MY QI MERITUS.MAHARA EDGE CLOSER TO THEIR GOAL

The Malaysian team sit eighth in the standings. There are 13 teams in the championships but the other 12 outfits are all based in Europe. As such, team founder, Peter Thompson, is delighted they have shown they can hold their own against richer and more experienced teams.

“We always start the season with a disadvantage as the other 12 teams can test in Europe plus their cost is much lower than ours, even though they have more money to spend,” he explained.

“However, we have held our own in the championship and to lie in eight position is a great achievement. We still have two more races to go in Bahrain and we hope to continue our climb up the standings. We want to earn as many points as possible in our next two races.

“Alvaro showed once again that our car can match those from Europe with his fastest lap. He was also fastest in Doha while Marco Bonanomi was the quickest in Dubai. We need to make sure everything goes right during qualifying if we are to get another podium finish this season.”

Parente said: “It is just a pity we didn’t have much luck during qualifying or we may have got better results. Nonetheless, I’m delighted to have earned the team a point in their home race.

“I’m sure, with two more weeks to go before we travel to Bahrain, the team will find ways to make the car go quicker and we can take advantage of that.”

Bonanomi said: “I had a disappointing weekend as not only did I fail to win any points but everything seemed to go wrong. I can’t wait for the next two races as I want to redeem myself.

“The fans were brilliant and I really wanted to repay their faith but it was not too be. I will give my best in Bahrain to help the team move up the standings.”