- Porsche Junior Theo Oeverhaus defends his championship lead with second place on the Formula 1 circuit in the Principality
- Dirk Schouten wins rookie classification
- Race shortened after an accident in first lap
Robert de Haan wrapped up one of the shortest races in the history of the Porsche Supercup with first place in Monaco. The Dutch driver from the BWT Lechner Racing team crossed the finish line after just four laps, taking first place ahead of Porsche Junior Theo Oeverhaus. Driving for Proton Huber Competition, the German successfully defended his lead in the overall standings. The ca. 375 kW (510 PS) Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars will return to action already this coming weekend for the third round of the season in Barcelona, Spain.
“No one can take this victory away from me. Standing on the top step of the podium here for the first time made this day even more special,” said a delighted Robert de Haan after the awards ceremony, held within sight of the Monte-Carlo marina. The 18-year-old Dutchman, reigning Rookie Champion of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, had started from pole position. In the sprint to the first corner, he successfully defended his lead against Porsche Junior Theo Oeverhaus and charged into the uphill section toward the casino at the front of the pack.
Behind De Haan and Oeverhaus, the battle for third place took a dramatic turn when two cars spun out. A traffic jam quickly formed behind them, leading to several minor collisions and ultimately blocking the track. To safely recover the stranded Cup 911 racers, the race was red-flagged. After a break of around 25 minutes, the safety car led the field back onto the circuit for the restart. However, with only three laps remaining before the start of the Monaco Grand Prix, the race distance was significantly shortened. As a result, the top finishers could celebrate their positions – albeit with only half points awarded due to the reduced length of the race.
“This meant I was only able to slightly extend my lead over my closest rivals in the standings. On the other hand, Robert didn’t gain much ground on me,” said Porsche Junior Theo Oeverhaus with a pragmatic outlook. The 20-year-old German retains his position at the top of the leaderboard, while De Haan is still outside the top five.
Among the drivers hoping to score more points was Alessandro Ghiretti. Racing for the Schumacher CLRT team, the French Porsche Junior survived the first-lap chaos. “I saw the two cars in front of me make contact. I saw a small gap on the right, and was able to slip through unscathed,” he explained. In the sprint that followed, Ghiretti did everything he could to challenge Theo Oeverhaus for second place – but ultimately had to settle for third.
Behind Ghiretti, Dutchman Huub van Eijndhoven (Team GP Elite) and Spaniard Mikel Azcona Troyas crossed the finish line. Azcona, competing for the Spanish team Hadeca Racing, had made the most of his free Saturday in Monaco by squeezing in a qualifying session for the upcoming 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. “Of course, that was a bit stressful,” he admitted, “but luckily all the flights were on time.”
With sixth place, Dutchman Dirk Schouten clinched victory in the Rookie classification. “While I was dodging the accident ahead of me, my car lightly brushed the guardrail. Fortunately, there were no consequences,” revealed the Supercup newcomer from the Dinamic Motorsport team.
“Today once again underlined why racing on the Monaco Grand Prix circuit is one of the most unpredictable challenges motorsports has to offer. The Porsche Supercup has been part of this iconic challenge since 1993. Congratulations to Robert de Haan on his first victory in our one-make cup. I’m hoping for a less nerve-wracking third round in Barcelona next weekend,” commented Oliver Schwab, Project Manager of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
Result race 2 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Monte Carlo (MCO)
1. Robert de Haan (NLD/BWT Lechner Racing), 4 laps
2. Porsche J unior Theo Oeverhaus (DEU/Proton Huber Competition), +2.645 seconds
3. Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti (FRA/Schumacher CLRT), +3.708 seconds
4. Huub van Eijndhoven (NLD/Team GP Elite), +7.382 seconds
5. Mikel Azcona Troyas (ESP/Hadeca Racing), +7.484 seconds
6. Dirk Schouten (NLD/Dinamic Motorsport), +8.283 seconds
Standings Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (after 2 of 8 races)
1. Porsche Junior Theo Oeverhaus (DEU/Proton Huber Competition), 35 points
2. Ariel Levi (ISR/Team GP Elite), 24 points
3. Kas Haverkort (NLD/Team GP Elite), 17 points
Third race of the season already next Sunday
The Supercup teams will travel directly from Monaco to Barcelona. The one-make cup will compete at the Circuit de Catalunya as part of the Spanish Grand Prix. The race starts at 11:45 a.m. CEST on Sunday (1 June). The TV channels Eurosport and Sky Sport as well as the streaming service f1tv.formula1.com will broadcast the race live.
Schedule Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 3 in Barcelona (Spain)
Friday, 30 May
18:30 – 19:15 hrs: Practice
Saturday, 31 May
11:20 – 11:50 hrs: Qualifying
Sunday, 1 June
11:45 hrs: Race (15 laps)
