Rosberg X Racing began their Extreme E title defense in impressive fashion, securing a victory in the first part of the Desert X Prix in Saudi Arabia. However, it was not an easy win, as the margin of victory was the closest in the history of the series.
The champion duo of Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky had to fend off the new NEOM McLaren team of Mattias Ekstrom and Cristina Gutierrez. In the end, they crossed the finish line just 0.167s ahead of the McLaren.
Ekstrom initially had a slow start to the race, finding himself in last place among the four starters. However, a wide approach into the first turn allowed him to undercut the rest of the field and take the lead. Kristoffersson, driving for RXR, kept Ekstrom on his toes, finishing the first lap just 0.666s behind.
On the next lap, Kristoffersson managed to find grip on the inside line of turn 1 and snatched the race lead. RXR entered the mid-race driver switch with a comfortable 1.813s lead. Kevin Hansen of E.ON Veloce Racing joined the battle for the lead with a strong performance in the third sector of lap two, finishing just 0.415s behind the McLaren.
A mistake during the driver change almost cost Hansen his progress, but the team quickly recovered and the three-way fight for the win resumed on lap 3, with all three teams covered by 1.928s. Acciona Sainz’s Laia Sanz, who had a difficult start and struggled with visibility in the first two laps, handed the car over to new signing Fraser McConnell over seven seconds behind.
At the front, RXR had a slow first sector and McLaren’s Gutierrez used the Hyperdrive boost early on to keep up with Ahlin-Kottulinsky. The two cars made contact on the Waypoint 5 jump landing, resulting in minor damage. However, this did not stop the intense battle from continuing into the final lap.
At Waypoint 13, Gutierrez managed to pass Ahlin-Kottulinsky, but the RXR driver quickly regained the lead four gates later and held on to secure RXR’s ninth Extreme E win, extending their record. While the battle for the win was primarily between these two teams, the other finalists closed in until McConnell, in an attempt to take third place from Veloce’s Taylor, rolled at Waypoint 13, ending their day prematurely. Veloce finished in third place as a result.
In the redemption race, Andretti Altawkilat dominated after a perfect start by Catie Munnings. All drivers used the Hyperdrive off the start, but Munnings was the last to activate it, allowing her to use the power boost deeper into the first corner. Munnings handed the car over to Timmy Hansen with a commanding 4.264s lead over JBXE’s Andreas Bakkerud, who was then replaced by Saudi driver Dania Akeel for the final two laps.
Behind them, a problem for SUN Minimeal’s Timo Scheider allowed Legacy Motor Club’s Travis Pastrana to move up a position. Pastrana continued his charge on the final lap, overtaking Akeel around the outside at Waypoint 8.
In the morning’s qualifying heats, Veloce initially won the opening round, but briefly lost it due to a penalty that was later rescinded. RXR also won a heat, while Acciona Sainz and RXR secured victories in the other qualifying heats.
According to the Source racer.com