India's Mahaveer Raghunathan finishes fourth in Pro-Am at Italian GT season opener with AF Corse

New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) It was a dramatic and hard-fought season opener for Indian racer Mahaveer Raghunathan and the AF Corse squad in the 2025 Italian Gran Turismo Championship, as they brought the #51 Ferrari 296 GT3 home in P6 overall and P4 in the Pro-Am class, narrowly missing out on a podium finish by just 1.2 seconds.

The race began with Mahaveer’s teammate taking the start and making an immediate impact, climbing to P2 in class by the end of the opening lap. However, early contact with a competitor's car resulted in minor damage and a significant loss of positions.

Mahaveer took over the car 30 minutes into the race during the second stint and began the charge back through the field. Steady pace, strategic execution, and well-timed safety car interventions helped the crew work their way back into the top 10.

By the final hour, the #51 Ferrari was in the mix with the lead pack. Despite a spirited push to catch the Pro-Am front-runners, traffic from back markers played a key role in the closing stages, ultimately costing the team a shot at the podium by the narrowest of margins.

Mahaveer Raghunathan shared his thoughts after the race, “Overall, it’s been an up-and-down weekend, with luck not on our side since our pace deserved a podium finish. But good points from the first race of the season with P4 in class. I’m already looking forward to the next round in three weeks' time.”

Reflecting on the comeback, he added, “I’m quite happy that we were able to fight back into the top five. After the first 10 minutes, we were at the back of the pack due to the incident, so there’s a lot we’ve learned. These lessons will be invaluable as we push for stronger results in the upcoming races.”

Mahaveer is the only Indian representative in the 2025 Italian GT championship this year, a season that is expected to be highly competitive. In 2024, 30 cars competed, but this year, 36 cars will vroom across the track. Some teams and drivers from the GT World Challenge are taking part, as well as drivers from the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), making it highly competitive and edgy.

--IANS

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