FANTASTIC HAMAD MAKES HIS POINT!

RACE ace Hamad Al Fardan notched his first-ever GP2 points taking fifth place in the fifth round of the GP2 Asia Series at a stormy Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, writes MAI AL KHATIB.

The GFH Team iSport driver is the first Arab driver to score points at this level. The 21-year-old started from ninth position on the grid and quickly moved up the order, battling for a place near the front.

Hamad completed the race despite heavy rain with a two points finishing time of 46 minutes and 02.888 seconds, 21.539 seconds behind winner and veteran GP2 driver Vitaly Petrov of Barwa International Campos. The race was reduced to 20 laps from 23 because of the weather conditions.

Speaking to GulfWeekly from trackside, a jubilant Ahmed Al Fardan, Hamad's father and manager, said: "I am so proud of Hamad's achievement. It was a fantastic race for him and although he could have pushed himself harder for a place on the podium we wanted to make sure he secured the points for the first time."

Hamad now heads into the final round of the season at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir with a huge confidence boost. He now stands 20th in the 41-strong drivers' table and said: "What I achieved this week is huge and will also help boost the morale of my team. We hope to build on these results and see more of the same in Bahrain.

"I will not disappoint the fans and I want to thank my sponsors GFH, Gulf Air and Bapco for their continuous support."

Hamad's GFH iSport teammate Giedo van der Garde was 10th, as he battled car problems for much of the sprint.

Zayed Al Zayani, chairman of the BIC board, was among the first to congratulate Hamad on the spectacular drive. Al Zayani was in Sepang for the Malaysian Grand Prix, which followed the GP2 activities.

The GP2 curtain-closer will be one of the support races during the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix weekend on April 24-26.

Hamad's dream is to become the first Arab racer in Formula One and a good performance could bring him one step closer to making it reality.