Ananda 7th in F3 race

JAKARTA (JP): A poor start forced Indonesian teenage driver Ananda Mikola to settle for seventh place in the Formula Three auto racing championship opener at the Vallelunga circuit in Italy on Sunday.

Starting from eighth grid, Ananda slipped to 13th place and was left trailing at the rear of the pack for almost half of the race after his car's launch control ceased working.

But the 18-year-old driver bounced back with some maturity beyond his age, producing five overtakes to finish in the top 10 after 38 laps covering 121.6 kilometers.

Ananda, a member of the Marlboro Humpuss team, crossed the finish line 53 seconds behind the eventual winner, Italian Michele Gasparini of the E.F. Project team, who clocked in at 44 minutes and 45.189 seconds. (lnt)