Although finishing second in the Antofagasta Minerals Copper X Prix in Chile – final round of the Extreme E all-electric off-road series – Rosberg X Racing (RXR) captured the championship title for 2023. This is the second title in three seasons for the team which is owned by former F1 champion, Nico Rosberg.
The Grand Final saw nearest rivals ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team (ASXE) retire after Laia Sanz rolled in the closing stages. Their retirement from the Grand Final meant ASXE did not secure enough points for a maiden championship victory.
Overall winners of the final round of Season 3 were Veloce Racing, with their third victory of 2023 securing a top-three finish in the championship standings. Completing the Round 10 podium positions were Season 2 champions X44 Vida Carbon Racing.
The Grand Final of the 2023 Extreme E championship was action-packed from the start, with ASXE’s Mattias Ekstrom taking the lead as his team chased down the points needed to steal the championship title from RXR. Veloce Racing’s Kevin Hansen slotted into second, while RXR’s Johan Kristoffersson tried to push his way through the pack into third place. As the Swede muscled his way towards the inside line, he caught the steep banking of the corner and his RXR ODYSSEY 21 veered off-line on two wheels.
Kristoffersson remarkably got the car back under control, albeit in fifth place, and a mammoth task lay ahead as a subsequent puncture forced the team to pit after just one lap, while closest rivals ASXE lead the race.
Ekstrom entered the Switch Zone in first place, with Veloce Racing’s Hansen hot on his heels. Behind the frontrunners, the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team’s (NEOM McLaren XE) Tanner Foust fought to slow down his vehicle, running into the back of X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s Fraser McConnell as the pair entered the Switch Zone.
The incident resulted in a time penalty for the American, but this proved irrelevant for the team as the damage sustained ensured a retirement from the Grand Final. The collision also hindered X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s progress; despite being able to continue, Lewis Hamilton’s outfit had to run at a much reduced pace and dropped down the order.
In the battle for the lead, ASXE’s Sanz and Veloce Racing’s Molly Taylor left the Switch Zone almost in unison. It looked like Sanz would maintain the advantage for ASXE, but Taylor got the upper hand by deploying her ENOWA Hyperdrive to snatch first place.
The DNF for NEOM McLaren XE and the damage for X44 Vida Carbon Racing meant that RXR just had to finish the race to take third place and seal the championship, unless Sanz could win back the lead and secure enough points for ASXE’s maiden title. This was to prove difficult, as after leaving the switch zone RXR’s Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky encountered another problem aboard her ODYSSEY 21 as she wrestled to get the car over the finish line.
Entering the closing stages, Sanz and Taylor made contact as the Spaniard tried to retake first place. Sanz was pushing hard, but soon after, the electric SUV reached its limit and entered a spin. As Sanz recovered to remain in second place, the race and championship win looked ever more elusive. ASXE’s fate was sealed when a few corners later Sanz entered a roll, ending her race and the team’s chances of title glory.
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