MIM-contracted Lirim Zendeli claimed his first podium of the 2026 Porsche Carrera Cup Italia season with an excellent third-place finish in Race 9 at Misano.

The BeDriver racer had already shown strong pace during Friday’s wet Free Practice session, setting the third-fastest time before qualifying fifth for Saturday’s opening race.

Zendeli had to fight hard for his P5 starting position, battling until the final moments of qualifying to secure a place on the third row of the grid.

Starting from P5, the German driver made a strong start to the race and quickly became involved in the fight for the top five. During the early stages, Zendeli was battling Aldo Festante for position, with the latter later receiving a five-second penalty for causing contact with the BeDriver driver.

As the race progressed, Zendeli emerged from the fight for third and crossed the finish line in the final podium position. The result marks his first podium of the season and his best finish so far in the 2026 championship, improving on the two fourth places he had previously achieved.

With another valuable haul of championship points secured, Zendeli headed into Sunday’s Race 10 from P4 on the grid.