Even if he went into the last race of the season in Monza as the favourite, Luxembourg’s Dylan Pereira still had plenty of work to do to at Monza in Italy to retain top spot and finish the season as Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup champion.

In his distinctive pink livery and racing suit, the BWT Lechner Racing driver started the race in third and that was where he eventually finished the race behind his two teammates Bastian Buus and Harry King. But Pereira was then given a three-second penalty for leaving the track and that dropped him to fifth.

Nevertheless, that was enough to claim the championship and Pereira admitted to feeling quite emotional during the cool-down lap. “It’s a great feeling when you’ve managed to do it, such a relief when all the pressure falls off you,” he said. “It is always there until the last second, even if it may look safe from the outside.”

Final 2022 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup standings

1. Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), 147 points 2. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), 139 points 3. Laurin Heinrich (D/SSR Huber Racing), 123 points

Pereira, who is in the Luxembourg army but has special dispensation as a sports soldier in the elite Luxembourg Olympic Committee squad, thanked the BWT Lechner Racing team, his family, business partners and friends who contributed to the ultimately successful season. “I’ve been waiting for a long time to win a great championship, and now this really is an incredible moment, a dream has come true for me.”

Sports minister Georges Engel also congratulated the new champion, saying his victory was well-deserved after a “dazzling season”. Winning the title was “the fruit of hard work, perseverance and conscientiousness, with the support of a well-trained and efficient team,” Engel wrote. “As a true sports ambassador of the grand duchy of Luxembourg, you have contributed to the brand image of our country, faithful to the ‘Let’s make it happen’ slogan.”