Marco Manson and Juste Mulder take opening Formula Trophy Malaysia victories

• Manson takes win in thrilling season-opener for Pinnacle Motorsport
• Evans GP Dutch youngster Mulder triumphant after dominant race two effort
• F1 showcase shines spotlight on emerging young talent

Sepang, Malaysia, October 4, 2026: New Zealander Marco Manson and Dutchman Juste Mulder shared the honours in the opening round of Formula Trophy Malaysia (FTM) that was played out in front of the huge Formula 1 crowds at the Bahrain Grand Prix at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit.

Race one saw Manson take the season-opening win, the Pinnacle Motorsport driver crossing the line a little over a second ahead of Evans GP’s Mulder, who was joined on the podium by team mate Hoai Nam Anh Nguyen. In race two, it was Mulder’s turn to taste victory, with Nguyen in second and David Cosma Cristofor making it an all-Evans GP podium clean sweep.

FTM, which continues in the footsteps of the Formula Trophy UAE (FTUAE) as an end-of-season series for Formula 4 cars and is organized Top Speed, had assembled a packed grid for its first event in Malaysia. It produced two exciting races as the young drivers seized on the opportunity to compete in front of F1 teams and crowds as they prepare to take their first steps into international F4 competition.

Race 1

Pinnacle Motorsport driver Marco Manson triumphed in race one, which took place ahead of F1 qualifying on Saturday at Sepang, but he had to work hard to get to the front from fourth on the grid.

It was Mulder, who drives for Evans GP, who had taken pole position and duly made a good getaway from front-row starter and team-mate Hoai Nam Anh Nguyen to keep hold of the lead into the opening corner. Behind Mulder through the opening sequence of turns was Manson, who had made a brilliant start from the second row to leapfrog third placed Aaron Metha who drives for Evans GP, and Nguyen.

The two lead cars started breaking away from the pack almost immediately and, by the end of the second lap, third placed Nguyen was already 1.9 seconds back, as he ran ahead of David Coma Cristofor.

Manson had tagged right on to the leader around that second lap and had a brief look at Turn 1 at the start of the third lap, locking up briefly. While he did not get through there, he seized the opportunity to move to the front on the run to Turn 4.

From there, Manson controlled the race beautifully, keeping his lead through a safety car period that ended on lap nine and had been called out for a collision between Evans GP Academy driver Kareen Kaur and Xcel Motorsport’s Wilder Lindberg who had come together through the Turn 5/6 sequence.

Manson came home 1.130 seconds clear from Mulder, with Nguyen taking the final place on the podium as he kept the pursuing Cosma Cristofor at bay throughout the 11-lap encounter. Fifth place went to Axle Sports’ Inigo Anton, who

had pulled out a three-second gap over sixth placed Rafael Vaessen by the chequered flag. Top Rookie was Pinnacle Motorsport’s Taisei Murakami, seventh overall.

Race 2

With grid positions for the second race, which took place on race morning at the Bahrain Grand Prix, decided by the second fastest times from qualifying, it was Hoai Nam Anh Nguyen who started from pole position ahead of Inigo Anton, Juste Mulder, Aaron Metha and David Cosma Cristofor.

When the lights went out, Nguyen made a good start from pole, with fellow front row starter Anton not having the best getaway as he slipped back down the order.

But while Nguyen held on to the lead around the first turn, the rapid launch by Mulder had got him into perfect position to snatch the lead as the cars went through Turn 2, and descended the hill.

The field was quickly put under the Safety Car though, after Axle Sports driver Skye Lee collided and ended up on top of Xcel Motorsport’s Christian Ayrouth at the first corner. Both drivers were uninjured in the incident, but it took several laps for the track to be declared cleared.

After the restart at the beginning of lap 4, Mulder was able to hold on to his lead from Nguyen, but the pair could not be separated as they battled at the front. Nguyen had a brief look to pass at Turn 4 on lap eight but could not make the move stick, as the lead duo’s fighting dropped them back towards the two cars behind of Cosma Cristofor and Manson.