The NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team look to recapture early season speed in Sardinia
However, misfortune befell Cristina Gutiérrez and Mattias Ekström throughout Rounds 3 and 4 in Scotland, ensuring NEOM McLaren XE left Dumfries and Galloway fifth overall in the standings.
Having been unable to reach either Grand Final at the Hydro X Prix, NEOM McLaren XE now switches focus to the Island X Prix double-header in Sardinia bidding to get its championship charge back on track.
They suffered a setback in the opening qualifying heat of Round 3 , incurring a time penalty as a result of taking down a Waypoint flag on their run, leaving Gutiérrez and Ekström with it all to do in Heat 2. A further penalty as a result of dropped flags followed in Qualifying 2, meaning NEOM McLaren XE would have to contest the Redemption Race.
An unfortunate technical issue just seconds after the start curtailed progress in the Redemption Race, concluding a difficult start to the Hydro X Prix.
Cristina Gutiérrez, NEOM McLaren XE, said: “Round 3 was not an easy day as we had some bad luck in both Qualifying sessions. We made a lot of effort to do our best, but luck wasn’t on our side.
“We had a difficult time in the Redemption Race, where some course debris hit the kill switch on the car. The fire extinguisher went off and we didn’t manage to finish.”
Despite being unable to progress to the Round 4 Grand Final, NEOM McLaren XE did manage to end the Hydro X Prix on a high.
Strong pace throughout the Redemption Race sealed a crucial victory, battling from the middle of the pack to bank important points in Scotland.
After Gutiérrez successfully came out on top of her battle with SUN Minimeal Team’s Timo Scheider, it was left to Ekström to make the decisive overtake on long-time Redemption Race leaders LEGACY MOTOR CLUB to secure the win and fifth place overall in Round 4.
NEOM McLaren XE now heads to the Island X Prix double-header in Sardinia (14-15 September and 21-22 September) fifth in the championship standings with 46 points looking to close the gap on the leading quartet of teams.
Mattias Ekström, NEOM McLaren XE, said: “It was a challenging weekend for us in Scotland. We struggled to get into the flow on Friday, making some small mistakes here and there. We’ve had some strong moments, too, but we were lacking what it took to make it into the Grand Final and fight for the win.
“To win the Redemption Race in Round 4 meant that we brought home some good points. We now need to learn from this event and come back stronger in Sardinia.”
Gutiérrez added: “This was not the best weekend for us, but it was good to finish it with a P1 in the Redemption Race, and took some important points. The team worked so hard over the Hydro X Prix weekend to give us the best car possible and we are getting closer as we spend more time together. We will give everything for the next race in Sardinia in a few months’ time where hopefully we can secure that first win.”
