New Zealand driver Mitch Evans could yet snatch a top-three finish in the GP2 series after another strong display in the penultimate race of the season.
Evans placed third in the main race of the 11th and final round in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, a race won by Belgian Stoffel Vandoorme, who has already clinched the title.
A five-second delay at a pit-stop probably cost second place for Evans, who trailed Italian Raffaele Marciello across the finish line by less than a second at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
Evans, who drives for the Russian Time team, remains fifth in the overall standings heading into Sunday’s series-concluding sprint race.
However, he sits within four points of the two drivers immediately in front of him – third-placed Russian Sergey Sirotkin and Indonesia’s Rio Haryanto.
A prominent performance could lift Evans to third place overall and improve on his fourth placing last year.
Evans is in sharp form, having placed third and first in the two races at the previous round, in Bahrain last week.
