Racing during Ramadan meant that the main sessions took place in the evening, after the fasting period had ended.
Usmaan Mughal was in great form, securing a double pole for both Sprint Race 1 and 2, as the only driver to dip into the 1:39s. However, as Race 1 got underway, Mughal misjudged the start, pulling away before the red lights went out. Alex Bukhantsov (making a rare appearance this year), who was alongside in P2, watched as Mughal jumped the start. This allowed Mughal to take the lead, but not for long.
In a bizarre turn of events, the circuit timing feed displayed “Safety Car,” causing confusion. Some teams with pit-to-car radios informed their drivers, including Mughal, who started to back off. Realising it was a false alarm, he tried to recover but had already allowed some of his competitors to pass.
As the race settled into a rhythm, Geshev took control at the front, maintaining a consistent pace. Sebastian Murray (currently racing in Indy NXT for 2025) was close behind in second, with Ian Aguilera in third. This remained the order as they crossed the finish line, but celebrations were cut short when a 10-second penalty was handed to Murray for exceeding track limits after receiving a warning during the race. This dropped him to fourth, promoting Bukhantsov to third and onto the podium. Mughal also received a penalty for his jump start, pushing him further down the order.
A few hours later, Sprint Race 2 got underway, with Mughal once again on pole and Murray alongside. However, there was confusion at the start as Murray found himself ahead before the lights went out. Realising his mistake, he dropped back, causing the left side of the grid to back up. On Lap 2, the safety car was deployed after Amir Feyzulin was stranded at Turn 15. After a few laps under caution, racing resumed with Aguilera in the lead, closely followed by Murray and Geshev.
A few laps later, Daremas pulled off at Turn 1 with a gearbox issue. Stuck in a dangerous spot, this triggered another safety car. With only a few laps remaining, the race finished under caution.
As the day drew to a close, the Enduro race began. Chaos erupted right after Turn 1, where a chain reaction of contact took out three cars, bringing out the red flag. After a delay, the race was restarted with a full grid reset. As the cars pulled away, it became clear that Mughal had engine issues, forcing him to retire at the end of the lap—capping off a tough weekend for him.
A few laps later, the red flag was waved again after Novichkov ran wide out of Turn 14, spinning across the track and hitting the wall hard. With the cars lined up for the third restart, Murray took the lead, with Bukhantsov and Geshev chasing hard. However, since this was a night race, it was mandatory to have the front LED running lights on. After the pit stop, Bukhantsov's lights were off, resulting in a technical black flag. This promoted Khazzoum to the third step of the podium.
It was a gruelling race for all, but now there is a four-week break before the final round of the championship. Geshev has taken the lead in the points standings, but with double points on offer in the last round, everything is still up for grabs.
