The first win at the Island X-Prix came to naught due to a penaltybut on this occasion it seems that nobody will be able to separate them from the triumph in Sardinia. Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky have won the second Island X-Prix and consolidate their leadership in the general classification of Extreme E. The second position has been for the Odyssey 21 of X44 thanks to the good work of Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez, but also due to the disqualification of CUPRA. As a result of this situation, Andretti United has completed the podium on the Mediterranean island.
The Island X-Prix final kicked off with a start in which everyone showed that they had learned the lesson. Three different lines, but only one ‘winner’. Nasser Al-Attiyah imposed his law with the CUPRA Odyssey 21 down the left line after overtaking Sébastien Loeb and Timmy Hansen. For an alternative route, Johan Kristoffersson managed to sneak second between Al-Attiyah and Loeb. On his part, Carlos Sainz was relegated to fifth position with a much less explosive start than that of his rivals, perhaps weighed down by choosing the less competitive track.
The first turn became an escape exercise for Nasser Al-Attiyahalthough the Qatari only got a little over three seconds ahead of Johan Kristoffersson throughout the first lap of the final. Nor did he lose track of both Sébastien Loeb and even Timmy Hansen managed to stay relatively close. Not so Carlos Sainz who, with problems at ACCIONA, ended up stopping. With four of the five Odyssey 21 still in the fight, the ‘switch zone’ was entered.
With the women in action, the dynamics of the race changed significantly as soon as they left the pit area. Mikkaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky proved to have a lot more pace than Jutta Kleinschmidt and once the area of the water steps was reached, the Swede used the extra power mode to overcome the only woman winner of the Dakar. RXR was thus placed ahead of CUPRAa position that he was not going to leave until the end of the race, as Ahlin-Kottulinsky was quickly escaping from the presence of his rival.
Mikkaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky certified the victory of RXRsecond of the year and could well have been third had Johan Kristoffersson not been penalized in the first Island X-Prix. Jutta Kleinschmidt managed to retain second place with the CUPRA in the first instance, even if the pressure from Cristina Gutiérrez during the last third of the race was really intense. With everything, the subsequent disqualification of the CUPRA team gave second place to Cristina Gutiérrez and the X44 team. For its part, Andretti United climbed to the podium after being third.
2022 Extreme E Island X-Prix (II) Final Results
Photos: Extreme E