Esteban Ocon (ART Junior Team) led Nyck de Vries (Koiranen GP) and Andrea Pizzitola (ART Junior Team) home as he scored his second Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 win of the year at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The race also saw a title-deciding incident involving championship rivals Pierre Gasly (Tech 1 Racing) and Oliver Rowland (Manor MP Motorsport), with the Frenchman clinching the crown after the British driver was penalised for his part in a collision between the two.
Points leader Pierre Gasly recorded his fourth pole of the season in the morning, qualifying ahead of Nyck de Vries, Esteban Ocon and Oliver Rowland. The polesitter maintained his advantage when the race got under way, while Oliver Rowland stole past Esteban Ocon and Nyck de Vries and into second.
Pierre Gasly was sent into a spin when he and Oliver Rowland came together a few corners on, and the safety car was called into action when Benjamin Bailly (RC Formula) and Bruno Bonifacio (Prema Powerteam) both rolled their cars.
Racing resumed on lap six, with Esteban Ocon holding the lead from Nyck de Vries and Oliver Rowland. Deemed responsible for the collision with Pierre Gasly, who was now running in tenth, Rowland was handed a drive-through, which he served on lap seven, the Briton rejoining the race in 30th position.
Extending his lead as the laps went by, Esteban Ocon eventually secured win number two of the season from Nyck de Vries and Andrea Pizzitola, with Jake Dennis (Fortec Motorsports) fourth and Egor Orudzhev (Tech 1 Racing) fifth.
Pierre Gasly eventually came in sixth to make the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 title his, while Alexander Albon (KTR), Oscar Tunjo (Josef Kaufmann Racing), Aurelien Panis (Prema Powerteam) and Ukyo Sasahara (Euronova) were also in the points in the final outing of the season.
What they said
Esteban Ocon: “It was very important to win the last race of the year because everyone remembers it. I’m delighted to come away with my second victory, though I’d like to get more.”
Nyck de Vries: “I finished fifth in the points, just like last year. It wasn’t what I was aiming for but the team and I can be proud of what we did in the second of the season. We solved some problems and returned to the top.”
Andrea Pizzitola: “The season didn’t go that well, though I gave it all I had every time. This weekend was different and I was competitive from the off. I’m delighted with this first podium finish.”
Pierre Gasly: “Winning the title makes me happy and proud of the work I’ve done this year. I joined the team last winter and we’ve put in a lot of effort in to reach this standard. I’ve learned a lot. The main thing today was to make sure of the title. It’s still too early to talk about what I’m going to do in 2014, but I’d love to be here.”
