R-ace GP scores another 2 wins
Second weekend of 2017 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season brought 2 wins for R-ace GP. After double success at Monza, the French team repeated the best result at Silverstone leaving no 25-points finishes to its opponents so far in this championship.
Defourny fastest in early stages
Friday started with two rainy sessions in which Max Defourny (R-ace GP) took the lead with solid 0.5 advantage with a lap of 2:14.547.
The Belgian driver was fastest on Saturday morning as well setting a pole position lap 1:58.267 in the Group B. Will Palmer (R-ace GP) took first position in the other group ensuring a front row start at his home event.
Palmer advances
The start of the first race left no chance to the pole sitter Defourny as his transmission failed and forced him to lose positions and retire the race. Will Palmer took the lead from second position on the grid in front of Henrique Chaves (AVF by Adrian Valles) and Robert Shwartzman (R-ace GP).
Shwartzman tried multiple attacks on his opponent but couldn’t find enough grip to hold the car close to him in the fast sections of Silverstone. The Russian driver also had to defend his 3rd place a couple of times against Max Fewtrell (Tech 1 Racing) who was best among the rookie drivers on Saturday.
Status quo remained till the finish as Will Palmer took his second win in the championship finishing 6 seconds ahead of Chaves-Shwartzman-Fewtrell pack. Sacha Fenestraz (Josef Kaufmann Racing) completed the top 5 with a solid race after starting from P9.
Shwartzman takes over
Despite Palmer’s huge advantage in tests at his home track, it was Shwartzman’s time to shine on Sunday. The qualifying took place in drying conditions and there was no rivals for the Russian as he sets the fastest lap 2:02.124 with over 9 tenths of a second advantage against the Englishmen Daniel Ticktum (Arden) and Will Palmer.
Max Defourny once again confirmed his fast pace in the other group with 2:13.181 lap on wet track in front of Fenestraz and Cordeel (Arden). But the problems continued for the Belgian driver as he was penalized for blocking his opponents at the pit exit. Therefore Ticktum took the 2nd place in the front row beside Shwartzman, Fenestraz and Palmer advanced to the second row, Ghislain Cordeel started 5th and Defourny had to go to the race from P6.
It was a great start for Daniel Ticktum who overpassed Robert Shwartzman into the first corner of the race. The SMP Racing driver was able to keep the car on the outside line and didn’t allow Palmer and Fenestraz to come through.
A couple of laps later the Russian was able to counterattack and successfully returned the lead to himself. Behind him Fenestraz was insistent to overtake Ticktum which ended in a contact and a puncture for Franco-Argentinian driver. The Englishman was able to continue his race in 3rd position behind Palmer. Further behind Max Defourny made a spin which deprived him of any points at Silvestone.
After a safety car period Palmer tried to overthrow Shwartzman from the lead but the Russian kept his head cool and built a small but comfortable advantage. The R-ace GP drivers made a double to extend their leadership in general classification. Daniel Ticktum became the first rookie driver in 2017 to finish in the top 3. Max Fewtrell and Raul Guzman (R-ace GP) completed the Sunday top 5.
Results
PRACTICE 1 | PRACTICE 2
QUAL 1A | QUAL 1B | RACE 1
QUAL 2B | QUAL 2A | RACE 2
DRIVERS | TEAMS
Interviews
Robert Shwartzman (R-ace GP): “My clutch slipped at the start and Daniel got by me. I could stay on the outside, but he was much faster and I had to go through Maggots and Becketts alongside Sacha and Will. I was able to hold my position to catch up to Daniel, but my move didn’t work out. When he made a small mistake under braking, I was able to cross his path to brake as late as possible at the next corner. I want to compliment him because he was very fair play in this great battle! Will was very quick and the intervention of the safety car reduced the gap. He pushed hard at the re-start, but I was able to close the door on him. I want to thank the team for the wonderful job they’ve done!”
Will Palmer (R-ace GP): “I got a good start to overtake Sacha in Copse, but we were three abreast into Maggots. I chose to back off to get a better exit and take advantage of Sacha’s mistake in the chicane, but I wasn’t able to surprise Robert in the last sector or the re-start. The team has made an excellent start to the season that has to absolutely continue on and I am confident heading to Pau.”
Dan Ticktum (Arden Motorsport): “This is a good result for a driver in his first year in a championship that his team is also new to. We did a good job in qualifying. We’ve made progress with the car and I like the changing conditions we had this morning. I got a good start to be in the lead at Copse, but Robert was able to use the draft and it was hard to know where he was. I looked to the inside too much and he seized the opportunity on the outside. After the safety car period, the leaders pulled away and I had to keep Max behind me. Now, I look forward to the next two weeks because I know what I can do on a street circuit.”
Race 1 replay
Race 2 replay
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