Yuki Tsunoda takes maiden Toyota Racing Series victory at Highland Park

Yuki Tsunoda has won the reverse-grid Race 2 of the 2020 Castrol Toyota Racing Series, followed by Oliver Rasmussen and Lirim Zendeli.

Denmark’s Oliver Rasmussen was on pole for Sunday’s reverse-grid race at Highlands Motorsport Park, with Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda alongside him.

The Red Bull driver made the better start, and had opened his lead to a couple of car lengths by the exit of the first corner.

Further back, Liam Lawson started sixth, quickly dispatching Igor Fraga and preparing his charge through the field.

Caio Collet, who start seventh after his penalty on Satursday, hit the barriers on Lap 2, forcing his retirement.

The race settled into a rhythm, with Tsunoda, destined for Formula 2 later this year, building his lead at the front. The unchanged order behind him was Rasmussen in second, then Zendeli in third.

This order was unchanged until the finish, with Tsunoda taking the chequered flag.

He said “the beginning of the race to the middle was quite fast compared to the others."

"The car balance was very good but toward the end of the race it did get quite tough. The car behind was quicker than I was so it definitively wasn’t as easy as it looked. I was trusting my engineer that the pace was still there and was just trying to not make a mistake as passing here is difficult.”

Liam Lawson finished fifth, after putting on a determined but unsuccessful challenge on Grégoire Saucy in the final laps. Australian Jackson Walls finished P9, with kiwi Chelsea Herbert in P17.