McConnell signs with Acciona/Sainz Team for 2024 Extreme E Season
FOLLOWING HIS debut season as the male driver for Sir Lewis Hamilton’s X44 Vida Carbon Extreme E Team, Fraser McConnell has attracted the attention of Rally Legend Carlos Sainz (Snr).
Sainz has enlisted the talented Jamaican driver for the 2024 season as the male driver on the Acciona/Sainz Team. Fraser will join forces with Laia Sanz, the female driver who has been part of the team since its inception in 2021.
Fraser had a remarkable debut season in the 2023 Extreme E Series, achieving four podium finishes out of ten rounds, including two first-place and two third-place finishes. The Acciona/ Sainz Team clinched the second position overall in Extreme E, coming close to winning it all in an intense final showdown.
Carlos, as a team principal, plays a highly active role in overseeing the team’s operations. With two WRC Championships and four Dakar Championships under his belt, along with various other prestigious titles, Carlos clinched victory in the challenging 14-day Dakar Rally in 2024 at the age of 61.
Fraser is appreciative of this new opportunity, after learning that Sir Lewis Hamilton’s team would no longer participate in the series. He is excited about driving for a seasoned professional like Carlos Sainz (Snr), who heads a competitive team.
“I am so honoured to be selected as the male driver for the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team this year, and I cannot wait to get started at the first event in Saudi Arabia on February 17 and 18. Receiving the call from Carlos asking me to join was such a surreal moment, because, growing up, I was such a big fan. He is an inspiration and a fierce competitor, so having that energy within the team is going to help us win races, and I am sure I will be able to learn many things from him. I am also very much looking forward to teaming up with Laia, who has been so fast the last few seasons, and I can feel that we will be a very strong driver pairing and aim to win the championship together,” McConnell said.
Acciona/Sainz also revealed that Red Bull Energy Drink will be teaming up with them for the first time in the Extreme E off-road championship.