March 16, 2018

 

The ACR Zakspeed driver set his mark in Shanghai in dominant fashion ahead of an Edge Esports 2-3, but there was more heartache for Alex Siebel.
Expectations were sky high after the spectacular Australian Grand Prix and, while we were not treated to a battle to the wire for the win, there was plenty of action all around the field.

Risto Kappet's second win in the Superleague was never in discussion after lap one, but the Estonian still had to produce a mistake-free race to claim the first triumph of the season for ACR Zakspeed.

Qualifying was a family battle with team-mate Alex Siebel, but the quick German had no response to Kappet's 1:30.855. Hawkeye's Ricardo Costa was third ahead of a surprising Rait Kilk, claiming EVAL's best ever qualifying result. With many drivers having back-of-the-grid penalties, the session was a relatively subdued affair as race strategy took the precedence over one-lap pace. Championship leader Geoffrey Fournier was 22nd, with Liam de Waal in P7 and Jarl Teien in tenth.

The race saw one of the likely protagonists bowing out early, as Alex Siebel was the innocent victim of a lap one collision. It was the second unfortunate race-ending incident in a row for the German, who surely deserves some better luck after a torrid start of the season.

Kappet was able to quickly build a gap on Fran Lopez and, with a lot of positions shuffling as the quickest runners made their way through the field, he created an unassailable lead. Behind him, however, battle raged. Borja Millan of Epic was a front runner for a long time, but he could do nothing to stop the onslaught of Petar Brljak and Teien, the two Edge drivers coming from 25th and 21st on the grid and eventually battling for the final places on the podium, with the Croat emerging on top.

Lopez brought home valuable points for Hawkeye on his season debut, having missed Australia for a snow week in Barcelona, with Kilk, Costa and Millan following and putting up one of the biggest battles of the race in the closing laps.

Australia winner Fournier made it into the points in P12, while the final point went to David Fidock on a difficult day for Nordsjoen.

The results mean Risto Kappet jumps to the top of the drivers' standings, 12 points ahead of Fournier. De Waal and Teien are third and fourth, just two points separating them. Strong from its Chinese showing, Edge Esports lead the constructors' championship, just two points ahead of Epic Racing and a further one ahead of ACR Zakspeed.

Full Results

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