Daniel Ricciardo was not given the chance to shine in Sunday’s annual held ‘RTL GP Masters of F3’ in Zolder. At the rain-hit Belgium track, the Australian driver was forced to retire in the opening lap of the prestigious 28-lap race which is often referred to as the unofficial Formula 3 World Championship. In his second Formula 3 outing, the SG Formula driver didn’t exactly have luck on his side this weekend. After a disappointing performance in qualifying, Ricciardo got involved in a pile-up in the first chicane, spun and got hit from behind by two other cars.
After having made an impressive Formula 3 debut a fortnight ago at the Nürburgring (Germany), Ricciardo felt positive about his chances in this weekend’s ‘RTL GP Masters of F3’ event. In the first out of two rain-soaked free practises on Friday morning, Ricciardo set the 14th fastest time. On from that moment however, it seemed all went in the wrong direction. With even heavier rainfall in the afternoon session, the Red Bull Junior Driver and his SG Formula Team made some wrong calls in terms of set-up adjustments that would affect the remainder of the entire weekend. In Saturday’s first qualifying session, Ricciardo clocked the 22nd fastest time out of the 37 participants from the F3 Euro Series and the British championship. This result meant Ricciardo just missed out on an entry in the Group A qualifying session, in which only the 20 overall fastest drivers are allowed to contest each other. Instead he was promoted to the Group B qualifying session and had to settle for the 27th grid position for Sunday’s 28-lap race.
“The weather and track conditions were far from ideal so far this weekend, but everyone had to cope with the same circumstances obviously. Apart from the Nürburgring event, I’m still pretty much inexperienced with the car and tyres. Therefore I think I even struggled a bit more than the other drivers. Having to line up 27th on the grid is far from where we want to be, but I hope we can turn the tide tomorrow.”
With over 23,000 spectators on the grandstands, Ricciardo was hopeful some adjustments to his car would allow him to charge hard in the wet conditions on race day. After a solid start, the Perth born driver however got caught up in a pile-up at the first chicane in the opening lap. With things getting very tight, Ricciardo did his utmost to stay out of trouble at the slippery 4,011 meter long track, but spun his car in an attempt to avoid contact with other drivers. Facing the wrong direction, Ricciardo was hit by two Ultimate Signature cars. As his car suffered too much damage, Ricciardo was forced to retire on the spot.
“A very disappointing end to an unfortunate weekend. I would have loved to set another impressive performance after my Nürburgring debut, but clearly this was just not meant to be this weekend… Hopefully I can get a better shot at success in next years events. I want to thank Red Bull and my team boss Stéphane Guérin for handing me these two opportunities. I will now start focussing on my Eurocup and Western European CUP (WEC) Formula Renault 2.0 campaigns again, in which I lead both standings. I’m eager to get back to the winning life in our next World Series by Renault event at the Nürburgring at August 30/31!”
Daniel Ricciardo impressed many people in the Formula 3 Euro Series paddock this weekend with an outstanding debut performance. In order to prepare well for the upcoming ‘Masters of Formula 3’ at Zolder (BEL), the Red Bull Junior Driver was given the chance to make a one-off appearance in this weekend’s sixth round of the 2008 Formula 3 Euro Series at the Nürburgring with SG Formula. Without conducting any test prior to this race meeting, the current Eurocup and Western European Cup (WEC) Formula Renault 2.0 championship leader showed to be immediately on the pace. In qualifying, Ricciardo equalled his team’s best result by setting the eighth fastest time. A remarkable sixth position in Saturday’s opening race was followed by another magnificent drive on Sunday.
With am eight week break between his last Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 races in Hungary and the next event in Germany half August, Red Bull made Ricciardo an offer he simply couldn’t refuse: to participate in the sixth round of the Formula 3 Euro Series at the Nürburgring and the ‘Masters of F3’ in Zolder. Without any possibility to test prior to this weekend’s races at the Nürburgring, Ricciardo had a hard day of work ahead of him before starting Thursday’s double free practise session. The Perth-born driver didn’t exactly had luck on his side. A technical problem in the first session allowed him to only run in the afternoon session. Ricciardo spend his time well though by getting acquainted with the car, team and 3,629 meter long circuit.
In Friday’s third free practise session, Ricciardo showed steady signs of improvement. On used tyres the SG Formula driver set the 21st quickest time out of all 30 drivers, while many were already equipped with a new set of rubber. In the 30 minute qualifying session later that day, Ricciardo proved once again he is one of the most promising formula drivers of the moment. On new tyres, Ricciardo put in a near-perfect lap to clock the 8th fastest lap time. Not only did he out qualify his more experienced team mates, he also equalled SG Formula’s best qualifying result this year!
