‘I can be one of the favourites now’ – Felbermayr buoyed by statement drive to victory in Shanghai

Emma Felbermayr was delighted with her impressive performance in Shanghai as she improved on her Race 1 podium to secure victory in a close-fought Race 2, proving that she is not to be underestimated in the title fight.

Starting from third on the grid, the Audi driver joined Alba Larsen in executing a better launch than polesitter Alisha Palmowski, demoting the Red Bull Racing driver to P3 through the opening sequence of corners.

Larsen’s lead was a commanding one right up until the point when the Safety Car was deployed to clear the aftermath of a collision between Esmee Kosterman and Jade Jacquet. With the pressure of the restart on her shoulders, the Ferrari racer suffered a snap of oversteer when racing kicked off again, which caused her to run wide over the gravel.

The error opened the door for Felbermayr to move into first place, where she remained until the chequered flag to round out what she concluded was “a good weekend”.

“Having two clean races without any risk – that’s exactly what I wanted the weekend to be, extracting the most amount of points possible,” she said. “Yesterday we had quite a good one going from P6 to P3, and today P3 to P1 with a good start, a good restart. It was just good!”

Prompted to elaborate on what was going through her head when she saw Larsen go off, she replied: “I already knew that I was faster than her. I think I was from the beginning, so it didn’t really matter to me to be fair.

“Of course I was a bit lucky that she fell a bit down the order, but I just kept calm and kept my head down so it was all good.”

As one of six drivers completing their second year in the series, Felbermayr’s prior experience was key in giving her the confidence to chase down the win and gives her a six-point lead in the Standings.

READ MORE: RACE 2: Felbermayr seizes sensational victory in action-packed Shanghai race

However, she has not featured in pre-season conversations about the likely title contenders as much as the likes of Palmowski, Larsen and Rodin Motorsport teammate Ella Lloyd, providing her with even more motivation to carry this momentum into the upcoming rounds.

“I think I was the underdog because last year I had so many complications and some things with the team,” she said. “Honestly, I was just not prepared for all of the season. I had some highlights but also some lows. I think I can be one of the favourites now.

“Just have smooth and clean races again – that’s the goal for the whole season. I don’t expect every race to be as it was here but I’ll try to be as prepared as here and to give my best.”