NesbiLeGrand is the most prolific L3 driver in IMS history, and Singapore showed why. Back in D3, he turned ninth on the grid into victory for VCARB: his tenth IMS win and his first since Season 6.
Five victories in Season 5 and four in Season 6 had already established the winning record. Singapore made it five wins in D3 and five in E3 across his career. There had been only two D2 appearances last season, neither yielding a podium. His first race back in D3 produced thirty points as a reserve and a 2.839-second victory over Carlos Velez.
Nesbi: ten wins, three winning seasons
D3 and E3 race wins through Singapore’s Season 8 D3 opener. The division split appears beside each season’s total.
| Pos | +/− | Team | Driver | Grid | Gap | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 8 | VCARB | NesbiLeGrandVCARBGrid 98 | 9 | Winner | 30 |
| P2 | 12 | Alpine | Carlos VelezAlpineGrid 1412 | 14 | +2.839s | 23 |
| P3 | 0 | Williams | ximqfWilliamsGrid 30 | 3 | +3.872s | 20 |
| P4 | 9 | Red Bull | atmjosh15Red BullGrid 139 | 13 | +5.046s | 15 |
| P5 | 3 | Cadillac | JanCadillacGrid 83 | 8 | +9.864s | 13 |
| P6 | 2 | Cadillac | JackoCadillacGrid 42 | 4 | +11.467s | 11 |
Jacko had a lead worth being angry about
“I had the lead with a gap and better tyres until the SC,” Jacko wrote afterwards. “I imagine I may be at least equally as pissed.”
He was replying to Trident, who felt he had been on course for second before his race unravelled. Trident ended four laps down in 13th. Jacko finished sixth, with eleven points and another missed chance at his first IMS win. The Safety Car had interrupted a race in which he believed he held both the lead and the tyre advantage.
The result had an awkward team connection too. Jacko spent last season in VCARB; his first Cadillac appearance ended with his former team winning through a reserve. Jan finished one place ahead of him despite reporting the return of his wheel problems. Cadillac collected 24 points while Jacko rued the Safety Car and Jan contended with his equipment.
Jan also apologised to Contex for attempting a move in a tight part of the circuit, admitting he had misjudged his chance. Returning to L3 had brought fifth, but the wheel remained a problem he was already talking about having to replace.
Carlos gets an answer to his own doubts
At Abu Dhabi last season, Carlos wondered whether D3 had become too fast for him or he had become too slow. Singapore gave the Alpine veteran second from 14th on his 85th IMS start.
It was only his fifth career podium, and his first since the opening round of Season 7. His previous three D3 finishes had been 14th, 13th and ninth. After that run, twelve places gained and a finish less than three seconds from the winner made this a much better answer than anything he had found at the end of last season.
Ximqf finished 1.033 seconds behind him to take his first podium on his third official start. His two previous outings had brought a Monza retirement and sixth at Abu Dhabi; third from third, with the fastest-lap point for a 1:32.284, immediately gave Williams twenty points.
Atmjosh15 climbed from 13th to fourth for Red Bull. Three of the first four finishers had started ninth or lower, while Jacko's fourth-place start had become sixth. The front rows had been a poor guide to who would leave Singapore happiest.
Three of the front four started ninth or lower
Singapore D3 · Starting position → finish · Championship points at right. Jacko’s result appears alongside the leading four.
Ferrari's three points leave VCARB clear
Ferrari were our D3 constructors' pick. Contex qualified second and Aban seventh, then finished 11th and 12th for a combined three points. A promising start had left both cars behind the leading group.
Aston Martin's afternoon was harsher still. Hotshot's 1:28.991 took pole by 0.209 seconds over Contex, but neither he nor Freed reached the finish. The pole bonus supplied the team's only point. Hotshot called it a “Pity point fr”.
Red Bull matched Cadillac's 24 through Josh and ELITE HEAT SHOW, who finished seventh after opening-lap contact. PCPADDLEBOY acknowledged the collision and described a bad race in which it had felt as though he had no brakes. Paddle did not finish; EHS still gained three places.
Fredrumguit's climb from 16th to tenth added three points to Carlos's 23, putting Alpine second in the constructors' standings. VCARB have eleven more, with DoctorB's eighth supporting Nesbi's win.
For Nesbi, Webbah's verdict was the one that fitted: “it's like you never left”.
▶D3
