Final.
Despite a 30-second penalty for making contact with Klara Andersson, which put the ABT CUPRA XE car into a roll, NEOM McLaren XE make it through to the Grand Final with third and second across the Qualifying sessions.
The remaining teams will fight it out in the Redemption Race to determine sixth to tenth place in Round 9.
The Grand Final and Redemption Race will be live across ITV and STV in the UK, while outside of the UK please visit here for broadcaster details.
Qualifying 1 Heat 1
As the teams hurtled down towards the first corner, Veloce Racing’s Kevin Hansen seized the advantage to take the lead, despite contact with RXR’s Johan Kristoffersson.
Kristoffersson was given no room to settle in second, coming under pressure from NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team’s Tanner Foust. An attempted move by the American proved costly, as the contact resulted in a puncture for RXR’s ODYSSEY 21 and a 10-second penalty for Foust.
This was not the end to the drama, as in the opening lap melee ASXE suffered a technical problem, forcing them into retirement. As Kristoffersson slowly toured back to the Switch Zone after just one lap, up ahead Veloce Racing stretched out a lead of over eight seconds.
Foust made a decisive move past JBXE’s Andreas Bakkerud to take second on track, but NEOM McLaren XE’s penalty for the collision with RXR ensured they were still third on the timesheets.
Veloce Racing’s Molly Taylor enjoying a trouble-free two laps to seal the win for the British outfit, with Tamara Molinaro taking second on her JBXE debut, as Hedda Hosås, in her first appearance for NEOM McLaren XE, finishing third.
After their first-lap woes, RXR were able to get back on course to take fourth, with ASXE rounding out the order with a DNF.
Qualifying 1 Heat 2
After setting the quickest lap in Friday’s Free Practice, Timo Scheider was fastest out of the blocks for Carl Cox Motorsport.
It was a close fight for second behind, with Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E’s Timmy Hansen getting past X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s Fraser McConnell. No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing’s RJ Anderson was close behind in fourth, ahead of Adrien Tambay on debut for ABT CUPRA XE.
It was soon to be only a three-way fight for the win, however, as Anderson hit one of the inside banking and rolled his ODYSSEY 21. The American was unharmed, but the subsequent retirement was a blow to the team’s title ambitions.
Following a yellow flag for the stricken No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing car, Andretti Altawkilat’s Catie Munnings and X44’s Cristina Gutiérrez lept pass Carl Cox Motorsport’s Lia Block as the three cars left the slow zone.
Block was then relegated to fourth by a charging Klara Andersson for ABT CUPRA XE, as leader Munnings defended strongly from Gutiérrez. The Spaniard made a decisive overtake around the outside of Munnings in the closing stages to seal a crucial Heat victory.
Andersson dropped to fourth in the final corner of the race, running wide after a bad bounce on the Chilean course, and promoting Carl Cox Motorsport’s Block back into the top three positions.
Qualifying 2 Heat 1
With all teams pushing hard for position in the final X Prix of the season, there was another dramatic race in the second Qualifying session.
A strong start from Veloce Racing’s Taylor saw her ahead of the tightly-grouped chasing pack. As ASXE’s Sanz entered the first corner on the wider line, the other three teams converged on the inside. Contact as NEOM McLaren XE’s Hosås went into the back of the ABT CUPRA XE car sent Andersson into an intense roll, resulting in an immediate red flag. Andersson walked away from the incident unharmed.
The Heat resumed from the start line, where Taylor managed to take the lead for Veloce Racing once again. ASXE’s Sanz again went round the outside and carried enough pace to take the next corner on the inside ahead of Munnings with Hosås behind in fourth.
Taylor remained ahead throughout the opening lap, before a puncture and broken suspension allowed Sanz to shoot round on the outside at the start of lap two.
The situation worsened for Veloce Racing as Munnings, unaware of Taylor slowing down, launched her Andretti Altawkilat ODYSSEY 21 over the top of the Veloce car. This brought about the second red flag of the Heat and an end to both team’s run. Both drivers exited their cars and returned to the paddock, with Munnings later being taken to hospital for precautionary checks.
With only two teams able to make the restart, ASXE’s Sanz and Ekström completed a steady run to cross the line ahead of NEOM Mclaren XE. A 15-second penalty for improper use of the ENOWA Hyperdrive threatened to drop ASXE into second and out of the Grand Final, but the penalty for NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team ensured track position remained the same.
Qualifying 2 Heat 2
The middle line off the start proved the best once again, as X44’s Gutiérrez surged to the front, with RXR’s Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky in second ahead of Lia Block taking the wider line.
The front three reached the Switch Zone in this order, with Block hitting the brakes late in the Carl Cox Motorsport ODYSSEY 21 to reach the bumper of the RXR machine.
An exciting battle ensured between X44’s McConnell and RXR’s Kristoffersson, with the latter needing to complete the overtake to guarantee their spot in the Grand Final.
McConnell defended well for most of the stint, but the Jamaican took a corner slightly too wide, allowing Kristoffersson to take the win. Third in the Heat were Carl Cox Motorsport, with JBXE finishing fourth ahead of No. 99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing, as the American team served a 30-second penalty for needing to use the championship car.
The result of Q2 Heat 2 put Carl Cox Motorsport, JBXE, and Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E all level on 12 points with ASXE, but the Spanish outfit's Continental Traction Challenge time puts these other three teams in the Redemption Race.
Q1 Heat 1:
1. Veloce Racing 9:27.557mins
2. JBXE +8.848s
3. NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team +15.717s
4. Rosberg X Racing +4:16.629s
5. ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team DNF
Q1 Heat 2:
1. X44 Vida Carbon Racing 8:52.914mins
2. Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E +1.777s
3. Carl Cox Motorsport +7.097s
4. ABT CUPRA XE +13.826s
5. No. 99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing DNF
Q2 Heat 1:
1. ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team 25:20.430mins (PENALISED)
2. NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team +20.537s (PENALISED)
3. Veloce Racing DNF
4. Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E DNF
5. ABT CUPRA XE DNF
Q2 Heat 2:
1. Rosberg X Racing 8:26.169mins
2. X44 Vida Carbon Racing +1.745s
3. Carl Cox Motorsport +6.383s
4. JBXE +20.711s
5. No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing +1:00.898mins
Overall Qualifying Standings:
1. X44 Vida Carbon Racing: 18 points
2. Veloce Racing: 16 points
3. Rosberg X Racing: 14 points
4. NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team: 14 points
5. ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team: 12 points
6. Carl Cox Motorsport: 12 points
7. Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E: 12 points
8. JBXE: 12 points
9. ABT CUPRA XE: 6 points
10. No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing: 4 points
