NABIL Jan Al Jeffri’s German F3 Cup title hopes are all but over after a fifth and eighth place in Rounds 20 and 21 at the Sachsenring on Sunday.
The glimmer of hope raised after his second place behind championship leader Markus Pommer of Team Lotus in Round 19 on Saturday, was lost after mistakes in his car set-up in wet conditions on Sunday.
Though Pommer let slip his dominant hold on the championship which saw Van Amersfoort Racing’s Sam Macleod and Malaysian Tan Wei Ron take a one-two finish in Round 20, Team Motopark’s Nabil only finished fifth.
Petronas Talent Programme driver Nabil saw his hopes diminish further after suffering a drop in pace in wet conditions in the final race of the weekend that saw Pommer grab victory with Macleod in second and Wei Ron third.
Malaysian rookie Wei Ron, 19, completed his best weekend of the season with three straight podium finishes that propelled him to sixth in the championship standings.
For Nabil, 21, the target is now to secure second spot in the championship in the final round at the Hockenheimring in two weeks.
“We made a mistake with the wet set-up of the car and I was suffering a drop in pace. I was two seconds off the pace on Sunday, so that was a big disadvantage,” said Nabil.
“Anyway, the title has slipped away but I gained valuable points to keep second spot in the championship. I have a 38-point advantage over Macleod, going into the final round.
“That is the target now. Finishing second in the championship is not too bad. In fact, it is a step-up for me after finishing eighth in the championship last year.” By Arnaz M. Khairul