As both Christian Vietoris (pole position) and James Jakes (P6) stalled at the start of Saturday’s opening race, Ricciardo was handed the sixth position in the first few metres of the 29 lap race. Even though the Australian driver pushed hard to try to gain even more positions, he soon found out that the F3 Euro Series is really the top level of single seater formulas for young guns like himself. Ricciardo managed to stay close to Renger van der Zande ahead of him, but was given no chance to overtake him. The both of them gradually created a gap to the drivers behind them. Eventually he finished his debut race in a remarkable sixth position! Sunday’s race turned out to be more like a rollercoaster ride for the quick rookie. Having lined up 3rd at the grid, Ricciardo stalled his engine at the start and fell back to the bottom of the pack. But a consistent and faultless drive combined with steady overtaking manoeuvres, saw him quickly recover during the 28 lap race. As several other drivers made some mistakes as well, Ricciardo crossed the finish line in 15th spot.
01. Nico Hülkenberg (GER), ART Grand Prix, 29 laps, 41:11.039 02. Jules Bianchi (FRA), ART Grand Prix, + 06.748s 03. Tom Dillmann (FRA), Jo Zeller Racing, + 09.047s 06. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), SG Formula, + 23.337s
01. Jon Lancaster (GBR), ART Grand Prix, 28 laps, 40:40.779 02. Niall Breen (IRL), Manor Motorsport, + 00.723s 03. Jules Bianchi (FRA), ART Grand Prix, + 02.008s 15. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), SG Formula, + 24.621s
Once again, there was no limit on Daniel Ricciardo in this weekend’s third round of the 2008 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. With two pole positions and two wins, the SG Formula driver enjoyed a perfect weekend at the Hungaroring circuit near Budapest (HUN). The Red Bull junior driver again extended his lead in the championship with a record fourth victory out of the six races held so far this season. With a total of 77 points, Ricciardo has already built up quite a gap to the runner-up, his team mate Andrea Caldarelli, who has 58 points.
It didn’t took Daniel Ricciardo long to get acclimatised to the 4,381 meter long circuit which is located in the small suburban town of Mogyoród. Even though it was his first visit to the twisty and hilly circuit, the rookie driver was immediately on the pace in Thursday’s and Friday’s free practise session. As his SG Formula team was a bit more experienced at the Hungaroring, Ricciardo lead the pack on from the first session.
Also in qualifying, Ricciardo showed to be the man to beat in this year’s Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 campaign. By setting the fastest and second-fastest lap in Saturday’s Superpole session, the Australian ace clinched pole position for both Saturday’s and Sunday’s race.
The only moment of the weekend, Ricciardo was challenged by his opponents was at the start of the first race on Saturday afternoon. As both Caldarelli and Ricciardo enjoyed a good start of the race, the pair went side by side through the first few corners. Ricciardo however confidently took the lead and as the race progressed only got better. With Caldarelli being busy holding of Spanish driver Roberto Merhi for second position, Ricciardo was able to create a comfortable gap of five seconds at the end of the race.
Having started once again from pole position in Sunday’s race, Ricciardo set the pace and immediately pulled away. Behind him, Caldarelli and Tobias Hegewald completed the podium in 2nd and 3rd position. With his clean-sweep this weekend, Ricciardo further confirmed his championship ambitions especially as one of his mail rivals this season, Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, didn’t score any points this weekend.
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Daniël Ricciardo completely blew away the competition in this weekend’s third round of the Western European Cup (WEC) Formula Renault 2.0 in Valencia. Not only did the Red Bull Junior driver won both races with an astonishing lead over his 34 competitors, he also set the fastest lap time in both race heats, qualifying and all three free practise sessions! The SG Formula driver now firmly leads the current championship standings.
After having completed a successful pre-season test at the Spanish 4.051 kilometre long track in March of this year, Daniël Ricciardo already cherished some good memories from the twisty MotoGP circuit and had high expectations for this third round of the WEC. He lived up on it on from the very first moment: in all three free practise sessions on Thursday and Friday, Ricciardo set the benchmark and dominantly topped the timesheets. No wonder, the Australian ace also clinched two comfortable pole positions for both races on Saturday morning. That his SG Formula team clearly had found the ‘sweet spot’ with their set-ups was illustrated in the outcome of both sessions. The front two starting rows were for 75% occupied with SG Formula drivers (Ricciardo, Caldarelli, and Vergne).
