Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time F1 champion Emmerson Fittipaldi, will be looking to extend his championship lead in the 2015 MRF Challenge when the series makes its debut at the Dubai Autodrome this weekend.
The third and penultimate round of the FIA sanctioned MRF Challenge, India’s only single-seater international racing series, features a 16-driver line-up following earlier rounds in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.
Fittipaldi currently enjoys a 12-point lead in the championship over Russian driver Nikita Troitckii who recorded a double podium
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Colombian female driver Tatiana Calderon had a tough outing in the last round but is still third in the standings, two points adrift.
Another driver who will be in focus is Belgian driver Alessio Picariello who stunned the field to dominate in Bahrain with pole
position, fastest lap and back-to-back-race wins. However, he has a lot to do as he is 42 points behind Fittipaldi in fifth place.
Arun Mammen, managing director MRF Tyres, said: “We are extremely excited to come to the Dubai Autodrome for the first time. The MRF Challenge 2015 has a very strong presence in the Middle East and we are happy to continue this by having our first race in Dubai.
“We have a truly international grid with 10 countries being represented this weekend. The circuit will be a new challenge for the drivers and equal for everyone with none of the drivers having driven here before.”
India’s first F1 driver and MRF brand ambassador Narain Karthikeyan will also be present in Dubai to witness all the action.
There will be some other interesting names in the fray.
Harrison Newey, son of famed F1 engineer Adrian Newey, finished strongly in Bahrain and will be looking to continue his form this weekend. Making his debut will be Giuliano Alesi, son of former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi.
The Indian contingent will be led by Tarun Reddy and Indian Touring Car Champion Arjun Narendran. Reddy currently lies seventh in the championship, more than 50 points behind the leader after a disastrous outing in Bahrain.
The competition’s MRF Formula 2000 car has been built by JA
Motorsport in collaboration with Dallara, and is considered to be the fastest of its kind in Asia.
The race car has also been crash tested to FIA F3 safety standards.
