Max Fewtrell wins at Red Bull Ring
Max Fewtrell (Tech 1 Racing) took his maiden win in Formula Renault 2.0 at Red Bull Ring. The British driver led the race from lap 1 and successfully defended his position from the attacks of Max Defourny (R-ace GP) who lost his second position a couple of laps before the finish to Sacha Fenestraz (Josef Kaufmann Racing).
Same time for Fenestraz and Aubry in Q2
Saturday morning was dedicated to second qualifying which had determined the starting grid for Sunday race. Sacha Fenestraz and Gabriel Aubry (Tech 1 Racing) showed absolutely same time in their qualifying groups – 1:28.429. Therefore Fenestraz took pole position as he showed his time earlier.
Max Defourny and Will Palmer (R-ace GP) will start from row 2, Daniel Ticktum (Arden Motorsport) and Robert Shwartzman (R-ace GP) – from row 3.
Fewtrell takes his first win
Max Defourny started the first race of the weekend from pole position but Fewtrell managed to pass him into the first corner. The Briton made a comfortable gap in the opening laps but Defourny was faster in the second stage. The Belgian attacked his opponent a few times but made a mistake and lost his position to Sacha Fenestraz who was comfortably waiting behind.
Further back it was a scrap for places from 4 to 8 in which Will Palmer made a couple of contacts with Robert Shwartzman. Palmer lost his front wing and finished outside the top 10. As for the Russian, he finished 7th and scored points for 6th place after Daniel Ticktum was given 10 seconds penalty for disputable overtaking manouvre.
Sunday race starts at 11:30 CET.
Max Fewtrell (Tech 1 Racing): “It is fantastic to take my first win, but a 25-minute race seems a lot longer when your leading than when you in the pack! Despite some difficult weekends like in Hungary and Monaco, we’ve never given up and this win is a very nice reward. I knew I had to get a good start and I managed to do so before controlling the race and defending my position when I saw (Max and Sacha) get bigger in my rear view mirrors in the final laps. It is a result that makes my new coach Jake Dennis (4th in the 2013 Formula Renault Eurocup, editor’s note) look good! His aid has been a big help to me up until now, but there is another race tomorrow!”
Sacha Fenestraz (Josef Kaufmann Racing): “It was a long race! I am thrilled to be leading the general classification. I think this is the first time that this has happened to me in single-seaters! I was able to catch Max Defourny thanks to his attempts to pass Max Fewtrell and his small mistake at turn three. I made an attempt on the outside and it was enough! Tomorrow, I will start from pole in setting the exact same time as Gabriel Aubry. We have seen that it doesn’t guarantee anything on this track. The goal will be to get a good start and win if possible.”
Max Defourny (R-ace GP): “This result is obviously not what we were hoping for, but it is another 15 points in the general classification. It was a difficult race even though we battled with the leader for a long time. I got a good start, but Max Fewtrell got alongside of me. Even if I kept the lead at turn one, I’d have lost a lot of speed on the following straight. After that, I gave it my all. I lost time in some places, I picked time in others, but I had to settle for third place. We will be back tomorrow to fight for the win.”
Interviews from: Renault Sport
| Provisional General Classification* | |
| Drivers | Points |
| 1. Sacha Fenestraz (Josef Kaufmann Racing) | 210 |
| 2. Robert Shwartzman (R-ace GP) | 206 |
| 3. Will Palmer (R-ace GP) | 188 |
| 4. Max Defourny (R-ace GP) | 146 |
| 5. Gabriel Aubry (Tech 1 Racing) | 138 |
| … | … |
*Results subject to confirmation following technical and sporting verifications.
Race 1 replay:
Robert Shwartzman interview:
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