Daniel Miranda makes double podium, caps 2018 Asian Formula Renault debut in flying colors

Sharing the 2^nd row of the starting grid with his teammate Eshan Pieris, Miranda started off Race 1 with full pelt. He even went up to as high as 2^nd place, coming in to turn 1. But Miranda couldn’t hold the position much longer. As a result, he slid down to 3^rd and would defend the position for the next 15 laps. Miranda eventually crossed the line still in 3^rd.

The heat of the action continued on to Race 2. Despite racing under the same team, Miranda and Pieris had a mini battle of their own, with the latter gibing the former a considerable amount of pressure during the opening laps. However, Pieris made a mistake in one of his attempts to pass, causing him to fall behind Miranda even further.

For the most part, it seemed that Miranda would again make a podium finish. But one of his opponents lunged from out of nowhere, causing him to spin around and go down to 5^th. He finished the race in that position, but a post-race investigation deemed his opponent at fault. Because of this, Miranda was given a 3^rd place final result. This would become the young driver’s 2^nd podium finish.

“It wasn’t an easy journey for me moving from the Vios Cup into single seaters. But every race and every time I was on track, I got quicker and quicker. I’m really happy I ended 2018 with a double podium which made my team and family really happy as well. I would like to thank God for keeping me safe this whole season. Thank you to my family, my sponsor Cebuana Lhuillier, my team and mechanics at Eurasia, and everyone involved for making this possible.” Exclaimed Miranda as he reflects on what was his notable debut in single-seat racing.

Photos by Jet Rabe and Nickoy Bautista