Dennis scores race 1 victory at Portimao

Having lined up first on the grid, Dennis got a good getaway to stay ahead, stretched his lead to two seconds in just a couple of laps and cruised to the chequered flag without putting a foot wrong.

But the race proved a complete opposite for his teammate and fellow front-row starter Nick Cassidy, who found himself outside the top 20 off the line and suffered a broken suspension following a collision with Callum Ilott in the penultimate lap.

Alex Albon, who lost his pole position for race 2 this morning, jumped into second from fifth on the grid and would go on to cross the finish line three seconds behind the winner.

Another fast-starting driver Felix Rosenqvist completing the podium to narrow Antonio Giovinazzi’s championship lead down to 7.5 points, the Italian himself bringing the car home in ninth place.

Lance Stroll delivered a third Prema car into the top four but was unable to keep up with those ahead of him, while Motopark’s Markus Pommer kept Charles Leclerc at bay for fifth.

Santino Ferrucci overtook Mucke teammate Mikkel Jensen to secure seventh as George Russell completed the top 10 behind teammate Giovinazzi.