Henrique Chaves left his mark on the World Series Formula V8 3.5 championship in the best possible way by winning race one around the Bahrain International Circuit on Friday.
The Portuguese racer joined the AVF by Adrian Vallés squad in their third car for the final ever Formula V8 3.5 weekend, and took a memorable win, inheriting the lead at the start when SMP Racing by AVF’s Matevos Isaakyan suffered engine problems and then holding off Pietro Fittipaldi until the chequered flag.
Chaves was understandably delighted with his win, which also came accompanied by the fastest lap of the race, and although he could only finish fifth during Saturday’s finale – thanks mainly to being spun around early by Alfonso Celis Jr. heading into turn one – it was a strong weekend all-round for the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 racer.
“It’s amazing to be here, writing a piece of history,” said Chaves on worldseriesv8.com. “The feeling with the car and the team was great, I found myself in the front of the grid for both races, which means we have a great car, as my team-mates results can confirms.
“The night drive was amazing, something I can’t describe.”
