Nahar Al Rashed admits he was taken by surprise by his performance in the opening round of the TRD 86 Cup.

The 19-year-old was tasting his first experience of competing in a professional competition for amateur drivers and he didn’t disappoint.

The Saudi Arabian finished in fourth position in Race Two at Yas Marina Circuit on Saturday, a vast improvement of his 10th-place finish in Race One. 

– Kovalainen: Surprises expected at new Mexican GP
– F1: Mercedes unhappy with possible engine changes
– F1: Perez bracing for first ever home Grand Prix

“You know it went really well,” said Al Rashed. “To be honest I really didn’t expect this result, especially in the opening round.

“I started 10th on the grid as I had a technical failure during the first race. But I remained calm and put things together and ran my strongest race to finish fourth.

“It was difficult to race as there were some strong drivers, but I’m happy I did well.”

He added: “It’s a really big achievement for me and something I will always remember. I never thought I’d go this far in the first round.”

Al Rashed put hours of practice behind the wheel prior to the opening round and he was delighted it paid off.

“Yas Marina Circuit is a famous track and is very tricky. So I practiced hard for two days on the track to ensure I’m familiar with the route and the car.”

With the next round scheduled in December, Al Rashed wants to keep the momentum going.

He said: “I want to do as many track days as possible. It’s more than four weeks away but I want to improve on this. I know I will not win the championship this season so I want to gain experience as I can perhaps eye the title next year.”