The Acciona Sainx XE Team took its first victory of the season at the Desert X Prix II in Saudi Arabia, where Laia Sanz and Fraser McConnell They completed a great performance that confirms the Spanish team as a contender for the crown of a modality that will say goodbye at the end of 2024.
After taking first and third place in the qualifying rounds, the Grand Final got off to the best start for Fraser, who took the lead and never lost the lead. Laia took the baton for the last two laps and held off the attacks of her rivals to cross the finish line in first place, thus adding the first victory of the year for the team.
The McLaren of Cristina Gutiérrez and Mattias Ekstrom did not participate in the grand final, winning the redemption race by 69 thousandths.
The victory is all the sweeter because it confirms the team’s potential for 2024 after losing the extremis championship in 2023, and also because the mechanics are working hard to fix Odyssey 21 after the accident that occurred on Saturday when they were racing for the podium.
They currently occupy second place in the Championship with 39 points, just two behind the leader, Rosberg of Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, winners of Desert X Prix I on Saturday and fourth this Sunday.
“Super happy. Very difficult weekend, because the pace is very high and everything is improving, but I am very happy with this first victory with Fraser. Winning this race has a special taste after how we finished the last race last year. year, close to the title. The team did a great job to improve the car in each session and we felt very fast in the Final, with the energy to win. We left Saudi Arabia with a good that taste in our mouths. We know “The championship will be very close, but we see that we have the speed to win. Today we show it. We must continue the effort,” commented Laia Sanz.
For his part, ‘boss’ Carlos Sainz explained that “we are happy to get the first victory of the season in the Desert. It gives us a lot of hope for the rest of the championship, which we know is close. Now both Fraser and Laia had a perfect race and I am very happy for them and for the team. I want to thank ACCIONA and Red Bull for the support they give us to continue competing. Today we have shown that we can aim for everything this year , so let’s do it.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
