Kyle LeDuc and Sarah Price win the XP Island 1 in Italy in a race that was marred by Carlos Sainz's crash after Johan Kristoffersson's touch
Kyle LeDuc and Sarah Price survived a tumultuous race to win the Island 1 XP on Thursday (7) in Sardinia. This was Ganassi's first victory in Extreme E. The American duo crossed the finish line second, but inherited the win after the Robserg X Racing team of Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky was punished with 30 seconds after causing a serious accident for Acciona Sainz's Carlos Sainz.
LeDuc/Price failed to qualify in the top six on Wednesday (6) and took part in the crazy race on Thursday. The American duo finished the race in second, but a penalty for ABT's Jutta Kleinschmidt/Nasser Al Attiyah resulted in Ganassi winning and qualifying for the final.
In the first semi-final, Kristoffersson/Åhlin-Kottulinsky, the fastest in qualifying, won and qualified along with XITE's Tamara Molinaro/Timo Scheider. Catie Munnings/Timmy Hansen of Andretti fell by the wayside. In the second semi-final, JBXE's Hedda Hosas/Kevin Hansen won, with Laia Sainz/Carlos Sainz second. The duo from X44, Lewis Hamilton's team, was eliminated.
In the five-car grand final, Carlos Sainz was the fastest at the start and took the lead. But the Spaniard was touched by Kristoffersson and suffered a serious accident, overturning his car more than once, which ended his race. The race was stopped with the red flag, and, after the red flag was brought out, came the punishment for the Rosberg X Racing duo.
The 30 seconds of punishment were few in Sainz's view. "Luckily all the medical tests went well and I was released from the hospital, even though I am feeling quite a bit of pain. I'm really disappointed about what happened on the track and even more disappointed that a punishment of only 30 seconds was given to the person who caused this big accident. In over 40 years in motorsports, this is one of the most serious accidents I have seen without exemplary punishment. Thank you all for your messages of support," said the Spaniard on his social networks.
Tamara Molinaro/Timo Scheider took second place in XITE's best result, and Johan Kristoffersson/Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky completed the podium even after the punishment. Rosberg X Racing leads the championship after two rounds with 50 points. Ganassi is in second place with 37 points.
Extreme E returns this Sunday (10), for a second race in Sardinia, the XP of Island 2.