Pole sitter, Team Goddard’s Rafael Suzuki, was quick off the line but a sideways moment on the run up to the first turn handed the lead to team mate Frederic Vervisch. Hamad Al Fardan, of Team GFH Bahrai, muscled his way past the Brazilian at turn one and Aran Racing’s Niall Quinn took the opportunity to drop the pole man to fourth place on the run up to turn two. The conditions were extremely difficult, the spray making visibility almost non-existent for the majority of the field.
At the end of the first lap the order was Vervisch, Hamad, Quinn, PTRS Racing’s Matt Howson and Suzuki. The pattern of the race changed at the tight turn three hairpin when Hamad dived up the inside of Vervisch. Contact was made, spinning Vervisch whilst leaving Hamad in the lead. He then got his head down and was never headed in an accomplished display of wet weather driving. The incident promoted Niall Quinn to second place, the young Irishman impressing on his F3 debut especially taking into account the terrible conditions. However a lap later he was in the gravel at turn six and out of the race.
Vervisch was soon chasing after Howson but a trip through the turn five gravel narrowly missing the stranded car of Quinn left him just ahead of Suzuki who impressing with his drive in his first taste of an F3 car in the wet.. That was how they finished with Howson setting the race’s fastest lap on the final tour.
Hamad’s win puts him just four points behind Vervisch in the championship and a close race is expected in round six this afternoon.
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