In both races on Saturday and Sunday, Ricciardo made it perfectly clear that he wouldn’t take less than victory. After two spot-on race starts, the WEC championship leader immediately created a gap to the drivers behind him. Again, Ricciardo proved to be able to set consistent quick lap times which gave him a dominating lead over his rivals. In Saturday’s first race, Ricciardo finished six seconds clear of local hero Roberto Merhi (ESP), and on Sunday afternoon the Perth born driver even upped his game in order to realise a stunning 16(!) seconds lead over his team mate Andrea Caldarelli.
“It was a perfect weekend for me, being the quickest driver in all outings here in Valencia. Congratulations and many thanks to all our guys at SG Formula, they gave me a brilliant car all weekend. Some might think both races might have been boring for me, but I enjoyed them massively. Each time I passed our crew at the start/finish and saw the pit board with the increasing gap I pulled, I only got more eager to extend my lead. I really like the Valencia circuit, it is definitely one of my favourites.”
SILVERSTONE, JUNE 08 2008 - Daniël Ricciardo got a great applause today from the 70.000 large British crowd after taking a memorable win in Sunday's fourth round of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 championship at Silverstone. After having chased Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas for 15 laps, the Australian ace made his move in the final lap with only four corners to go. By scoring another victory today and finishing in 4th position in Saturday's race, both Ricciardo and his SG Formula team firmly lead both the drivers and constructors standings. FREE PRACTISES AND QUALIFYINGAs the second race meeting of the World Series by Renault weekends was on new soil, the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 teams were granted four free practise sessions on Thursday and Friday in order to get acclimatised with the Silverstone track, home of the British Formula One Grand Prix. Daniël Ricciardo used these sessions to learn the track and gradually get up to speed. In three out of the four sessions, the Red Bull Junior driver finished in third position, close behind his championship rivals Valtteri Bottas and Roberto Merhi. After having set the 2nd fastest time in the regular qualifying session on Saturday morning, Ricciardo suffered some difficulties in the Superpole session. As all drivers only had time for one stint in which they had to set their ultimate qualifying time, Ricciardo was hindered by yellow flags. As he was not able to get the maximum out of his Michelin tyres afterwards, Ricciardo had to settle for P6 and P3 for respectively Saturday's and Sunday's race. RACE 01 + 02 As British driver Dean Smith was disqualified after qualifying, Ricciardo was promoted to the fifth slot at Saturday's grid. On from this position, Ricciardo enjoyed a great start and was able to overtake his team mate Jean Eric Vergne halfway the opening lap. Though the Perth born driver was quicker than Andrea Caldarelli and Robert Merhi, who were both driving ahead of him, Ricciardo was not able to overtake them anymore during the remainder of the race and finally finished the 15-lap race in 4th position. Having started from the second row, things looked more promising on Sunday morning as Ricciardo overtook Caldarelli immediately after the starting lights were switched off. But Valtteri Bottas was not to be underestimated. In the final stages of the race, Ricciardo really tried everything in order to pass the Motopark Academy driver but seemed not to be able to get through until the very last lap. With only four corners to go, Ricciardo dived into the inside of Bottas while entering ‘Farm' corner and took the lead. As Bottas was given no chance to counter in the final four turns, Ricciardo could climb up the top step of the podium again for already the third time in this years Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 campaign!
DANIËL RICCIARDO: "What an amazing race and result! I was so eager to win the race but Bottas was really strong here this weekend. In the final stages of the race he made no mistakes. Our fight was so exciting, I held my breath for those final two laps! When I finally made my move, I was confident it would work out perfectly. I've never enjoyed the taste of champagne so much in my career before!"
RESULTS RACE 01 EUROCUP FORMULA RENAULT 2.0 - SILVERSTONE 07.06.200801. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Motopark Academy, 15 laps, 27:03.61702. Andrea Caldarelli (ITA), SG Formula, + 12.674s03. Roberto Merhi (ESP), Epsilon Euskadi 2, + 14.439s04. Daniël Ricciardo (AUS), SG Formula, + 14.633s RESULTS RACE 01 EUROCUP FORMULA RENAULT 2.0 - SILVERSTONE 08.06.200801. Daniël Ricciardo (AUS), SG Formula, 15 laps, 27:15.38802. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Motopark Academy, + 00.393s03. Andrea Caldarelli (ITA), SG Formula, + 09.768s
Daniël Ricciardo displayed another impressive performance today by winning the first race of the 2008 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. At the Belgian Grand Prix circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, the Australian driver outclassed his team mate Andrea Calderelli and Valtteri Bottas. For Sunday’s second race, the SG Formula driver aims to increase his championship lead over his main rivals.
