De Haan Secures Crucial Victory, Bolstering Title Hopes in Porsche Carrera Cup

Robert de Haan has significantly boosted his championship aspirations with a commanding victory at the Red Bull Ring, marking his fourth win of the season. The Dutch driver managed to hold off a strong challenge from Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti, who finished second, to extend his challenge for the title.

Key Takeaways

• Robert de Haan secured his fourth win of the season, narrowing the gap in the championship standings.

• Alessandro Ghiretti finished second, maintaining his lead in the overall standings.

• Janne Stiak achieved a podium finish in third place, his second of the season.

Race Highlights

De Haan, starting from pole position, successfully defended his lead from Ghiretti at the start. Despite two safety car interventions, including one that ended the race prematurely due to an accident, de Haan maintained his composure. "I was able to fend off Alessandro’s attack right after the start and then eke out a small advantage," de Haan commented. "The first safety car period made things interesting again, but I’d managed my tyres well and was able to hold firm at the restart."

Ghiretti, while disappointed not to win, acknowledged the importance of securing points. "You can’t always win. The most important thing for me today was to collect as many points as possible, and I achieved that with second place," he stated. Ghiretti will start Sunday's race from third on the grid.

Podium Finishers and Other Notables

Janne Stiak of the Target team secured a strong third place, his second podium of the season. "My Porsche was perfect today, and I pulled off two great overtaking moves," said the young German driver.

Following Stiak were his Bavarian teammate Alexander Tauscher in fourth, and Dutch drivers Huub van Eijndhoven (Team GP Elite) and Flynt Schuring (Schumacher CLRT) in fifth and sixth respectively. Schuring was the highest-placed driver from the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland Talent Pool.

In the ProAm category, Sören Spreng took victory, finishing 14th overall. He was joined on the podium by Ahmad Alshehab and class leader Michael Schrey.

Rookie Success and Championship Standings

Sacha Norden claimed his seventh rookie win of the season, extending his lead in the rookie standings after his closest rival, Joseph Warhurst, retired. Alexandra Vateva and Matheus Ferreira completed the rookie podium.

After 13 races, Alessandro Ghiretti leads the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland standings with 228 points, followed by Robert de Haan in second with 199 points, and Huub van Eijndhoven in third with 150 points.

Looking Ahead

The focus now shifts to Sunday's 14th race of the season, where Huub van Eijndhoven and Wouter Boerekamps will start from the front row. Fans can follow the race live online via the Porsche Motorsport Hub and the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland channels on YouTube and Facebook.