Chip Ganassi awarded first victory after RXR penalty

Chip Ganassi Racing has been awarded its maiden victory after Rosberg X Racing was penalised for a collision in the Island X-Prix.

Johan Kristoffersson and Carlos Sainz had come together during the final, causing Sainz to roll.

A red flag came at the end of the lap to clear Sainz’s car, and the RXR squad made minor repairs to their car.

Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky drove the RXR car to victory, more than 10 seconds clear of the Chip Ganassi car.

However, it was later deemed Kristoffersson was at fault for the contact with Sainz, and handed a 30 second penalty for the incident.

The result dropped RXR to third in the race, but it was not enough for Sainz.

Sainz was taken to hospital following the crash, though he was able to walk away from the incident and did not lose consciousness.

He gave an update via social media.

“Luckily all medical checks were fine and I have just been released from hospital, although I feel quite a lot of pain. I am really disappointed nevertheless with what happened on the track and even more so with the fact there was only a 30-second penalty for who caused this big accident.

“In over 40 years in motorsport this is one of the most serious actions that I have ever seen without an exemplary penalty. Thanks a lot to everyone for your messages of support.”

The penalty promoted the Chip Ganssi pairing of Kyle LeDuc and Sara Price to the race victory, their first in the series.

It had not been an easy route to victory for the American team.

An electrical problem in the switch zone during the first qualifying session meant LeDuc was unable to complete his lap. The car then came to a stop during the qualifying race.

However, Price and LeDuc had some luck in the Crazy Race, where they finished second on track but were promoted to the victory after a penalty for the Abt squad.

The final was a less dramatic race for the duo, who picked up second after Sainz’s incident. LeDuc tried to close the gap to the race leader, but it wouldn’t be enough to pass them on track.

Xite Racing finished third on track, and was promoted to second by the penalty. RXR slots into third.

Image courtesy of Extreme E