(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Oman's Al Faisal al Zubair heads to the most famous street circuit in motor sport this weekend (May 23-26) to continue his quest for honours in the prestigious 2019 Porsche Mobil 1 Super Cup.
The young BWT Lechner Racing Team driver made a sensational start to his challenge for honours at the opening round in Barcelona two weeks ago and will be hoping to improve on or at least match the career-best seventh place he earned on the Circuit de Catalunya.
The narrow 3.337km street track that is also used for this weekend's Monaco Formula One Grand Prix is renowned for its tight corners, hairpins and Armco and the slightest braking misjudgement or over-zealous overtaking manoeuvre can have disastrous consequences.
Julien Andlauer also drives for Al Zubair's BWT Lechner Racing Team and victory in the opening race has given the Frenchman a two-point championship lead over Turkey's rookie Ayhancan Güven, with Andlauer's team-mate Michael Ammermüller in third place, four points off the lead. Al Zubair has nine points for his seventh position at the season's opener.
Al Zubair finished the 2018 Monaco race in 11th place. Ahead of this weekend encounter, he said, 'The result at the first race was a major motivational boost. I need to continue on this way. I am feeling way more comfortable than I have ever been before. I am very excited for Monaco. It's a track I love and it's my favourite race on the calendar. It's a very tough one and I need to come prepared.'
Monaco has hosted a round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Super Cup since the series was devised back in 1993. The winner of that first race on the streets of Monte-Carlo was none other than the 1998 and 1999 Formula One World Champion Mika Häkkinen.
Defending Porsche Mobil 1 Super Cup champion Ammermüller set the lap record of 1min 35.766sec during the Super Cup racing last year, although the race win in 2018 fell to rival and pole winner Nick Yelloly.
The Porsche Mobil 1 Super Cup contenders get their first taste of the Street Circuit with a 45-minute free practice session from 5.30pm on Thursday afternoon (May 23).
With overtaking so tricky on the narrow circuit, the qualifying session takes on extra significance from 10am on Friday, May 24.
There is no Porsche action on Saturday and the second round of the championship takes centre stage over 16 laps from 10.30am on Sunday morning (May 26).
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