Rosberg's team calls on XE for "better circuit layouts" to avoid accidents
Nico Rosberg's Extreme E team has criticised the all-electric off-road racing series and called for "better circuit layouts" in future after being penalised further for contact in Sardinia.
The Rosberg X Racing team took an on-the-road victory in the first of two Island X-Prix held on the Italian island last month after Johan Kristoffersson tangled with the Acciona Sainz machine driven by Carlos Sainz Sr.
The two cars had converged after taking different routes through the preceding terrain, sending double World Rally Championship title-winner Sainz into a series of rolls and taking a visit to hospital for precautionary checks.
But a post-race 30-second penalty for Kristoffersson and team-mate Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky dropped the Swedish pair to third, as Chip Ganassi Racing's Kyle LeDuc and Sara Price inherited a first victory.
Sainz however expressed disappointment with the penalty, stating that "in over 40 years in motorsports, this is one of the most serious actions that I have ever seen without an exemplary penalty".
An update issued by the championship on Friday, following a right to review requested by Acciona Sainz, said that XE's Sporting Governing Body, the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), had decided to drop RXR to fifth and therefore behind Acciona Sainz.
As a result, JBXE duo Kevin Hansen and Hedda Hosas are belatedly promoted to the podium.
Kristoffersson and Ahlin-Kottulinsky still lead the standings courtesy of winning the season-opening Desert X-Prix in Saudi Arabia and the second Island X-Prix, but their advantage has been trimmed to 17 points over LeDuc and Price.
In response, inaugural series champions RXR posted a critical statement on its social media accounts, calling on XE to race on layouts that reduce opportunities for similar incidents.
It said: "To say that our team is disappointed to now be classified 5th in the final after this unfortunate (and in our mind unavoidable) racing incident is an understatement.
"We hope for better circuit layouts from Extreme E in future to ensure the safety of all involved.
"When two cars are racing flat out and have to merge into a single lane, there are bound to be collisions. Such racing incidents should be avoided entirely.
"At the end of the day we remain committed to working together with the Extreme E family to drive awareness, educate and help tackle climate change. And we hope to drive that message home with yet another championship win still to come. Watch this space…"
The 2022 Extreme E season will resume on 24–25 September with the Copper X-Prix in the Chilean port city of Antofagasta.
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