Acciona Sainz edges KMS to Desert X Prix Qualifying top spot on countback
Fraser McConnell and Laia Sanz delivered for the ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team in Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia, topping Qualifying for Race 1 of the 2025 Desert X Prix after edging Kristoffersson Motorsport on countback.
Both squads claimed a heat win and a runner-up finish on Saturday morning, but Acciona Sainz took the top spot courtesy of a quicker Super Sector time. Team Hansen’s Andreas Bakkerud and Catie Munnings ended third overall, while Team EVEN’s Ole Christian Veiby and Hedda Hosås secured the final berth in the four-car Final.
Jameel crash halts opening heat
Q1 Race 1 produced the morning’s defining moment. Jameel Motorsport’s Kevin Hansen made the best launch from the outside of the grid to head KMS’s Johan Kristoffersson through the opening sequence.
Despite heavy pressure, Hansen maintained control until the driver switch. Molly Taylor took over for Jameel, while Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky jumped into the KMS Odyssey 21 and immediately closed in, grabbing the lead with an assertive move at Gate 3.
Moments later, Taylor’s car rolled heavily after a landing at the second jump. She climbed clear unhurt but was taken to hospital for precautionary checks before returning to the paddock later. Reserve driver Claire Schönborn will substitute for Taylor for the remainder of the weekend while the team rebuilds the car ahead of the Redemption Race.
The incident brought out a red flag and the race was not restarted, handing victory to Kristoffersson and Åhlin-Kottulinsky ahead of JBX Powered by Team Monaco’s Tommi Hallman and Christine GZ, with EVEN third.
Hansen profit from attrition in Q1 Race 2
The second heat saw Team Hansen claim a straightforward win after early contact between Carl Cox Motorsport’s Timo Scheider and Acciona Sainz’s Sanz allowed Bakkerud through.
While Bakkerud and Munnings led comfortably, the remaining runners all retired. Scheider’s car suffered front-left suspension damage, Sanz dropped out with rear-right issues, and STARD’s Patrick O’Donovan slid off while taking avoiding action. Having passed the stricken Carl Cox machine before stopping, STARD were classified third behind Acciona Sainz.
Acciona Sainz hit back in Q2
Acciona Sainz reasserted control in the first Q2 race. McConnell built a seven-second advantage over Åhlin-Kottulinsky before the changeover, and although Kristoffersson halved the deficit once in, Sanz responded on the final lap to seal victory by 4.095 s.
JBX finished a distant third, while Carl Cox Motorsport’s Klara Andersson retired with wiper failure.
In Q2 Race 2, EVEN’s Hosås launched superbly using Hyperdrive to take the early lead and, despite losing eight seconds at the driver swap due to a door issue, Veiby maintained the advantage. STARD’s O’Donovan clipped a bank at Gate 10, allowing EVEN to secure the win by 11 s from STARD, with Hansen cruising home third.
Jameel Motorsport sat out the session as repairs continued following Taylor’s crash.
Acciona Sainz secured P1 overall thanks to its superior Super Sector time over KMS, with Hansen and EVEN completing the Final lineup.
The stage is now set for a fierce battle in the Qiddiya desert, as Extreme E’s 2025 season opener delivers its first major showdown between the championship’s front-running squads.
