Keanu Al Azhari leads Hitech in Eurocup-3 Portimão Opener

The weekend also ushered in a new era for the championship, with the Winter Series moving away from its former Formula Regional machinery and introducing a revised format and new Dallara 326 chassis, providing a taste of top-tier feeder machinery.

For Hitech, it was the first time the full squad of Keanu Al Azhari, Stefan Bostandjiev, Santino Panetta and Gino Trappa lined up in competitive action.

Keanu Al Azhari made a big impression in his Eurocup-3 debut weekend, claiming a race win and a hat-trick of podiums across the three races. He immediately put himself at the top of the championship, signalling that Hitech’s new era in Eurocup-3 had begun with a bang.

Qualifying 1

In bright and sunny conditions, the Hitech drivers were building toward strong laps when a red flag brought qualifying to an early stop, preventing Santino in particular from improving.

Results:

• Keanu Al Azhari: P8
• Gino Trappa: P10
• Stefan Bostandjiev: P16
• Santino Panetta: P28

Despite the interrupted session, two Hitech drivers were set to feature in the top 10 for the reverse-grid sprint race.

Race 1

Race 1 was action-packed from the start. Keanu Al Azhari climbed quickly from P8, showing  excellent pace to reach P2.

A puncture sidelined Gino Trappa on lap 1, while Stefan Bostandjiev finished P15, and Santino Panetta fought back to P17, capping an impressive 11-place gain.

Multiple safety cars defined the first half of the race. After the fourth restart, with eight minutes remaining, Al Azhari mounted a late charge and by lap 12 had overtaken Strauven for P2. He stayed close to the leader Egozi but couldn’t quite get past before the chequered flag.

It was a blockbuster debut performance for Keanu – a podium that felt like a victory.

Results:

• Keanu Al Azhari – P2
• Stefan Bostandjiev – P15
• Santino Panetta – P17
• Gino Trappa – DNF

Race 2 (Sprint)

The Sprint Race saw Hitech well placed after the top 12 reversal. Trappa surged into the lead at the start, while Keanu started P5, Bostandjiev P15, and Panetta P23.

Trappa initially held off James Egozi but eventually fell back, finishing down the order after an incident. Meanwhile, Keanu moved up to P3 before overtaking Pradel on lap 10 to claim P2 once again.

Bostandjiev and Panetta made strong gains, finishing P6 and P19 respectively. Another safety car late in the race added further frustration, but Hitech claimed another double-figure points haul.

Results:

• Keanu Al Azhari – P2
• Stefan Bostandjiev – P6
• Santino Panetta – P19
• Gino Trappa – P25

Qualifying 2

Sunday morning’s session set the grid for the final race. Keanu stole pole with a commanding lap, while Trappa lined up P10, Bostandjiev P11 and Panetta P15.

Race 3 (Final Race)

The 30-minute finale began with Keanu on pole. Eyckmans briefly overtook him at the start, but in a beautifully executed move through the first turn of lap 2, Keanu reclaimed P1 and never looked back.

Trappa and Bostandjiev were both eliminated in an incident that brought out the safety car, while Panetta continued his steady recovery, climbing to P13.

Racing resumed with 19 minutes remaining. Keanu set the fastest lap of the race midway, consolidating his lead and showing why he’s a serious contender in his debut Eurocup-3 campaign.

Results:

• Keanu Al Azhari – P1
• Santino Panetta – P14
• Gino Trappa – DNF
• Stefan Bostandjiev – DNF

Keanu’s performances across the three races – P2, P2, P1 (fastest lap) – put him at the top of the championship with 42 points after just one weekend. Panetta, Bostandjiev and Trappa all showed flashes of pace despite setbacks, giving the team plenty to build on.

Next Events

• Round 2: Circuito del Jarama (27 February–1 March)
• Round 3: MotorLand Aragón (13–15 March)