Italy, July 23 : As the Italian GT Championship reaches its halfway mark, Mahaveer Raghunathan continues to make a strong impression in his debut season with AF Corse, currently holding P2 in the overall Sprint Championship standings, just two points off the leader, and P3 in the Endurance Championship.

Mahaveer shares driving duties in the Endurance Cup with Italian racers Lorenzo Ferrari and Riccardo Ponzio, forming a strong and well-balanced trio for AF Corse.

Mahaveer and his co-drivers began the season with a strong showing at Misano, finishing P4 despite an early-race contact that cost them valuable time. The team recovered well with solid pace and strategy but missed the podium by just 1 second.

In race 1, Mahaveer finished P2 with competitive pace and a smart strategy. In race 2, he delivered a stellar drive, jumping to P1 after the pitstop and maintaining the lead under pressure. He dominated the restart and crossed the finish line with a commanding race win, moving to the top of the championship standings.

A strong qualifying effort saw the team start P3. Mahaveer and his teammates maintained front-running pace throughout the race and brought the car home in P2.

Despite carrying a 15-second success handicap from the previous win, the team finished P4, narrowly missing the podium by just one-tenth of a second.

Finished P5 after an unfortunate sequence of events. A poorly timed safety car right after the pitstop neutralized their strategy, preventing tyre warm-up and leaving Mahaveer vulnerable at the restart. A subsequent contact led to further position losses.

Mahaveer shared, 'Overall, the first half of the season has been solid. Four podiums and a win are encouraging, but I know we can push for more. I've learnt a lot, not just about raw speed but about race craft, restarts and managing races under pressure. I'm looking forward to applying those lessons and coming back stronger at Imola on August 3rd.'

From the Pit Wall: Amato Ferrari, Team Principal ' AF Corse said, 'I've been working with Mahaveer since the WEC rookie test in Bahrain last November. He's a very focused driver, always immersed in driving and racing. Since joining the team, Mahaveer has adapted well to the Ferrari 296 GT3. The engineers are pleased with his progress. He is working well alongside Lorenzo Ferrari in the sprint and in the endurance championship with Lorenzo and Riccardo Ponzio. The goal for all of us is the same, to win the championship, so we keep pushing.'

With two more rounds each in the Endurance and Sprint formats still to come, Mahaveer Raghunathan and the AF Corse team are in strong contention, fully focused on turning early-season promise into a championship-winning campaign.

/IANS