Daniel Ticktum and Arden Motorsport had a perfect Saturday in taking their first pole position and win in the Formula Renault Eurocup. Fastest race lap made it a clean sweep for the English driver who was followed to the flag by Sacha Fenestraz (Josef Kaufmann Racing) and fellow Red Bull Junior Team driver, Neil Verhagen (MP Motorsport). In finishing 19th Will Palmer (R-ace GP) sees Robert Shwartzman (R-ace GP) and Sacha Fenestraz respectively close to within three and eleven points in the general classification.
Maiden pole for Arden and Ticktum
In wet conditions, the first qualifying session went the way of Daniel Ticktum. While Sacha Fenestraz was quickest in Group A, the Englishman put in the fastest lap in Group B with a time of 1:56.198 to start ahead of Gabriel Aubry (Tech 1 Racing), Thomas Randle (AVF by Adrián Vallés) and Max Defourny (R-ace GP).
Fenestraz and Aubry answer back in Q2
The track was dry at mid-day for the second qualifying session to determine the starting grids for the two races scheduled tomorrow. Gabriel Aubry set the benchmark in the first group, but Sacha Fenestraz went quicker with a time of 1:41.012. The battle for the second best times went to Gabriel Aubry who clocked in with a lap of 1:41.619. Sunday morning, Sacha Fenestraz will start from pole ahead of Gabriel Aubry, before they swap positions for the final race of the weekend.
Daniel Ticktum makes it happen
Starting from pole for the first time, Daniel Ticktum fended off the attacks of Sacha Fenestraz and Gabriel Aubry on the opening lap that saw Bartlomiej Mirecki (BM Racing Team) and Thomas Randle drop out. On the next lap, the safety car was called into service for the removal of the car of Luis Leeds (Josef Kaufmann Racing).
The restart was short-lived. While Daniel Ticktum controlled Sacha Fenestraz, Neil Verhagen (MP Motorsport) –who started ninth –managed to overtake Gabriel Aubry. Behind them, Thomas Maxwell (Tech 1 Racing), Richard Verschoor (MP Motorsport) and Alex Peroni (Fortec Motorsports) were involved in an incident and all retired.
At the second restart, Daniel Ticktum held on to the lead from Sacha Fenestraz to take the win. Neil Verhagen kept his cool to claim his first podium result of the year ahead of Gabriel Aubry, Alexander Vartanyan (JD Motorsport), Henrique Chaves (AVF by Adrián Vallés) and Robert Shwartzman. Renault Sport Academy member Jarno Opmeer (MP Motorsport) finished eighth to score his first points of the season ahead of Zane Goddard (Arden Motorsport) and Yifei Ye (Josef Kaufmann Racing). Yifei Ye was then penalized 25 seconds for provoking an accident. Najiy Ayyad bin Abd Razak (Fortec Motorsports) picks up the final point on offer.
| 1. Will Palmer (R-ace GP) | 144 |
| 2. Robert Shwartzman (R-ace GP) | 141 |
| 3. Sacha Fenestraz (Josef Kaufmann Racing) | 133 |
| 4. Max Defourny (R-ace GP) | 78 |
| 5. Alex Peroni (Fortec Motorsports) | 67 |
| … | … |
*Results subject to confirmation following technical and sporting verifications.