The new season of the Eurocup-3 has kicked off strong at the Paul Ricard circuit, where three drivers achieved different victories in the three races of the opening round. James Egozi ended the weekend as the championship leader after his impressive victory in the opening race.
Keanu Al Azhari won the final race, finishing just 13 points behind Egozi, while Christopher Feghali claimed victory in the sprint race, although he faced difficulties in the main races.
Friday’s session saw Al Azhari dominate both practice sessions and claim pole for the first race. However, his start was tricky as he stalled on the grid when the lights went out, allowing Rene Lammers to take the early lead.
At the first corner, Alex Powell overtook Egozi, while at the other end of the grid, Thomas Strauven and Filippo Fiorentino had contact that sent Strauven airborne. The situation required the safety car to come out after Genaro Trappa stalled on the pit straight.
After the neutralization, Lammers maintained the lead. However, Egozi quickly closed in on the leader, challenging him in corner 8 before finally overtaking Lammers. Egozi built a solid lead and crossed the finish line in first position, followed by Lammers, with Powell completing the podium.
On Sunday, in the sprint race, Red Bull driver Enzo Tarnvanichkul started from inverted pole, but Feghali managed to overtake him for the lead. The Lebanese driver began to pull away with a lead that would stretch to over a second. Egozi continued to make progress, capitalizing on the mistakes of his rivals.
In the final race, Pradel started from pole, but Egozi, from third position, made a superb start, getting into the lead. Al Azhari moved up to third position, while several incidents led to the safety car being deployed. Despite the chaos, Egozi remained at the front during the restart.
As the race progressed, Egozi and Al Azhari engaged in an intense battle for the lead, with episodes of contact between the two drivers. Ultimately, Al Azhari, who had suffered an initial disappointment in the first race, secured the victory, crossing the line just four-tenths of a second ahead of Egozi.
Championship Standings
1. James Egozi – 52 points
2. Keanu Al Azhari – 39 points
3. Ean Eyckmans – 34 points
4. Rene Lammers – 30 points
5. Alex Powell – 27 points
6. Gianmarco Pradel – 18 points
7. Christopher Feghali – 12 points
8. Enzo Tarnvanichkul – 11 points
9. Heitor Dall’Agnol – 9 points
10. Rafael Perard – 8 points
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_49ca6aa02b27a7cd315b94f35e74700978cd36d8