Jazeman is first Malaysian to win F3 Euro Series
Jazeman is first Malaysian to win F3 Euro Series race
PETALING JAYA: Jazeman Jaafar put the country on the world motorsports limelight after becoming the first Malaysian to win the F3 Euro Series at Brands Hatch, England.
His feat came just one week after taking his first British F3 victory in Pau, France.
It was a lights to flag victory for the young Malaysian with the Petronas supported driver starting from pole and fending off the chasing pack to take the chequered flag.
He competed at Brands Hatch as a guest driver, taking the opportunity to join the F3 Euro Series, which is the stepping stone to getting a drive in Formula 1, to build race experience and race on a track layout new to him.
The 19-year-old Jazeman had a competitive opening race on the short Indy layout at Brands Hatch.
He quickly settled into a strong pace and was pushing hard each lap. An eighth place finish was a welcome reward for the Malaysian youngster.
A semi-reverse grid for the second race put Jazeman in pole position for his Carlin team and the pressure on his shoulders to lead the race from the start.
He executed the perfect start to defend from Felix Rosenqvist into the first corner and never giving an inch to stay there for the duration of the race.
Jazeman was delighted to hear the Malaysian national anthem, Negaraku, playing, for the second weekend in succession.
“That was a fantastic race. The car felt good and I knew that a good start was key to winning the race.
“Rosenqvist gave me a good run through the first couple of corners but I defended my position and managed to keep hold of the lead.
“From then on I had Muller quite close behind, but I just focused on not making any mistakes and not giving him the opportunity to make a move.
“I’m really happy to take another win. Standing on top of the podium and hearing Negaraku playing again was amazing,” said Jazeman, who has maintained the impressive record of podium finishes throughout all of his race weekends so far this year.
His busy season continues with a quick trip to Monaco next weekend as part of Petronas Talent Programme for the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, where he will be in the pits with the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 team.
The following week he will travel to Red Bull Ring in Austria, for his second ‘guest driver’ appearance in the F3 Euro Series.