In this superb showcase offered by Renault Sport Racing, the protagonists will have two opportunities to demonstrate their race craft and prove themselves on a circuit that forgives little. Some will have to choose between an exploit and the battle for the title…
The match among the leaders continues
Regularly on the podium, Yifei Ye (Josef Kaufmann Racing) retook command of the general classification before arriving in Monaco, which is also the only circuit he failed to finish in the top ten last year. This time, the Chinese driver wants to take full advantage of his experience to follow in the tyre tracks of former team mate Sacha Fenestraz and at the same time pull away from his rivals.
Six drivers will try to wrestle the championship lead away from him, including the members of the Renault Sport Academy, who will be closely watched on the sidelines of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Just like Yifei Ye, Max Fewtrell (R-ace GP) left Monaco empty-handed a year ago. The Englishman will be aiming much higher to regain the advantage. On pole position in his Pau debut, Christian Lundgaard (MP Motorsport) will too be a serious customer, as could Victor Martins (R-ace GP). While he’s still in search of his first podium result, the French driver will try to take his racing to the next level.
Following their strong results at Silverstone, Logan Sargeant (R-ace GP) and Charles Milesi (R-ace GP) are full of confidence and both want to keep the upward momentum going on the most complicated circuit of the year. While both have already raced at Monaco, it is not the same story for Lorenzo Colombo (JD Motorsport), who will once again have to rely on his finely-tuned adaptation faculties!
Will experience make the difference?
On the Monaco podium in 2016 and in 2017, Max Defourny (MP Motorsport) will attempt to restart his season on one of his favorite circuits. Other drivers have the same goal, like three-time race winner at Pau, Alex Peroni (MP Motorsport), Richard Verschoor (Josef Kaufmann Racing), who was right at home in the Principality last year and Neil Verhagen (Tech 1 Racing), who is racing under the close scrutiny of Dr. Helmut Marko.
Thomas Maxwell (JD Motorsport), Alexander Vartanyan (Arden Motorsport), Thomas Neubauer (Tech 1 Racing), Frank Bird (Tech 1 Racing) and Raúl Guzmán (Fortec Motorsports) will also count on their past Monaco experience to add to their point tallies… while Axel Matus (AVF by Adrián Vallés) and Najiy Razak (JD Motorsport) will aim to score their first points of 2018!
Competitive in Sotchi or Pau in the early days of their racing careers, Alexander Smolyar (Tech 1 Racing), Arthur Rougier (Fortec Motorsports), Christian Muñoz (AVF by Adrián Vallés), Xavier Lloveras (AVF by Adrián Vallés) and Vladimir Tziortzis (Fortec Motorsports) will all look to create a surprise.
Everything to learn
Besides Lorenzo Colombo, five other drivers will discover the magic of street tracks this week. Oscar Piastri (Arden Motorsport), who has impressed since the start of the season, will look to confirm his potential on this noticeably complicated track.
And finally, Eliseo Martinez (AVF by Adrián Vallés), Clément Novalak (Josef Kaufmann Racing), Sami Taoufik (Arden Motorsport) and Christian Hahn (Fortec Motorsports) will double their efforts to make a strong impression and leave Monaco with their first points of the season!
In numbers
2 Daniel Ricciardo and Sacha Fenestraz won two years in a row in Monaco.
2 In the Formula Renault spec-era, only Alvaro Parente and Sacha Fenestraz won the title in the same year they won in Monaco.
2.056s The largest gap between the top two in a race this year (Charles Milesi from Logan Sargeant in race two at Silverstone).
3 Three different teams have won three races contested in Monaco since the return of the Formula Renault Eurocup!
7 Seven drivers have stepped onto the podium this season. Five have already reached the top step.
30 Max Fewtrell has led the most laps so far this year: 30 from 95.
1973 First appearance of Monaco on the Formula Renault calendar.
Schedule
Thursday, May 24 2018
8:00–8:45 Collective Tests
Friday, May 25 2018
7:55–8:25 Qualifying (Group A)
8:33–9:03 Qualifying (Group B)
Saturday, May 26 2018
10:10–10:40 Race 1 (25 minutes + 1 lap)
Sunday, May 27 2018
12:00–12:30 Race 2 (25 minutes + 1 lap)
Renault Sport