Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 10, Formula 1 race in Austin/US
Under cloudy skies and in temperatures of 24 degrees Celsius, the 27-strong field with drivers from 14 nations took off into the tenth round on Sunday. Starting from pole position, Jaminet managed to fend off his pursuers to bring home a lights-to-flag victory. “That was my most exciting Supercup race ever. Matteo Cairoli put me under extreme pressure, but I won and can now look back on a great season as a rookie. Three wins, three pole positions and six podium results. I’m completely happy with that,” said Jaminet.
The spectators at the Circuit of the Americas witnessed one of the most spectacular races with fights to the very last lap. Cairoli, who took up the race alongside Jaminet on the first grid row, kept the leader under pressure and attempted to pass him. “I’m pleased to have been on the podium, but I’d actually hoped to go home with the title after this weekend. Now I’m going to have a holiday and afterwards my world will hopefully look different,” said a disappointed Cairoli.
The drivers behind the Jaminet and Cairoli also delivered action-packed duels over the 14 laps. Behind the pair, Schmidt secured the third podium step. Robert Lukas (PL/Förch Racing by Lukas Motorsport) finished on fourth, with Michael Ammermüller (D/Lechner MSG Racing Team) taking the flag in fifth ahead of Christian Engelhart (D/MRS GT-Racing) on sixth. The American guest driver Alec Udell, who competed for the Moorespeed squad from Austin, yielded seventh place in the very competitive field ahead of Müller. The title favourite knew full well that he was only one point off taking home the title, hence he drove with extreme caution and kept out of all the duels.
Thanks to consistent performances, Müller distinguished himself over the course of the season with eight podium finishes from ten races: He won three rounds (in Spielberg, Silverstone and Budapest), finished second four times and third once. He set pole position once. His championship rival Matteo Cairoli (I/Fach Auto Tech) won four races (Barcelona, Monaco, Hockenheim and Monza) but went home from several races empty-handed. Due to his retirement while leading at race nine on Saturday in Austin, Cairoli was robbed of the all-important points. Ultimately, Müller scored the title with 162 points with runner-up Cairoli on 151 points. Jaminet, who had already claimed an early rookie title at Monza, ranked third overall with 146 points with three wins (in Spa and a double victory at Austin). The Lechner MSG Racing team netted a clear win in the team classification with drivers Müller and Ammermüller.
Result race 10, Austin
1. Mathieu Jaminet (F/Martinet by Almeras)
2. Matteo Cairoli (I/Fach Auto Tech)
3. Jeffrey Schmidt (CH/Lechner Racing Middle East)
4. Robert Lukas (PL/Förch Racing by Lukas Motorsport)
5. Michael Ammermüller (D/Lechner MSG Racing Team)
6. Christian Engelhart (D/MRS GT-Racing)
7. Alec Udell (USA/Moorespeed)
8. Sven Müller (D/Lechner MSG Racing Team)
Championship standings after 10 of 10 races
1. Sven Müller (D/Lechner MSG Racing Team), 162 points
2. Matteo Cairoli (I/Fach Auto Tech), 151 points
3. Mathieu Jaminet (F/Martinet by Almeras), 146 points
Rookie classification
1. Mathieu Jaminet (F/Martinet by Almeras), 146 points
2. Steven Palette (F/Martinet by Almeras), 57 points
3. Zaid Ashkanani (KUW/Lechner Racing Middle East), 52 points