Daniel Juncadella says his Masters of F3 win is more special than his Macau GP victory

Starting from pole, the Spaniard preserved his lead and drove away from the field thereafter, eventually sealing the win by just over seven seconds.

That was in stark contrast to 2011, when he clashed with his Prema team-mate Roberto Merhi before the first corner, putting both out immediately.

Juncadella, who became only the fourth man to win both Macau and the Masters within the same 12 months, said last year's woe only heightened this year's achievement.

"I would say both [races] are the highlights of the F3 year - Macau is the world highlight, Zandvoort the European. But for me, this victory is even more special because of what happened last year. Then I had a chance too, but now I have finally done it," Juncadella told AUTOSPORT.

"If you're racing in the dry, then it is all about the start. If you miss it you have to live with it, and I knew I wouldn't do the same as Roberto did last year. But mine was good, and I was able to defend my position.

"The first two laps were critical because there were still some wet patches, and I actually touched one and had a massive slide. thought I even had a puncture, it was a bit crazy, and [team-mate] Raffaele [Marciello] closed in.

"After that though the pace was amazing - I think my fastest lap was about half a second quicker than anyone else's. I think I had a particular advantage in the fast corners, and in the middle half I was really quick. I didn't want to have to push in the final laps, and I didn't have to."

Juncadella said he hoped his victory would provide a springboard for his career, but cautioned against unchecked optimism.

"I hope this is the start of something," he said. "I mean, after Macau many people said it would be a big help, and I'm still racing in F3. It didn't change everything. But if I win everything I know it should come.

"There haven't been any talks [about his future] yet, because before this race we weren't even halfway through the season. Hopefully though after a few more races we can start looking at our plans."