Dramatic end to an exciting finale: After Jutta Kleinschmidt and Nasser Al-Attiyah had taken second place in the Extreme E event in Sardinia, the German-Qatari duo was disqualified afterwards. The reason for this: The safety belt was not fully fastened when Kleinschmidt returned to the track in the lead after the driver change. Thus, the strong performance of the ABT CUPRA XE once again went unrewarded. Al-Attiyah in particular was one of the most impressive drivers in Sardinia: In the final he completed the fastest starting lap of the entire week in the CUPRA Tavascan XE.
« My lap in the final was almost perfect and was really fun against guys like Sébastien (Loeb), Johan (Kristoffersson) and Carlos (Sainz), » said Al-Attiyah. Once again, ABT CUPRA XE had clearly won the GridPlay vote of the fans and in return was allowed to choose the best starting position for the final. « I took the lead, extended the gap and handed the car over in first place – unfortunately then the mistake happened that cost us the podium. » Nevertheless, the four-time Dakar winner also takes positives from Italy: « We know since today at the latest that we can win races in Extreme E if we have a zero-mistake day. The car was perfectly prepared and great to drive all week. All this gives us extra confidence for the rest of the season. »
Karla Kanz,