Though having missed pole position for today’s first race by just 0.1 seconds to Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, Ricciardo was still very happy with his performance in today’s Superpole session. Starting from the second starting position, the Australian ace had a great start of the race. After chasing Bottas for half a lap, Ricciardo already took control before the end of the first lap. He finished the first lap in the lead of Bottas, Caldarelli, Costa, Faccin, Vergne, Quaife-Hobbs, Ramos and Zampieri.
On from that moment Ricciardo controlled the race over the entire 12 laps in which his position was never seriously challenged by Calderelli, who finished in second position. The SG Formula duo also build up an impressive gap of almost 12 seconds to third placed Valtteri Bottas. By taking the chequered flag in first position the Red Bull junior driver now also leads this highly regarded championship.
“It was an advantage to start from the front row, no doubt. The Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 is such a competitive series, that I’m really proud and happy with scoring my maiden victory in this series. Tomorrow I’ll also start from second position, so I hope I can get on the top step of the podium once again!” RESULTS RACE 01 EUROCUP FORMULA RENAULT 2.0 – SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS 03.05.2008 01. DANIËL RICCIARDO (AUS), SG FORMULA, 12 LAPS, 28:09.315 02. Andrea Caldarelli (ITA), SG Formula, + 02.811s 03. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Motopark Academy, + 14.692s 04. Daniel Zampieri (ITA), BVM Minardi, + 15.920s 05. Albert Costa (ESP), Epsilon Euskadi, + 16.764s
News and photos are presented by Insight F1 Motorsport Report. For further information and/or images please contact Jeroen Vermeeren (+31 621 541 564, media@insightf1.com. For management enquiries please contact Marco Zecchi (+39 335 615 841, zecchi@abanet.it).
After having won the first round of the 2008 Western European Cup (WEC) Formula Renault 2.0 yesterday, Australian driver Daniël Ricciardo was less fortunate but not less impressive today in Nogaro. The Red Bull backed driver, who qualified in pole position for this second race of the season, stalled his engine on the grid. Determined as ever, Ricciardo turned back the tide during the race though. After having dropped back 20 positions at the start, the SG Formula driver recovered quickly and regained as many positions as possible during the 25 minute race in order to eventually finish in fifth(!) position.
Next stop for Ricciardo is the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona (Spain) where Australia’s new rising star is scheduled to participate in this week’s collective Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 test.
“After Sunday’s success, I have a bit of mixed emotions about my performance today. As I simply did not keep my engine revs up as much as I should have done, I stalled my engine at the start. During the race I regained as many positions as possible and nearly finished on the podium again. My car felt great, so I really have to thank all the guys at SG Formula for their hard work this weekend. It’s a shame I lost the lead in the championship today because of this error, but I’m sure we’ll have plenty new shots at success soon!”
Daniël Ricciardo had to settle for fourth position in Sunday’s second round of the 2008 Eurocup Formula Renault, after he got tangled up in the usual first lap chaos. Even though the Australian ace cherished higher hopes for the second race after scoring his maiden win in this highly regarded series on Saturday, the SG Formula driver is still happy with his overall performance this weekend. By adding another eight points to his tally on Sunday morning, Ricciardo has strengthened his championship lead over his main rivals before leaving the Belgian Ardennes.
Having started from second position, the Red Bull junior driver got tangled up in the Les Combes chicane in the first lap and was forced to take a leap over the grass to avoid contact with other competitors. After having rejoined in sixth position, Ricciardo immediately started to charge the drivers ahead of him. In the final stages of the 11 lap race, Ricciardo became the ‘man of the match’ as he not only moved his way up to 4th position but also launched a series of attacks at Daniel Zampieri in 3rd place. Ricciardo was keen to pass the Italian, but the latter managed to hold him off, not making the slightest mistake. Ricciardo took enormous risks, especially at the La Source hairpin and in the daunting Eau Rouge corner, but eventually had to settle for fourth at the finish, behind race winner Paul Meijer, Cesar Ramos and Daniel Zampieri.
In the overall standings Ricciardo now leads with 22 points above Zampieri (18 points) and Ramos (17 points).
“I’m happy with where we are, both in terms of speed as referring to our championship position. Though I really wanted to win again today, I’m satisfied with this result. As we approached the first chicane with three cars side by side, things could have ended a bit nastier as it did now. Next stop is Dijon (FRA), our second race meeting for the Western European Cup Formula Renault 2.0 next weekend. I hope I can get on the top step of the podium once again there!”
