Flying Fenestraz breaks Nürburgring record in lead-up to Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup opener

French-Argentinian racer Sacha Fenestraz showed he’s in great shape for the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup opener by breaking the Nürburgring lap record on the final day of collective pre-season tests. The 17-year-old Josef Kaufmann Racing driver proved he will be one of the favourites for the title after setting a new track record in the category. He clocked up 1:54.356 in the first hour of the morning session, despite suffering from a neck complaint that saw him complete a lighter program in the afternoon.

After regularly being up front during testing, despite the team saving their new tyres, the ADD Motorsports-supported racer is full of confidence before the field heads to Autodromo de Monza for the first race of the season. He said: “I was really happy with how testing went. We saved our new tyres in the first four days of testing at Magny-Cours and Paul Ricard, but were still up there in the top drivers. When we used the new tyres at the Nürburgring we were really fast and to set a new circuit record gives us a good indication of how well we can do this season. To put on that time when I was in pain with a stiff neck, made it even better. With other drivers using their new tyres at different times, it’s hard to compare our performances, but we feel we are in a really good place. It’s been great working with Josef Kaufmann and ADD Motorsports so far – we’ve gelled really quickly. Now I can’t wait for the season to get going.”

After successful seasons in karting, Sacha was crowned vice-champion in his debut season of the French F4. He joined Tech1 Racing for last season’s Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and NEC championships, claiming the rookie vice-champion crown and fifth place overall in both. Now, after joining up with Josef Kaufmann Racing – the reigning Formula Renault team, rookie and driver championship winners – as well as performance specialists ADD Motorsports, who guided Lando Norris to both titles last season, he is now aiming to take home the titles himself.

With new rules in place giving teams their total allocation of new tyres for tests in one go, the team decided to keep Sacha on old tyres for the earlier tests at Magny-Cours and Paul Ricard. Even then, he still managed a P1 at Paul Ricard in one session. But Sacha was firing on all cylinders at Nürburgring – and now heads to Autodromo de Monza for a test day, followed by the first race of the season, on April 20 – 23.

Fraser Sheader, director of performance and management team ADD Motorsports, added: “I’m delighted with how well Sacha has settled in with us and Josef Kaufmann Racing. He’s been a pleasure to work with. He’s taking everything on board really quickly and looking very fast already. I’m really looking forward to this continuing over the season and helping him push on for our joint goals of the titles.”