Yevan Dominates on Euroformula Debut

Seventeen-year-old Yevan David made a spectacular entry into the 2025 Euroformula Open Championship, with a stunning performance at the season-opener in Portimão, Portugal.

Competing for the Motopark team, Yevan scored a podium and two race wins across three races at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, leaving the circuit as the early leader in the Driver’s Championship. With 65 points to his name -10 more than his closest rival - David not only claimed the overall win in Sunday’s double-header but also secured Rookie class victories in all three races.

His success at Portimão marked a historic moment for Sri Lanka, as Yevan became the first from his nation to achieve multiple race wins at Formula 3 level. “This weekend couldn’t have ended better -two wins and a podium,” Yevan said.

“We had a tricky start, but the team kept working, and we didn’t leave anything to chance. I’m so grateful to everyone who’s supported me -especially the team, my sponsors, and Sri Lanka.” The weekend began with Saturday’s qualifying session, where Yevan narrowly missed pole position due to a minor technical issue but still managed to line up second on the grid.

In the first race, he lost positions at the start and briefly went off track while battling for the lead, even catching some airtime in the early corners. Nevertheless, he regrouped to claim a strong third-place finish.

“I made a small mistake at the start but stayed focused,” he recalled. “We didn’t quite have the pace for pole, but I was happy with how I fought back.” Race 2 on Sunday morning saw Yevan start from fourth but waste no time in climbing the order. Within the opening laps, he moved into second and, by Lap 5, was in command of the race.

He controlled the pace from the front to take his maiden win of the season. “I got into second quickly and just focused on catching the leader,” Yevan said.

“Once I got out front, I managed the race well. Full credit to the team - they worked hard overnight and found something extra. We really nailed it today.” The final race of the weekend presented new challenges. Starting fifth, Yevan launched off the line to slot into third and then second, eventually taking the lead with a clean overtake.

He appeared to be cruising to another dominant win until a safety car bunched the field. On the restart, he briefly lost the lead but reclaimed it before another safety car incident brought the race to an early halt under red flag conditions. “It was a tricky race with two safety cars,” said Yevan.

“I was happy I built a gap early, which helped me stay calm when the field bunched up. I didn’t expect the race to end under red, but I stayed focused and did what I needed to do.” With six trophies in hand and momentum firmly on his side, Yevan’s next challenge will be at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium from May 16 to 18 - an iconic venue known for testing both skill and courage.

Yevan’s 2025 Euroformula Open campaign is backed by Merc Stop, Alcom, Dayholi and the Ceylon Motor Sports Club (CMSC). Already a trailblazer, he was the first Sri Lankan to score points in both Formula 4 and Eurocup-3, earned pole position at the FIA Motorsport Games, and is a two-time X30 Asian Karting Champion.

His current team, Motopark, is renowned for launching the careers of top drivers, including Formula 1 stars Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda. The Euroformula Open’s 2025 calendar includes eight rounds across Europe, each featuring three races for a total of 24 contests.

Following Portimão, the series will visit Spa (Belgium), Hockenheimring (Germany), Hungaroring (Hungary), Circuit Paul Ricard (France), Red Bull Ring (Austria), Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (Spain) and conclude at Monza (Italy) in October. (AO)