Australian driver Daniël Ricciardo has set himself high goals for this weekend’s Western European Cup (WEC) Formula Renault 2.0 season opener at Nogaro (France). Together with his SG Formula team, the Red Bull junior driver aims at a podium finish after having displayed a series of strong performances in pre-season testing.
2008 is going to be a busy and challenging year for Australia’s rising star in motor racing. After having made his debut in single seaters last year, Ricciardo enters both the Western European Cup Formula Renault 2.0 as well as the highly regarded Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 this season. Both series will have around 40 cars on the grid each event. The Formula Renault series has proven to be a springboard for a successful career. Among many others, Kimi Raikkonen (2007 Formula One World Champion) has followed this route to get to the pinnacle of motorsport.
Over the last few weeks, Daniël Ricciardo enjoyed a good preparation for his 2008 campaign in winter testing. At the collective Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 test in Valencia last month, the 18-year old driver from Perth topped the timesheets, while he completed the official WEC Formula Renault 2.0 test in Nogaro earlier this week in second position. No wonder, the Red Bull backed driver has high hopes for his second motorsport season in Europe.
“I’m 100% ready for the new season. The team and I enjoyed some good results in winter testing and right now we’re fully focussed on continuing these performances in our races. Though I realise the level of the competition in both series is very high and the races will be action-packed with so many entrants, I’m confident that we will be among the frontrunners. For the WEC Formula Renault 2.0 season opener this weekend, I’m definitely targeting a podium finish.”
News and photos are presented by Insight F1 Motorsport Report. For further information and/or images please contact Jeroen Vermeeren (+31 621 541 564, media@insightf1.com. For management enquiries please contact Marco Zecchi (+39 335 615 841, zecchi@abanet.it)
Daniël Ricciardo maximised his performance in this weekend’s second round of the Western European Cup (WEC) Formula Renault 2.0 in Dijon by scoring two convincing wins. The Australian driver has also now taken over the lead in the championship standings from his SG Formula team mate Andrea Caldarelli.
FREE PRACTISE & QUALIFYING Even though Ricciardo had never driven on the fast French circuit before, he quickly got to grips with the 3.801 kilometre long track. Already in Friday’s free practise session, the Red Bull Junior Driver set the pace while completing his programme ahead of the double qualifying session.
The competitiveness of the WEC Formula Renault 2.0 field was once again proved in Friday afternoon’s first qualifying session. After being quickest in free practise, Ricciardo had to settle for P3 for Saturday’s first race after missing out on pole position with a margin of only 0,003 seconds! In Saturday morning’s second qualifying session, Ricciardo bounced back by setting the fastest lap time and claiming pole position for Sunday’s race.
RACE 01 & 02 Eager to fight his way back to the front, Ricciardo enjoyed a good start in Saturday afternoon’s race but could not gain any positions in the early stages of the 16-lap race. Midway the race though, the Australian ace was able to gain a bit more speed and overtake Alberto Costa for second position. After that, Ricciardo charged hard to overtake Roberto Merhi, and successfully made his move three laps before the end of the race. By winning the race ahead of the Epsilon Euskadi duo and his team mate Andrea Caldarelli, Ricciardo also took over the lead in the current championship standings from Caldarelli.
On Sunday afternoon things only got better for Ricciardo. After having started from pole position, the Perth-born racer drove a straight forward race and easily managed to create a two seconds gap over his competitors and cruise to another dominating victory. Meaningless to say, that Ricciardo also increased his championship lead over his main rivals and is now ‘the man to beat’ for his colleagues!
“Another weekend to cherish. I want to thank everyone at SG Formula for doing a superb job. The car felt great the entire weekend. It’s nice to lead both the WEC and Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 standings now, but I realise that there are many more races to come in which we have to work very hard to continue our success. Nevertheless, I’m very pleased with how things are going at the moment. I’m more motivated than ever to train even harder in order to get ready for our next race in Silverstone.”
Australian driver Daniël Ricciardo enjoyed two productive testing days with his SG Formula team during this week’s third collective Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 test at Spa-Francorchamps. At the Belgian Grand Prix circuit, the 18-year old driver from Perth, Western Australia, especially focussed on improving his car set-up. In wet conditions Ricciardo again topped the timesheets on Thursday morning before finishing the test in fourth position overall.
