After claiming his third pole position this season, Sacha Fenestraz (Josef Kaufmann Racing) stormed to his second victory this year in rainy conditions at Nurburgring. The Frenchman crossed the finish line in a good company of Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 rookies Daniel Ticktum (Arden Motorsport) and Yifei Ye (Josef Kaufmann Racing). The championship leader Robert Shwartzman (R-ace GP) finished 8^th.

Fenestraz starts and wins

Sunday race start was given under the safety car. Few laps after the green lights the FIA WEC livery Audi sports car went into the pits and the race was on. Daniel Ticktum tried to overtake Sacha Fenestraz into the first corner but locked his wheels and missed the apex which gave the Frenchman the opportunity to cross the lines and hold his lead.

A little bit further behind Max Defourny (R-ace GP) found his way to overtake Robert Shwartzman which was a nice sequel to their close battle the day before. However, the Belgian driver made a mistake and let the Russian back into fourth position.

There were multiple incidents back in the pack which led to another safety car period. After the restart Shwartzman put some pressure on Ye and overtook him for P3 but only until the last lap. The SMP Racing driver struggled with his gearbox stuck on the 4th gear during the braking to the first corner. It forced Shwartzman out of the track and he had to reboot the car systems manually. Luckily for him he was able to continue but the overall result was only 8^th place in the race.

The drivers classification is headlined by Shwartzman, Fenestraz moves up into 2^nd place with only 6 points left between them. Will Palmer is 3^rd in only 4 more points behind. Max Defourny moves up into 4^th place with Gabriel Aubry and Daniel Ticktum completing the top 6.

R-ace GP continues to comfortably lead the teams classification with solid 181 points advantage over the champions Josef Kaufmann Racing.

The next race in Formula Renault 2.0 takes place next week already at Austrian Red Bull Ring circuit.

RACE 2 | DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP | TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP

Sacha Fenestraz (Josef Kaufmann Racing): “I like it when the conditions force you to take more risks. It was a bit of Tokyo Drift everywhere! I had a small moment before the re-start on lap eight. Daniel got alongside of me but he locked up a wheel and I was able to cross back and pull away. It’s been a positive weekend. For sure, it is only my second victory of the season, but I’ve been consistent at all of the meetings. I am back to second place in the general classification just behind Robert Shwartzman. It is still wide-open and consistency will be the key. It is up to us to keep it going.”

Daniel Ticktum (Arden Motorsport): “As is often the case in single-seaters, the best opportunities are at the start or the re-starts. I knew I could go for it without taking too many risks. Unfortunately, I slightly locked up a wheel and I couldn’t keep Sacha under control. Then I drove over a white line at T8 and Sacha got away. Our pace was good for being a first time in the rain at the Nürburgring. We already saw at the Hungaroring that we do very well in these conditions. The next objective is to return to the podium at the Red Bull Ring. Our testing at this circuit has given me confidence to finish on a high note this series of ring tracks that are among my favourite tracks on the calendar.”

Yifei Ye (Josef Kaufmann Racing): “The Formula Renault Eurocup is a very competitive category. We were unlucky at the start of the season, but we kept our heads down to progress in all areas. We had excellent pace in Budapest, but I made too many mistakes to be in contention for a podium finish. Today it all came together even though I am not a fan of wet conditions in contrast to Sacha and Daniel. I focused on my race and I successfully managed the pressure from the cars behind me, while also recuperating third place. I hope to keep this momentum going next week in Austria.”

Interviews from: Renault Sport

*Results subject to confirmation following technical and sporting verifications.

Race 2 replay: