“Third time’s a charm” may imply an unexpected outcome, but in Round 3 of the E1 Championship, that phrase applies for the exceptional perseverance of a certain driver that earned him the right to be at the top of the leaderboards once again.

Qualifying Round

The warm-up Qualifying Round saw tight competition between the top 5 drivers, with their lap times mere microseconds from each other.

P1 to P5 finishes: 

1. Team Safehouse – Mikko Nassi (1:24:090) – 5 points 
2. GT Radial Eurasia – Inigo Anton (1:24:126) – 4 points
3. Stratos Motorsports – Naquib Azlan (1:24:844) – 3 points
4. Team Safehouse – Alister Yoong (1:24:893) – 2 points
5. Resurgence – Ayman Aqeem (1:25:082) – 1 point 

Race 1 – Kicking off with multiple dents

The first race was off to a chaotic start, as every racer collided into one another to reach the front. After a slight scuffle with Team Safehouse’s Mikko Nassi, then-championship leader, Naquib Azlan of Stratos Motorsports managed to secure a firm lead by rocketing forward. This went on for five laps – while Naquib held off Inigo Anton of GT Radial Eurasia – before Nassi took over in the sixth lap.

It was a comfortable drive for Nassi, who subsequently ended up winning the first race. Azlan continued to be pressured by Anton, and though the latter overtook the Malaysian briefly in Lap 11, it was a futile attempt that Azlan revoked by conquering the next turn, causing Anton to spin out of control and go off-track. Nassi also ended the race with the fastest lap time for Round 1 at the Dubai Autodrome.

P1 to P3 Best Lap times: 

1. Mikko Nassi (Team Safehouse) – 1:26:766
2. Naquib Azlan (Stratos Motorsports) – 1:27:504
3. Mika Hakimi (Resurgence) – 1:27:823

Race 1 Best Lap time: 

• Mikko Nassi (Team Safehouse) – 1:26:766

Race 2 – Two aces in a row

It’s a day of Mad Max: Fury Road, as racers were again off to carnage at the start of Race 2. Anton had a strong start, jumping from P9 to P1 in Lap 2, and held onto the lead for a few laps. His corners handling started becoming a bit more inconsistent after a number of laps, and with Nassi slowly but surely climbing his way back up the top, the Team Safehouse representative ended up overtaking Anton before their pit stop in Lap 12.

The duo’s repair time then allowed Azlan to briefly lead the way a few more laps, but Nassi made that history and surpassed his fellow Malaysian just a few laps before the end of Race 2 and won his second race in a row. Fortunately for Azlan, the Stratos Motorsports racer got the fastest lap time this round.

P1 to P3 Best Lap times: 

1. Mikko Nassi (Team Safehouse) – 1:26:370
2. Naquib Azlan (Stratos Motorsports) – 1:25:832
3. Ayman Aqeem (Resurgence) – 1:27:662

Race 2 Best Lap time: 

• Naquib Azlan (Stratos Motorsports) – 1:25:832

Overall Round 3 standings

Top 3 Drivers of Round 3

1. Mikko Nassi (Team Safehouse) – 57 points
2. Naquib Azlan (Stratos Motorsports) – 45 points
3. Mika Hakimi (Resurgence) – 26 points

Overall E1 Championship standings

Top 3 performers (Drivers)

• Mikko Nassi (Team Safehouse) – 131 points
• Naquib Azlan (Stratos Motorsports) – 125 points
• Ayman Aqeem (Resurgence) – 94 points

Top 3 performers (Teams)

• Resurgence – 187 points
• Stratos Motorsports – 173 points
• Team Safehouse – 169 points

Catch the next race in Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari (Imola, Italy) on Thursday (10 December) at 10PM (GMT +8)! Be sure to follow E1 Championship on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for weekly updates and exclusive race coverage.