Keanu Al Azhari Seals Winter Crown in Hitech’s Eurocup-3 Debut
Round 3 - Aragón - Report
Hitech have completed their debut Eurocup-3 winter campaign in style, with Keanu Al Azhari securing the drivers’ title in Aragón. Across the three-round Spanish Winter Championship, Keanu never finished outside the top five, scoring two wins and seven podiums in nine races, demonstrating remarkable consistency in a competitive debut season.
Hitech’s full line-up all had strong campaigns, contributing points in every round. Gino Trappa, Santino Panetta, and Stefan Bostandjiev each collected solid points, helping Hitech fight for the Teams’ Championship in their first season.
Keanu’s success also marks a significant milestone, as he becomes the first driver from the United Arab Emirates to win a championship at this level of single-seater racing.
Qualifying 1
The Aragón weekend began with a strong showing from the Hitech drivers. Keanu Al Azhari claimed pole position for Race 1, putting himself in prime position to challenge for the championship. Gino qualified fourth, Santino fifth, and Stefan Bostandjiev in P9, showing that all four had the pace to fight at the front.
Race 1
Keanu got off to a great start, holding the lead through the opening laps before Egozi briefly snatched it back on lap four. The champion-in-waiting executed a clever move to retake the lead, only to be challenged in the final lap by Lammers. He crossed the line second, securing the fastest lap and extending his championship advantage.
Santino Panetta recovered from a difficult start to finish twelfth, Stefan crossed the line in P14 while Trappa finished 19th.
Sprint Race
The reverse-grid Sprint brought plenty of excitement. Keanu started twelfth and steadily carved his way through the field, climbing into the podium positions to secure the Drivers’ title. Panetta recovered to seventh, Trappa ended up 12th, and Stefan battled to P17.
Qualifying 2
The session for Race 2 proved more challenging. Stefan Bostandjiev qualified ninth, Gino Trappa fifteenth, Keanu Al Azhari in P16, and Santino Panetta was not classified, which meant he would have to start from the pit lane. Despite this, the drivers were ready to make the most of their positions in the final race of the winter series.
Race 2
In the final race, Keanu again demonstrated his composure and race craft. Starting P14 he fought his way through the field, ultimately claiming his seventh podium of the season with P3. Even with the championship secured, there was no letup; his determination to push for top positions underlined his consistency and the quality of his winter campaign.
Keanu steadily climbed through the order: ninth, eighth, seventh, sixth, and finally fourth by the closing stages before the application of penalties elevated him to P3. Gino recovered to 10th after an earlier incident, Santino climbed to P11 after starting from the pit lane, and Stefan finished P14.
Keanu Al Azhari reflects on winning the championship:
“I'm just so happy. I worked so hard for this and I’m so glad to finally prove myself with my first single-seater championship win. I can't thank the team enough - the championship, the cars, everything has been so fantastic. The year's just getting started, but for Hitech to enter the championship and immediately win it is something we can be very proud of.”
Looking Ahead
With the Spanish Winter Championship complete, Hitech now turns their attention to the main Eurocup-3 Championship, which will run over eight rounds from May 1–3 at Circuit Paul Ricard, including the team’s home track at Silverstone and other F1-grade circuits across Europe. After a debut winter season that saw Keanu crowned champion and all four drivers showing strong, consistent performances, the team heads into the full championship with momentum, confidence, and experience to build on.
