Xavier Lázaro closed out the Champions Of The Future season with his best overall performance of the year, at the fifth and final round of the competition, held at the Circuito Internazionale Napoli in Sarno, Italy. The 13-year-old Portuguese driver, from Várzea de Sintra, competed in the OKJ category among 54 drivers from 25 countries for Parolin Motorsport, achieving the 16th best qualifying time with a lap of 59.272 seconds, which allowed him to start among the top eight in all three heats.
Throughout the three heats, Xavier confirmed the progress shown in recent races, finishing in 6th, 7th and 7th places. The driver stood out for his consistency and maturity in race and tire management, regularly staying in the front group and even reaching fourth position.
In Super-Heat B, Xavier started from fifth place and, after a more cautious first lap that dropped him to eighth, he recovered positions with strong competitive pace, finishing in 5th place, very close to the group fighting for second position. This result secured him 11th place on the Final starting grid.
In the decisive race, the driver once again had a good start and reached ninth position. Progress was however hindered by a phase of intense battling in the pack, marked by several contacts. Xavier Lázaro was also involved in some of these battles and finished with damage, receiving a 10-second penalty that dropped him to 19th place in the final classification. Despite the Final classification, the passage through Sarno confirmed Xavier Lázaro's progress and growing adaptation to Parolin Motorsport, ending the Champions Of The Future with the most solid display of the season.
