Jack Doohan takes F3 Asia victory in hectic Sepang outing

Jack Doohan has won Race 2 of the F3 Asian Championship at Sepang, ahead of Nikita Mazepin and Ukyo Sasahara.

Championship leader Joey Alders started on pole, with Pietro Fittipaldi in second.

Australian Jack Doohan started third, but was quickly past Fittipaldi, going side-by-side with Alders for the lead through the opening pair of corners.

Alders held the inside line at Turn 3 and retained his early lead, with Doohan’s aggressive opener costing him second place as Jamie Chadwick slipped by.

Doohan quickly recovered and rose to second, reducing the gap to Alders to half a second at the start of Lap 2. By the end of the lap, the Dutchman’s lead was just two tenths of a second, with Doohan stealing the inside line into Turn 1.

The Red Bull Junior driver ran wide under braking, gifting the lead back to Alders, but the pair were now closer than ever before, squabbling throughout the entire lap.

Doohan kept Alders to within two tenths of a second, and pounced in Turn 4, holding the lead for the first time in the race and setting the fastest lap of the race as he gave himself some breathing room.

The order settled in, with Doohan leading Alders and Chadwick. The W Series champion was a woman on a mission, chipping away at Alders’ lead. 

After a few solid lap times, Chadwick was alongside Alders down the back straight at the end of Lap 9, with their pair drag racing down the pit straight to start Lap 10. 

It was the exact same again to end lap 10, but Chadwick had the edge into Turn 3, taking second. Nikita Mazepin caught the battling pair and the trio went wheel-to-wheel into turn five. 

The three-way conflict slowed all three cars, bringing Ukyo Sasahara and Pietro Fittipaldi into the fold.

Mazepin snuck past Chadwick, as Sasahara and Fittipaldi went down the inside on Alders.

After a chaotic lap of five-way battles, Mazepin was second, followed by Chadwick, Sasahara, and Fittipaldi, who fell away from the chase.

Sasahara now had the jump on Chadwick, pushing past the W Series champion for third place. 

Chadwick eyed a move into Turn 1, forcing Sasahara to the defensive. He was able to hold her off, but his protective line through the opening sequence of turns allowed Mazepin to build a small buffer.

Attention then turned to championship leader Joey Alders, falling backwards through the field. Yu Kanamaru overtook him for seventh place, demoting Alders to an ultimate ninth-place finish.

Doohan took a triumphant victory, reducing the gap to Alders from 41 points down to 20. Nikita Mazepin was second, with Ukyo Sasahara in third. With Sasahara ineligible for points as a guest driver, Jamie Chadwick received a welcome boost with the championship points for third.

Australian Tommy Smith retired on Lap 13 in P11.