SPIELBERG (AUSTRIA): Oman’s Al-Faisal Al-Zubair finished 11th in a processional third round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Super Cup at the Red Bull Circuit in Austria on Sunday.
Al-Zubair’s BWT Lechner Racing Team colleagues, Julien Andlauer and Michael Ammermüller, finished first and second overall and Andlauer closes the gap on his German rival at the top of the points’ standings in a race that took place in high temperatures that created tyre wear issues for drivers.
Al-Zubair said: “The race start was good and I managed to move up to ninth place. I felt the performance of the car was excellent and I could stay with the front pack. After that I started to compete with Tio Ellinas to gain an extra position, but my tyres started to wear out and I ended the race in 11th.
“I was glad to finish the race in those conditions, but I do feel that we could have finished even higher. Now I want to achieve a good result at Silverstone.”
Al-Zubair started the 17-lap race from 11th position on the grid with Andlauer leading the way in blistering summer temperatures from Larry Ten Voorde and Dylan Pereira.
Ten Voorde managed to squeeze through on the first turn but Andlauer held the Dutchman’s challenge off through the opening lap, as Ammermüller moved up to third and Al-Zubair gained a couple of places to snatch ninth.
Ayhancan Güven stopped on the track after contact with another car and forced a yellow flag situation through lap two but the leaders held station into lap three. Ammermüller ran wide and was overtaken by Van Lagen on lap four only for the German to regain his place on the next lap, as Al-Zubair held 10th place.
Ammermüller passed Ten Voorde to snatch second place behind Andlauer and Al-Zubair maintained 10th position into lap eight.
Positions were unchanged into laps 10, 11 and 12 but Al-Zubair lost 10th place to Tio Ellinas on lap 13 as his tyres began to wear in he heat. Andlauer held on through the closing laps to reach the chequered flag ahead of Ammermüller with Ten Voorde, Van Lagen and Mikkel Pedersen rounding off the top five. Al-Zubair came home in 11th place.
Action in the Porsche Mobil 1 Super Cup resumes at the Silverstone circuit in the UK on July 11-13.