Sevilla surprised by Anderlecht

Sébastien Bourdais, who started in 2nd position in the first race at Monza, was able to take the lead to win the race. This Sunday, in Spain, the Frenchman did not experience the same success. The Sevilla FC driver nevertheless occupies pole position and at the end of the warm-up lap, the rolling start poses no problem for him. Le Manceau keeps the race lead, while Yelmer Buurman (Anderlecht) maintains his second position. Third, Esteban Guerrieri (Olympiakos) goes sideways in the first corner and offers his place to Ho-Ping Tung (Galatasaray).

Sébastien Bourdais quickly escaped, taking a second per lap from his pursuer during the first five minutes of the race. Behind, the gap widens even wider. Galatasaray, third, is eight seconds behind Anderlecht after four rounds. But the Turkish club did not maintain their position for long, Ho-Ping Tung leaving in the sand shortly after. He then goes back to give up.

In the lead, Sevilla FC seems to be heading towards another victory but Anderlecht remains in ambush. The gap was reduced to nothing when Sébastien Bourdais spun and Yelmer Buurman managed to catch up with him. Remaining in the center of the track, the Frenchman can however leave quickly and keep the lead, although having to deal with the pressure from Buurman.

Sébastien Bourdais inaugurates the return to the pits to change his tires, before the rest of the field follows suit. Having become leader, Buurman stopped on the next lap and started again well. At the exit of the pits, he is neck and neck with Bourdais. Well launched, the Frenchman overtakes him on the outside but a lack of grip in his tires causes him to lose his advantage. Sevilla lines up behind Anderlecht, who will escape in turn. In ten minutes, Buurman takes three seconds from Bourdais. The Frenchman, seeing that this fight is lost, saves his mount.

Behind the Anderlecht-Seville duel, there is a big gap. Third, Giorgio Pantano (AC Milan) is 17 seconds behind after sixteen laps. Followed by Antonio Pizzonia (Corinthians, 4th), Max Wissel (Bale, 5th), Craig Dolby (Tottenham, 6th) and the three other French players on the field: Julien Jousse (AS Roma, 7th), Nelson Panciatici (Olympique Lyonnais, 8th) and Tristan Gommendy (FC Porto, 9th).

If Sébastien Bourdais will no longer come back on Yelmer Buurman (+7?? after 24 laps), Julien Jousse is unleashed at the end of the race. The Frenchman from AS Roma returns to Tottenham then FC Bale, in order to secure a good fifth place. The vice-champion of Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2008) displays a very good rhythm and returns to Antonio Pizzonia (Corinthians).

Not far from there, Tristan Gommendy (FC Porto) watches for eighth place from Nelson Panciatici (Olympique Lyonnais), the two Frenchmen remaining wheel to wheel during the last minutes of the race, with Adrian Valles (Liverpool, 10th) ready to take advantage of the damage possible consequences of this tricolor duel.

Julien Jousse (AS Roma), back on the heels of Antonio Pizzonia (Corinthians), tries to overtake the Brazilian less than two minutes from the end of the race. The two men embarrass each other and leave for a ride in the same order. The FC Bale and Tottenham cars took the opportunity to come back.

A few seconds later, Pizzonia and Jousse collide at the start of the corner. One may have braked too early, the other perhaps too late: in the end, the car of AS Roma climbs on his predecessor and destroys his nose on the rear wing of the Corinthians car. Both men retired and let Tottenham move into fourth place.

Behind, Panciatici can no longer hold on and is overtaken by Gommendy (FC Porto), Valles (Liverpool) and Guerrieri (Olympiakos). The end of the race therefore brought its share of twists and turns, except at the front, since Buurman (Anderlecht) won with a fourteen second lead over Bourdais (FC Sevilla). The second race is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. with a reverse grid.