Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 9, Formula 1 race at Monza/Italy
Porsche Junior Matt Campbell (AUS/Fach Auto Tech) scored his second victory of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season on Sunday at Monza, Italy. Zaid Ashkanani (KUW/MRS GT Racing) and Mattia Drudi (I/Dinamic Motorsport) finished on positions two and three respectively after an eventful ninth championship round. In the overall classification heading into the double-header grand finale in Mexico with the 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the situation looks extremely close: Only three points separate championship leader Michael Ammermüller (D/Lechner MSG Racing Team) and Porsche Junior Dennis Olsen (N/Walter Lechner Racing Team), after Olsen achieved fifth place today, with Ammermüller on tenth. At Monza, Olsen has clinched an early victory in the rookie classification.
The weekend at the racetrack on the outskirts of Milan held several surprises for the 31-strong field of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. After the free practice on Friday in bright sunshine, Saturday brought heavy rain. With water flooding the track surface, the qualifying session scheduled at midday Saturday had to be cancelled for safety reasons. Accordingly, the free practice result determined the grid positions. Campbell was thrilled with his pole position, which he turned into a lights-to-flag victory: “I’m really pleased to have won this race. After the first lap there was a brief safety car phase because a car went into the gravel. My restart went really well and that was the key to success. I managed to build on my lead and bring my win safely home,” said the 22-year-old Australian.
Behind Campbell, Ashkanani achieved his best Supercup result so far with position two: “It was my goal of the season to finally finish on the podium. At times we had a little bad luck, but the team never stopped believing in me. Now I can give something back.” Drudi made the most of his home advantage. The 19-year-old started from position six and finished on third. “That was a wild rollercoaster. At one point I was running in seventh place but I always managed to make up ground. When I looked at the packed grandstands during the cool-down lap on my way to the podium I got goosebumps,” said Drudi.
