Can X44 Vida Carbon Racing stop Rosberg X Racing from taking back-to-back titles?
Despite setbacks in the Antofagasta Minerals Copper X Prix, dominant winning performances in both Saudi Arabia and NEOM Island X Prix II mean that RXR still top the table with 83 points, entering Uruguay as championship favourites.
In Chile, RXR began the weekend on a high note, finishing P1 in Qualifying overall. Then, on Sunday, a quick stop in the Switch Zone ensured Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky could claim a hard-fought victory in Semi-Final 1, progressing to the Antofagasta Minerals Copper X Prix Final. However, the momentum of the weekend was quickly overturned by technical issues, ruling RXR out of the Final as the team were unable to exit the garage. This was a brutally unfortunate obstacle for the team that has set the benchmark throughout 2022.
Back in February, Rosberg’s team had claimed a last-gasp victory at the season opener in NEOM, Saudi Arabia, with Kristoffersson successfully overtaking ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team’s Laia Sanz in the closing stages. On top of this, the RXR pair also secured the Continental Traction Challenge in their last lap of the weekend. This meant that the team claimed a crucial five extra additional points, thus extending their lead.
Their dominance seemed to continue to the NEOM Island X Prix double header in Sardinia, topping the timesheets in Qualifying for the first time. However, a collision between Kristoffersson and ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team’s Carlos Sainz Snr. in the Final led to time-penalty. As a result, RXR initially dropped to third in the classification, despite finishing first on course, before a post-race review by the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) determined that a further penalty was necessary, causing the team to officially be classed as fifth.
However, NEOM Island X Prix II made it evident that the team’s misfortune was not related to the speed of the car. In Qualifying, RXR breezed their way to take the top position once more. Then, on Sunday, the duo’s performance led to a crucial victory, with Åhlin-Kottulinsky making a brilliant pass on ABT CUPRA XE’s Jutta Kleinschmidt in the final lap.
In summary, RXR has had a season of high points and setbacks, but critically still enter the final X Prix of the season with a notable lead.
RXR’s nearest challengers in the standings are X44 Vida Carbon Racing, who took their first win of the season in Antofagasta, Chile. As a result, Lewis Hamilton’s team have propelled themselves into the championship picture, currently sitting on 66 points going into the final race weekend, only seventeen behind RXR.
Despite it being the maiden event at the Chilean track, X44 Vida Carbon Racing showed promise all weekend. On Saturday, while collecting a 10-second penalty during Qualifying 2 Heat 2 for driving through a waypoint flag, Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez still managed to secure their spot in Semi-Final 2.
Then, on Sunday, the duo comfortably gained the Semi-Final win to confirm their spot in the Antofagasta Minerals Copper X Prix Final. This led to a dramatic Final, which saw multiple penalties accrued for X44’s competitors, making way for Loeb and Gutiérrez to claim the top step of the podium.
This was a deserved result for the team, as despite flashes of speed, ill-fortune has hampered their campaign in the 2022 season so-far. In the season-opener in NEOM, Saudi Arabia, X44 Vida Carbon Racing set the tone with first place in Qualifying. However, they ultimately missed out on victory in the Final after Kristoffersson and Sanz pulled brilliant final laps, securing P1 and P2 for RXR and ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team, respectively. This meant that Loeb and Gutiérrez ended the weekend in third.
Similarly, in the NEOM Island X Prix I in Sardinia, a difficult start ensured Lewis Hamilton’s outfit could only secure sixth, despite their pace demonstrating they could challenge for frontrunning honours. Yet, the second half of the season has brought a change in fortune. A strong comeback in the NEOM Island X Prix II saw the team finish second in Qualifying and second overall in the Final. This was followed by the team’s performance in the Atacama Desert in Chile last time out, bringing Loeb and Gutierrez back into the running for a Championship win.
After battling it out for title honours last year in the inaugural Extreme E season, it will be fascinating to watch Lewis Hamilton’s X44 Vida Carbon racing fight Nico Rosberg’s RXR once again in a showdown in South America.
