David, the Sri Lankan lion, dominates Portimao on Euroformula debut

• Sri Lankan belies rookie status to take early lead in title fight

Yevan David, the 17-year-old Sri Lankan driver, made a spectacular start to his Euroformula Open campaign with a top 6 finish and consistent race pace across the season-opening weekend at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal.

Motopark driver David departed Portimao with a 10-point lead in the Driver’s Championship, with 65 points to his nearest rival’s 55 having finished third in last Saturday’s first race of the weekend and then taking a double victory across Sunday’s two races. Airline carriers rejoiced at the sight of David leaving the Portuguese circuit, complete with six trophies having also taken the Rookie win in all three races too. 

Contesting his first full season in the ultra-competitive single-seater championship, David demonstrated racecraft, maturity and determination across the triple-header, where all drivers dice in identical Dallara 324 chassis powered by TOM’S engines.

“A double win then and podium? I couldn’t be happier,” said David, who was constantly called as the Sri Lankan lion by the commentators. 

“We actually had a tricky start to the weekend, but we dug deep and the team didn’t leave any stone unturned. We worked hard, and we came back on Saturday with a podium finish. Then on Sunday it was a double win. All this was through hard work, so I must thank immensely to the team, to Sri Lanka and to everyone who has supported me so far,” he added.

Last Saturday’s qualifying session had seen David take second in pole on the grid for the first race with a minor technical issue denying him the pole position that his practice pace had promised. The first race was an eventful affair with David dicing for the lead, before trying his hand off road with even a little airtime across the first corners, before a strong fight back to take the third step of the podium at the chequered flag. 

“It was a good race,” said David.

“I messed up a bit at the start, but after that I was consistent. We didn’t quite have the pace to fight for the pole position, but I made up some really good positions.”

Sunday morning’s race 2 saw David start from fourth on the grid, which he quickly translated in second place in over the initial laps before setting about the task to take the lead. With five laps done, the pole position was in the bag and from then on there was no doubt of glory. 

“I took the lead and led to the end, it was a great feeling,” said David of his first win of 2025. “I’ve got to give this one to the team. They really worked on the car after Saturday’s race, and we really found something for Sunday and put it all together.”

The third race saw David line-up fifth on the grid with a great start to move to third and then second. The lead, once more, took a lap more patience but once again the Sri Lankan was able to disappear into the distance. What was looking like plain sailing was interrupted, however by a safety car, which bunched the field. 

The restart saw a brief loss of the lead, but David was back in his happy place before another appearance of the safety car on the graphics. With only a handful of laps left and a stricken car on track, Race Control stopped the race meaning an unusual but no less meritorious victory under red flag conditions. 

“It was a tricky race with two safety cars this time,” said David. 

“I was really happy that I was able to build the gap before the safety car was deployed and then I just needed to stay focused. I knew it would be a short race once the race restarted, but I didn’t expect another safety car then to finish under the red flag, but I’m happy with my performance and the result.” 

David’s campaign continues at Spa-Francorchamps on May 16 to 18, where the young Sri Lankan Lion will take on one of the most iconic and demanding tracks in global motorsport. Yevan David is supported in his 2025 Euroformula Open campaign by Merc Stop, Alcom, Dayholi and the Ceylon Motor Sports Club (CMSC).

At just 17 years of age, Yevan made history as the first Sri Lankan to score points in both Formula 4 and Eurocup 3, achieved pole position at the FIA Motorsport Games and became the first multiple Formula 3 level race winner from Sri Lanka. Yevan is a two-time X30 Asian Series Champion and impressed in the FIA-CIK karting championships before making his single seater debut in the F4 UAE Series. 

Renowned racing team Motopark, where David is a part now, became the stepping stone for several successful racing careers having supported many drivers on their racing journeys including current Formula 1 drivers Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda. For 2025, Euroformula Open will use a new Dallara 324 chassis allied to a Tom’s TGE33 engine. The 2025 EFO calendar comprises eight rounds across renowned European circuits, each hosting three races, totalling 24 races for the season. 

The season, which commenced on 26 and 27 April at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão, Portugal, and concludes at Monza, Italy on 18 and 19 October. Other venues include Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), Hockenheimring (Germany), Hungaroring (Hungary), Circuit Paul Ricard (France), Red Bull Ring (Austria), and Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (Spain).