Motorsports Mondial
Photo: wsbyrenault.com
Daniel Ricciardo back on track!
It was the Rookie drivers who asserted their authority in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series at Motorland Aragón, with victories from Alexander Rossi (Fortec Motorsport) and Kevin Korjus (Tech 1 Racing). At Spa-Francorchamps, one of the true levellers of the season, the more experienced drivers, such as Robert Wickens (Carlin) and Albert Costa (Epic Racing), currently lying second and third in the championship respectively, will looking to regain the upper hand. Daniel Ricciardo (ISR) will want to get his season off to a start on the right foot in the Belgian Ardennes. The Australian does not really have any other choice but to win, if he is to make up the ground already lost on the leaders.
After getting the season underway at Motorland Aragón, the Formula Renault 3.5 Series drivers now have no less than six milestone circuits of the Formula 1 World Championship race calendar ahead of them: Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Monaco, Nürburgring, Budapest and Silverstone! So things certainly aren’t going to get any easier over the coming weeks for the twenty-six drivers looking to find a way into F1.
La Source, the Raidillon up to Eau Rouge, then Combes, Pouhon and Blanchimont will be the first major hurdles the drivers will have to cross. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit no doubt has to be one of the most testing tracks of the year. It is a place where the most seasoned drivers will want to make their experience at the wheel of the Formula Renault 3.5 count, after the Rookie drivers showed what they were capable of in Motorland Aragón, with a pole position for César Ramos (Fortec Motorsport) and a victory each for Alexander Rossi and Kevin Korjus. The Estonian, who already earned his place in the history books by becoming the youngest ever winner of Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 in 2010, is now also the youngest ever driver to have won a race in Formula Renault 3.5 Series. With the benefit this season of the 500,000 euro grant awarded to him by Renault Sport Technologies in recognition of his Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 title, he will be keen to quickly confirm that his win was no fluke, even though he himself admits that his main objective for the season is to gain experience for the future.
With a first and a second place in Spain, Alexander Rossi will come to Spa-Francorchamps as leader of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series overall standings. A member of the FIA Driver Excellence Academy and the Air Asia Team Lotus F1 Driver Development Program, the young 19-year old American has already shown that he is not scared of much, as he proved with his spectacular and somewhat daring overtaking manœuvre to get past Daniil Move (P1 Motorsport) in the opening round of the season. The Californian seems to be perfectly comfortable in the guise of championship leader and doesn’t look like he’s going to let anyone snatch the mantle away from him any time soon!
Alexander Rossi, Kevin Korjus and César Ramos, the three most visible Rookies at the start of the season, will however be looking to fend off the response from their more experienced peers. Currently second in the overall standings, Robert Wickens is not far off the pace, having already taken one pole position, one second and one fifth place. The Canadian is clearly out to go for the title and given how well matched the field is, with twenty-two cars within a single second in qualifying at Motorland Aragón, he is as sure as anyone else to know that it is consistency that can make the difference. With podium finishes in Spain, Albert Costa and Nelson Panciatici (KMP Racing) also got their season off to a good start, as did Daniil Move, Chris Van der Drift (Epic Racing) and Sergio Canamasas (BVM Target). Others, such as Jean-Éric Vergne (Carlin), Brendon Hartley (Gravity-Charouz), Anton Nebilitskiy (KMP Racing) and Nathanaël Berthon (ISR), will be looking to bounce back after an initial showing which was not up to expectations.
All eyes will however be trained on Daniel Ricciardo. Busy with his duties in F1 for the Red Bull Racing Formula One Team while the rest of the field were in action in Motorland Aragón, the runner-up in the 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 Series championship now has no time to lose and will want to hit straight back in Belgium. His goal this year is to take the title. With 43 points to be made up on Alexander Rossi, the Australian is already practically obliged to win!