Round 1 – Hungary (Hungaroring)
The V1 Malta Series Main Championship Season 5 started with a bang as Matthias Farrugia (Alfa Romeo) won a thrilling opening race in Hungary. Farrugia, who was starting from 7th place, showcased his racing skills and managed to work his way up the grid to take the top spot on the podium. The young driver is only in his second season in the V1 Malta Series Championship but he is quickly making a name for himself.
The rainy qualifying was a challenging way to start the season, as the rain made the track slippery and difficult to navigate as we saw a lot of cars struggling to find the quickest way around the Hungaroring. In the end, when the track dried up, Adrian Manduca (Ferrari), emerged as the fastest driver on the track, earning the first pole position of the season.
At the start of the race, it was Kevin Lucchese (Aston Martin), who shot off the line and took the lead with Andrea Borg (Haas), right behind him as he also had an excellent start. After some mistakes from both drivers during the race, Jamie Zahra (Mercedes) was quick to take the lead in his own hands. A late safety car, caused by an incident from Andrea Borg (Haas), completely changed the outcome of the race. This brought the pack back together and created some exciting racing towards the end of the race. Despite starting in 19th place, Mark Grech (Alpine) managed to fight his way up the grid and finish second, earning himself the first Driver of the Day award in Season 5. Brandon Bonello (Williams) also had a remarkable race, starting from 8th place and managing to secure a podium finish after a difficult race. At a point, we also saw an intense battle for the lead between six cars vying for the top spot.
The opening race of Season 5 proved to be an exciting and unpredictable one. The drivers showed great determination and skill, providing a glimpse of what is to come in the rest of the championship. Stay in touch with us next Monday at 9pm on the Velocity Esports Racing Facebook or YouTube page for the next round of the V1 Malta Series Main Championship.
