E.ON NEXT Veloce Racing completed a sweep of the Hydro X Prix weekend in Scotland, winning Sunday’s final.
The result was a repeat of Saturday’s, with Acciona Sainz finishing second and Andretti Altawkilat third.
Starting the four-lap final for Veloce, Kevin Hansen opted for the unfavored left side of the grid, but made it work to his advantage to sweep round the outside and lead out of the first corner. Acciona Sainz’s Laia Sanz mounted an early challenge, but a sideways moment through Waypoint 23 at the end of the first lap stunted her charge, and Veloce subsequently entered the mid-race driver change with an 8.680s lead.
That meant Molly Taylor only had to bring the car home, but Fraser McConnell, who took over from Sanz, had other ideas. He took three seconds out of the lead in the final three sectors of the first lap, with a session best time in the final sector. Three quarters of the way through the final lap, the gap was reduced to less than a second, with McConnell right on Taylor’s bumper for the final part of the lap.
Taylor was able to hold on though, crossing the line 0.653s ahead of McConnell to make Veloce the first repeat winners of the 2024 season. The back-to-back wins also ensured that Veloce became the first to sweep Finals in a weekend since Rosberg X Racing did it in the first Island X Prix last July.
Andretti’s third place came despite a pair of penalties for knocking over Waypoint flags. Catie Munnings and Timmy Hansen’s spots on the podium was all-but-confirmed after RXR’s Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky sustained a tire debead at the start of the first lap.
A poor getaway from the start line was followed by contact with Acciona Sainz and then Andretti, the second of which caused the tire issue.
Redemption Race was an appropriate name for the consolation contest won by NEOM McLaren.