Motorsport: Oman ‘s Al Faisal pushed into tyre wall on Monaco debut

Monte Carlo: Omani driver Al Faisal Al Zubair’s first appearance in the prestigious Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup on Monte Carlo’s famous street circuit was cut short when the talented youngster was pushed into the tyre wall early in the 16-lap race, despite passing three rivals on the first two laps. Twenty-seven of the original 28 Porsches began Sunday’s race, with Al Zubair lining up in 20th position on the grid in his Lechner Racing Middle East-run Porsche. “I made an excellent start, qualified 20th and I was up to 18th on the first lap,” said FZ Racing’s Al Faisal. “I was pleased with that because Monaco is not easy and it is difficult to pass. Then, I overtook another driver and was up to 17th, but there was another car stopped in the middle of the main straight soon after that. “I went to the right to avoid it and another driver aggressively turned into me and pushed me into the wall under braking. I had been catching the pack in front as well. It could have been a good race, but I could not do anything. “Every lap we were getting quicker. I learned a lot. I think I can carry this experience on for the rest of the season and here in Monaco next season.” Team manager Walter Lechner said: “I have been in this business 40 years and this is the 25th anniversary of the Porsche Supercup. I have met a lot of people and a lot of people were very surprised by the way Al Faisal started in the Middle East. He showed a lot of talent and he has shown that he is doing a very good job. People must be patient and realise that racing drivers are not born in one day. “There is a long way to go, but I feel that the level of the Middle East Championship is very good. Next year in the Middle East, with a lot of experience in Europe, h will be a race winner and he will come back to Europe next year with a different approach. He can use this year and next year for learning. We only recently turned 19. He is a wonderful person. He listens to exactly what you tell him. We can work together very well in the future.” Al Zubair’s teammate Michael Ammermüller of the Lechner MSG Racing Team qualified in pole position and claimed his third successive victory of the season. Daniel Cammish finished second and leading rookie Dennis Olsen was third, giving Walter Lechner a clean sweep of the podium places.