As SG Formula has not been in action at the legendary 7,004 meter long track since 2004, the team could not fall back on previous data and experiences with last year’s introduced new body kit. Therefore all SG Formula drivers put in a lot of track time to get the set-ups right in both dry and damp conditions. Not without results. After the first day was dominated by Motopark Academy driver Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Ricciardo shared the top position with his team colleague Andrea Caldarelli (ITA) at the second and final day.
The next Eurocup Formula Renault collective testing sessions will be held at the Paul Ricard HTTT on April 20-21.
“I think we can look back at a constructive outing. As a team we learned a lot these two days and improved our performances quite much. At a dry track I still struggled a bit finding the speed, but I have to add that a red flag situation stopped me from improving my lap time in the final afternoon session. For SG Formula it’s good to have two of their drivers on top again. It confirms that our hard work has paid off and at the same time it’s a moral boost for everyone in the team.
Daniël Ricciardo got off to a great start of his Western European Formula Renault 2.0 season, by scoring a convincing win at Nogaro today. After having started from pole position, the Australian ace swapped places twice with his SG Formula team mate Andrea Caldarelli in the opening lap of the 25 minute race, before retaking the lead for the remainder of this first race of the season.
Though Ricciardo enjoyed quite a good start when the starting lights turned off, his Italian team mate Andrea Calderelli managed to get the better out of the two at the start. After Caldarelli passed him in the first corner, Ricciardo tailed his SG Formula colleague closely through the next couple of turns before making his move at the back straight that same lap. As Ricciardo got a better exit out of the corner before the back straight, he was able to retake the lead by out braking Caldarelli into the tight hairpin. Back in front, Ricciardo build up a comfortable three seconds gap in the following laps, stayed out of trouble and collected a well-deserved win. Andrea Caldarelli and Roberto Merhi finished in second and third position respectively.
Things look bright for the Red Bull junior driver tomorrow too, as he claimed pole position for Monday’s second race of the weekend as well.
“What a fantastic way to start the season! First of all, I want to thank everyone in the team for providing me with such a great car. I’m eager to make it two out of two tomorrow, as I’m again on pole position for our second race. With one win already under my belt. I have even more confidence in another good outcome. Hopefully I can nail it at the start this time and drive it home in P1 again!”
Australian driver Daniël Ricciardo has boosted his start of his 2008 campaign by claiming pole position for Sunday’s Western European Cup (WEC) Formula Renault 2.0 first race of the season. The Red Bull Junior driver unsurprisingly emerged as fastest in today’s 20-minute qualifying session after also having set the second fastest time in Friday’s free practise session.
Unlike the pre-event test at the twisty Nogaro track earlier this week, both yesterday’s free practise session and today’s qualifying session were held in wet conditions. It did not bother Ricciardo though. The SG Formula driver showed impressive speed at both a dry and wet track this week. Friday’s free practise session saw Ricciardo just missing out on P1 as he was marginally outpaced by Spanish driver Roberto Merhi in the final stage of the 60-minute session. Ricciardo turned things around though in today’s qualifying session which decided the grid for tomorrow afternoon’s season opener. By edging out Roberto Merhi and Richard Campollo, Australian’s new rising star positioned himself in the best possible way for a prosperous start of the season.
“I’m happy to be on pole for tomorrow’s first race of the season. In qualifying I managed to get into a good rhythm straight away and set some fast laptimes early in the session. As the season is going to be long, the most important thing is to push hard to maximise our performance once again tomorrow. I realise life will be easier if I manage to pull a gap straight from the start, so that’s exactly what I’m aiming at!”
Australian driver Daniël Ricciardo has confirmed his impressive early season form once again by setting the fastest lap time in this week’s Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 test in Barcelona. The Red Bull junior driver enjoyed two constructive days at the Spanish Grand Prix track in which he and his SG Formula team completed a busy programme.
With the track conditions changing a lot during the two testing days, Ricciardo and his experienced French outfit tried out many different settings and gained valuable information on how to make even better use of new tyres. Ending also the second collective series’ test on top, was the icing on the cake. Pre-season Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 testing resumes next week at Belgian F1 circuit of Spa-Francorchamps.
“I’m happy to have enjoyed another good test and result in Barcelona. Thumbs up for all the guys from SG Formula for their great effort. With the experiences and data gained this week, I’m sure we’ll be in good shape for both the Eurocup and Western European Cup races here later this season. Now we’re heading to Spa-Francorchamps, definitely one of the most exciting circuits in the world. I raced their last year and it is a circuit I enjoy very much so I am looking forward to returning!”
