RAJ BHARATH ROUNDS OFF STRONG FORMULA MASTERS DEBUT WEEKEND

– Started the weekend on a strong note by clinching pole position on his first outing at Zhuhai.
– Finished third in race one, sixth in race two and fourth in race three.

May 12, Zhuhai (China): Indian racing prodigy Raj Bharath rounded off his maiden Formula Masters weekend at Zhuhai International Circuit with a fourth place finish in race three.

Driving for Meco Motorsport, Raj’s weekend had started on a strong note after he clinched a stunning pole position on Friday and finished on the podium in race one. He followed it up with a sixth place finish in race two.

But the third and final race turned out to be his strongest performance of the weekend, where he came through the field after starting 10^th and finished fourth, missing out on the podium by a whisker.

“I wasn’t expecting to get on the podium starting 10^th but now that I know that I could have, missing out doesn’t feel good”, commented Raj.

The Meco Motorsport crew had continuously worked through the weekend coming to terms with the new engine/gearbox package and the new tyres and the effort seemed to have paid off as Raj had extremely strong pace as soon as the lights went out.

Formula Masters, erstwhile known as Formula Pilota China, has undergone a major revamp this year including support from Volkswagen China with the new car being powered by the German marque’s Formula 3–spec engines and gearboxes.

After a sterling start from 10^th grid spot in race three, Raj was running sixth by the end of the opening lap before the safety car was deployed after one of the drivers spun out.

As the safety car went in, Raj managed to pass another couple of cars and eventually finish fourth.

“My restart behind the safety car wasn’t very good and I think that is why we missed out on the podium”, he admitted.

Analysing his weekend further, he added, “Obviously at the beginning of the weekend I also felt a little rusty since I hadn’t driven for eight months or so but I think most of it is gone. I need more consistency though and improve on my ability to deliver fast laps right out of the box”.

After scoring a strong haul of points this weekend, Raj is satisfied with his debut outing and is already looking forward to the next round scheduled at the Shanghai International Circuit – the venue which hosts the F1 Chinese Grand Prix.

“I scored my first international career podium at Shanghai last year (in Formula Pilota) so I think we should have another good weekend there”, he concluded.