X44 set Qualifying 1 pace despite error
The qualifying stars of Extreme E Season One, X44’s Sebastien Loeb and Cristina Gutierrez once again displayed their qualifying prowess by storming to the fastest time of Qualifying 1 at the Jurassic X Prix in Dorset, UK.
In extremely muddy and slippery conditions, the X44 duo overcame running lower down the order than some of the other leading contenders, Loeb taking the fastest overall first sector of the 3.8km lap in the process.
The run wasn’t without drama however, as Loeb came very close to a big moment over the huge Knife Edge jump, while Gutierrez also had an excursion in one of the rougher sections, but with minimal time loss.
The session was the closest of the season across the field, with the top four teams covered by just four seconds over the almost 10 minute, three-lap route.
ABT CUPRA XE’s Mattias Ekstrom was the first driver out on track, before handing the controls of the team’s ODYSSEY 21 E-SUV to team mate Jutta Kleinschmidt for the final lap. The pair ended up fourth overall in Q1.
Championship leaders Rosberg X Racing ended the session just 1.901s behind X44, with Johan Kristoffersson also deploying hyperdrive – for this race a 400kW boost for four seconds allowed once in every lap – during the traction challenge section of the lap, in a bid to claim the fastest section time and earn five extra points in the team’s bid to win the inaugural Extreme E title.
Less than a second further back, the ACCIONA | Sainz Extreme E team of Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz had a strong, trouble-free run around the mud-covered route.
On his competitive debut in Extreme E, South African Lance Woolridge impressed again as he had in Free Practice for the Veloce Racing team. Woolridge tried a different line around the water after the first jump on a committed run, set the fastest second sector time of the session and handed the car’s controls to Jamie Chadwick, one of three drivers competing in their home event, for the second phase of Veloce’s run to fifth.
Andretti United Extreme E pairing Timmy Hansen and Catie Munnings were sixth, just ahead of SEGI TV Chip Ganassi Racing’s Sara Price and Kyle Leduc, both teams having worked hard to repair their identical ODYSSEY 21 machines after heavy landings from the Knife Edge jump in Free Practice for Munnings and Price.
The JBXE team of Kevin Hansen and Michaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky picked up a seven second penalty for speeding in the Switch Zone and were eighth, despite Hansen setting the fastest time of all in sector three, while Xite Energy Racing had a big push, both Oliver Bennett and Christine CZ specular over the jumps, but the team picked up 17 seconds of penalties for clipping a way point marker and then speeding in the Switch Zone, and were classified ninth.
Q1 Results:
- X44 9:19:985
- Rosberg X Racing +1.901
- ACCIONA | Sainz Extreme E Team +2.757
- ABT CUPRA XE +4.128
- Veloce Racing +10.395
- Andretti United Extreme E +12.118
- SEGI TV Chip Ganassi Racing +15.181
- JBXE +20.682
- XITE ENERGY RACING +40.015
