Rosberg X Racing took their second win in Season 2 of Extreme E at the Island X Prix II. The team finally capitalised on their pace after they were demoted from first to third in the previous round for causing Acciona Sainz XE Team's race-ending crash. RXR looked like the fastest team by a distance once more, and dominated throughout the second part of the Sardinian double-header. The German outfit took an additional five points for the Continental Traction Challenge, granting them a 37-point lead in the Championship.
Unfortunately for ABT Cupra XE, it was their turn to suffer heartbreak in the final, as they were disqualified after Jutta Kleinschmidt failed to fully buckle up her seatbelt before setting off from the Switch Zone, costing her and Nasser Al-Attiyah second place. X44 recovered from a disappointing previous round to finish second. Finally, Genesys Andretti United Extreme E scored their first podium of the season thanks to ABTs disqualification and an Acciona Sainz retirement.
Surprisingly, all ten of the ODYSSEY21s cars managed to escape the circuit in one piece during Qualifying 1, after the Island X Prix's punishing circuit left its mark on several of the cars earlier in the week. XITE Energy Racings Tamara Molinaro nearly fell victim to the tracks infamous bumps when she caught a bad bounce that caused the car to rotate her in mid-air and landed at 90 degrees to the circuit. She managed to gather it together and just about avoided rolling the car, but lost valuable time as her team finished Q1 in ninth place.
Fortunately, NEOM McLaren Extreme E and Acciona Sainz took part in Qualifying, as both teams managed to repair the damage to their cars which had rolled during the Island X Prix I. Meanwhile, RXR set the tone for the weekend, setting the fastest time by just over ten seconds in the Continental Traction Challenge to continue their clean sweep.
No99 GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing had to come through the Crazy Race and rely on RXRs penalty to win the Island X Prix I. However, they made a better start this time around and set the second fastest time in Q2. X44 were close behind as they looked to leave Sardinia with something to write home about.
It was the battle of the F1 World Champions' teams in Heat 1 of Q2, with RXR continuing their ominous form. They steamed into the lead off the start and never looked back. Andretti and XITE came together in the opening section, causing the Andretti car to spin out and retire while getting in XITEs way, making the race a two-car fight for second place. X44 eventually lost ground to RXR but stayed in front of JBXE despite taking a penalty for leaving the Switch Zone early.
If Carlos Sainz Sr. was shaken after his dramatic roll just days prior, it didn't show during Heat 2. The double World Rally Champion went three-wide in the opening part of the lap, and out-muscled Chip Ganassi and ABT Cupra, while Foust in the McLaren took an alternative line and slotted into third place.
Kyle Leduc put Sainz under great pressure, as a tense, sustained battle developed between them until the American lost the back end of his ODYSSEY21. Leduc dropped to the back, leaving McLaren to follow Acciona Sainz home.
In a carbon copy of Heat 1, RXR shot straight to the front of Semi-Final 1 in the opening hundred meters and drove into the distance while the action unfolded behind. Contact between Laia Sanz and Sara Price on the exit of Turn 3 damaged Prices Chip Ganassis rear suspension and sent the American driver spearing off into the bushes, bringing the teams weekend to an untimely end.
Emma Gilmour may have had her previous accident in her mind when she opted for caution at the start of Semi-Final 2, yielding to Guttirez as X44 went on to win. She backed off yet again to avoid contact with Kleinschmidt, as the pair looked set to come together at the scene of Sainz and Kristoffersson's accident in the Island X Prix I. X44 and ABT Cupra progressed to the final, while McLaren's disappointing week came to a close.
The Crazy Race nearly saw a repeat of that race-defining crash during the Final earlier in the week. Lance Woolridge's Veloce Racing car came together with the Andretti at Gate 2, sending the Veloce into the bushes. Surprisingly, he still emerged in second place somehow, despite his off-track path. Woolridge had another go at overtaking the race leader later in the lap but came off worse once again, spinning out and miraculously holding position for the second time. Andretti survived that scare to progress to the Final, while XITE retired with a car issue.
The start of the Final showcased the opening sections many racing lines, with three different routes chosen between the five drivers. RXR and Sainz went wide to the right while the ABT Cupra and Andretti got into each other off the line. RXR slotted in beautifully behind ABT Cupra at Gate 2 and narrowly avoided the same contact which cost them in the previous final.
At first, ABT Cupra looked to have the win in their hands in a rare occasion that another car managed to put up a fight against RXR before it all unravelled. Kleinschmidt failed to fasten her belts properly during the Driver Switch, which her team would ultimately be disqualified for.
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinksy was aware of the impeding penalty for her rival and made a firm move on Kleinschmidt for the race lead, which RXR would retain for good this time. Andretti celebrated their first podium of the season with P3, and X44 had a better end to their week as they finished second. Acciona Sainz left with fourth place after a week blighted by incidents and car issues.
RXR come out of a packed week of action in Sardinia with nearly double the points tally of their nearest rivals Chip Ganassi, who in turn have X44 and Acciona Sainz breathing down their necks. After two rounds in a matter of days, Extreme E will make its return in late September for the Copper X Prix in Antofagasta, Chile.
