Double podium for Andretti Altawkilat in Scotland
The duo of Catie Munnings and Timmy Hansen have scored three podiums from four rounds in Season 4, already matching their top-three tally from the previous two campaigns.
At the Hydro X Prix the team challenged for victory throughout, with their two podium finishes consolidating their position as one of the title challengers for the rest of the campaign.
Andretti Altawkilat currently sit fourth in the Season 4 standings with 62 points, just 25 points away from E.ON Next Veloce Racing in top spot with six rounds still to go.
Roger Griffiths, Team Principal at Andretti Altawkilat, said: “What a weekend with back-to-back podiums in Scotland. That’s three on the bounce in three out of four races in Extreme E this year. It’s a great result for Catie and Timmy but, more importantly, it’s a great result for the whole Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E team.
“We left Scotland really happy. Onwards to Sardinia in a couple of months and we’ll see if we can pick up some more silverware.”
Victory in the opening Qualifying Heat of the Hydro X Prix established the team’s intentions for the weekend in Scotland, while a third-place in Heat 2 ensured they would compete in the Round 3 Grand Final.
After a difficult start, Andretti Altawkilat’s Hansen fought hard as he tried to climb back up the order in the Grand Final. The Swede moved into the top-three following damage to Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky’s Rosberg X Racing (RXR) ODYSSEY 21, before being embroiled in more wheel-to-wheel action with ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team’s (ASXE) Laia Sanz. The latter was able to hold off Hansen’s attacks in the opening two laps, with contact made between the two resulting in a half-spin for the Andretti Altawkilat driver.
It was then down to Munnings after the driver change to take the fight to ASXE, but she couldn’t close the gap to Fraser McConnell and had to settle for third – and another podium finish on home soil.
Catie Munnings, Andretti Altawkilat, said: “It was great to have another podium, especially with it being back-to-back top-three finishes for the team after we were second in Round 2. It's very difficult to make the Grand Final and the competition was really tight as it got a lot dryer. The grip changes so much in Scotland, so it was important to stay ahead of the conditions. I was really happy with the result for the team.”
Timmy Hansen, Andretti Altawkilat, said: “A podium finish is always a great feeling. We had a great Round 3 overall, winning our first qualifying heat and making it to the Grand Final with a third in the second heat, which always feels like the hardest part of the weekend. I gave it my all on the start, but the others also drove really well. I had a big battle with Laia [Sanz] and ended up hitting her in the back, so I apologise for that, and in the end couldn’t find a way past. We still came home third, which was a great end to the day.”
The team made it three podiums from four races in Dumfries and Galloway the following day.
Third place in their Qualifying 1 meant it was all to play for heading into the second Heat, with Munnings and Hansen delivering once again to claim second-place to reach the Grand Final – despite taking a incurring a time penalty in Qualifying 2.
Despite falling to the back of the pack and receiving a time penalty in the early stages of the Round 4 Grand Final, Munnings fought back to take third place – with a puncture for RXR’s Åhlin-Kottulinsky dropping the team out of contention for a podium finish.
And that was where the team stayed for the rest of the Grand Final, securing another third-place finish. Andretti Altawkilat are now just seven points adrift of their total tally from 2023, underlining just how much of an increase in performance Munnings and Hansen are enjoying.
Andretti Altawkilat will be chasing more podiums and wins when the championship returns for its Island X Prix double-header in Sardinia (14-15 and 21-22 September).
Hansen said: “A double podium in Scotland is a fantastic result! We really had to fight hard to get into the Grand Final, but the Andretti Altawkilat ODYSSEY 21 was super quick. We carried some damage after some heavy contact in the first corner, so we had to nurse the car home, but it still got us third and onto the podium once more. Hopefully we can continue our run of success in Sardinia.”
Munnings added: “Taking back-to-back podiums in Scotland is something we can be super proud of. We had a challenging start to Round 4 with some slippery conditions, but we still pulled through and made it to the Grand Final. We started from a difficult grid slot and worked on some different strategies for how to try to gain from the start, but unfortunately we couldn’t make up ground after contact with Mikaela [Åhlin-Kottulinsky].
"We had some damage as a result, but I still managed to get ahead. Timmy did a great job managing the risk and brought the car home to secure our podium finish.
“Overall, I think our performance was really strong – we set some great times throughout the Hydro X Prix. A huge thanks to the team for their resilience as there was plenty of work fixing bodywork and damage from racing on such a slippery track. I am really grateful for all their efforts, and I’m very happy to have three podiums out four races so far this year. Let's keep that going.”
