Zanella fights back to win Race 1

Date published : 14 May 2011 - 14:15:00

GPUpdateZanella fights back to win Race 114 May 2011 Chrisopher Zanella bounced back from a slow start to take victory in the first race at Magny Cours on Saturday, leading home Tobias Hegewald who also put together a spirited fight through the field from sixth on the grid. The podium was completed by Alex Brundle, with the Briton falling back in the latter stages of the race. "A great feeling for me, for the race I had a really bad start and after that I tried to stay with the others, then to close the gap," Zanella said after his win. "Lap by lap I was trying to find the best line and then I overtook one after the other and that was really good. It was a hard race and especially at the end when you're alone and you start to have some thoughts and that can be very dangerous. I'm really happy that I'm first." A damp track surface greeted the drivers once again, but Brundle was able to get away from his grid slot perfectly and move into the lead. Zanella quickly dropped to fourth in the opening stages and ended up staring at the back of Ramón Piñeiro's rear wing before rain began to fall at the halfway mark and shook up the order. When the rain increased and tyre wear began to come into play, Brundle was reeled in by second place man Miki Monrás. As the pair closed up, it was Zanella who was putting in personal best times and overtook them both in close succession. The Swiss driver was quickly followed by Tobias Hegewald, who darted past Brundle and Monrás en route to second. Zanella was too far in front by the time Hegewald had made his way up the order, and he had to settle for the runner-up spot ahead of Alex Brundle who claimed his maiden F2 podium. Monrás was next to cross the line in fourth, over nine seconds clear of compatriot Piñeiro, while Mirko Bortolotti came home in sixth. Series newcomer Jon Lancaster stayed out of trouble and secured a promising seventh place finish, finishing comfortably ahead of fellow Briton Will Bratt who fell down the order after battling hard in the opening laps of the race. Thiemo Storz took the chequered flag in ninth, while Dutchman Kelvin Snoeks grabbed the final point. Sunday's Qualifying 2 begins at 9.45am local time (BST +1)