Paolo Necchi did not let anyone down and, after a difficult start, made a fine comeback. His overtaking and sheer pace could have seen him fight for a place on the podium.

"Perhaps I was a little too careful at the start and this let a few drivers past. Roeger Green also collided into me. It was a shame because the race could have turned out to be really special. Still, it was an exciting race even though overtaking on this track is very hard. I pushed really hard but still had to take a few risks to climb back up the field. Obviously, I expected more because I was quite pacy. If I am as fast in Race 2, where I start from fourth, things could go my way".