Robert Shwartzman Sets the Pace in Practice at Pau
Robert Shwartzman (R-ace GP) was the man to beat in the Formula Renault Eurocup collective tests on the streets of Pau. With his time of 1:13.870, the SMP Racing backed Russian led from Henrique Chaves (AVF by Adrián Vallés) and Alex Peroni (Fortec Motorsports), who topped the morning time sheet. Renault Sport Academy member, Max Fewtrell (Tech 1 Racing) was the fastest rookie of the day.
On Friday, the drivers had a 40-minute session to learn or re-learn the Pau circuit before a second session in which they ran in their qualifying groups, with 18 minutes of track time. In wet conditions, Sacha Fenestraz (Josef Kaufmann Racing) and Max Defourny (R-ace GP) were on top of the time sheet early along with Red Bull Junior Team driver Daniel Ticktum (Arden Motorsport). Max Fewtrell was the first to switch to slicks, but the session was stopped prematurely following the error of Richard Verschoor (MP Motorsport). Alex Peroni clocked the fastest lap with a time of 1:22.851. The Australian was followed by Sacha Fenestraz and rookies Zane Goddard (Arden Motorsport), Axel Matus (AVF by Adrián Vallés) and Alexander Vartanyan (JD Motorsport).
In the afternoon, Sacha Fenestraz made the most of the dryer conditions to lead Group A with a lap of 1:14.126. Max Defourny. Will Palmer (R-ace GP), rookie Yifei Ye (Josef Kaufmann Racing) and Daniel Ticktum completed the top five. Despite the stoppage provoked by Zane Goddard, Group B was the faster of the two. Robert Shwartzman set the benchmark time of the day in 1:13.870, ahead of Henrique Chaves, Alex Peroni and Tech 1 Racing’s Max Fewtrell and Gabriel Aubry.
Robert Shwartzman (R-ace GP): “I didn’t think I would have so much fun on this kind of circuit! It’s bumpy, narrow and short…there isn’t one particularly fast corner, but the layout is a lot of fun. It takes your breath away having to pay attention to the smallest detail. I am thrilled to have set the best time in my very first session at Pau. It underlines good preparation both with the simulator and in the car. I hope to have the same pace tomorrow.“
Sacha Fenestraz (Josef Kaufmann Racing): “With my two wins in 2015, I have some great memories of Pau. Everything went rather well and I hope it continues tomorrow. The conditions were complicated this afternoon. We shouldn’t have stopped because it didn’t rain for very long, but we had a good time and the track improved lap after lap. Now I must keep cool, Pau doesn’t forgive any mistakes.”
Alex Peroni (Fortec Motorsports): “For a first time on a street circuit, Pau is maybe the most difficult for learning with narrow streets, sidewalks, the camber of the pavement… It is special and I really liked the experience! This morning, the conditions were very tricky and the session didn’t really allow for evaluating each driver’s pace. We finished on top, then third overall this afternoon. It would be great to stay in the top three on Saturday and Sunday.”
Max Fewtrell (Tech 1 Racing): “It is truly a circuit apart. It’s an amazing feeling and it is nothing like the circuits I have already raced on. The first laps in the dry reinforced this impression. As a rookie, but also as a newcomer to this track, I think I had a good day as it concerns with the podium. In any case, that is the goal this weekend.”
Session 1
1st – No. 17, Alex Peroni, AUS, Fortec Motorsports, 1:22.851
2nd – No. 11, Sacha Fenestraz, FRA, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:23.045
3rd – No. 93, Zane Goddard*, AUS, Arden Motorsport, 1:23.55
4th – No. 15, Axel Matus*, MEX, AVF by Adrián Vallés, 1:23.969
5th – No. 23, Alexander Vartanyan, RUS, JD Motorsport, 1:23.982
6th – No. 13, Henrique Chaves, POR, AVF by Adrián Vallés, 1:24.227
7th – No. 9, Max Defourny, BEL, R-ace GP, 1:24.273
8th – No. 1, Yifei Ye*, CHN, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:24.409
9th – No. 10, Robert Shwartzman*, RUS, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:24.485
10th – No. 29, Richard Verschoor*, NED, MP Motorsport, 1:24.604
11th – No. 7, Max Fewtrell*, GBR, Tech 1 Racing, 1:24.895
12th – No. 33, Daniel Ticktum*, GBR, Arden Motorsport, 1:25.004
13th – No. 4, Gabriel Aubry, FRA, Tech 1 Racing, 1:25.388
14th – No. 21, Sun Yue Yang*, CHN, JD Motorsport, 1:25.474
15th – No. 14, Rodrigo Pflucker, PER, AVF by Adrián Vallés, 1:25.494
16th – No. 8, Will Palmer, GBR, R-ace GP, 1:25.741
17th – No. 18, Alexey Korneev, RUS, Fortec Motorsports, 1:25.805
18th – No. 26, Presley Martono*, INA, Mark Burdett Motorsport, 1:25.832
19th – No. 2, Luis Leeds*, AUS, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:26.063
20th – No. 5, Thomas Maxwell*, AUS, Tech 1 Racing, 1:26.384
21st – No. 12, Raul Guzman*, MEX, R-ace GP, 1:26.530
22nd – No. 34, Ghislain Cordeel, BEL, Arden Motorsport, 1:26.575
23rd – No. 19, Frank Bird*, GBR, Fortec Motorsports, 1:26.588
24th – No. 25, Julia Pankiewicz, POL, Mark Burdett Motorsport, 1:27.099
25th – No. 20, Najiy Razak, MAS, Fortec Motorsports, 1:27.202
26th – No. 30, Jarno Opmeer*, NED, MP Motorsport, 1:29.109
27th – No. 6, Thomas Neubauer*, FRA, Tech 1 Racing, 1:31.525
28th – No. 31, Neil Verhagen*, USA, MP Motorsport, 1:32.501
29th – No. 16, Gregoire Saucy*, SUI, AVF by Adrián Vallés, 1:33.287
No Time Set
No. 22, Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer*, FRA, JD Motorsport
Free Practice 2
Free Practice 2a
1st – No. 11, Sacha Fenestraz, FRA, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:14.126
2nd – No. 9, Max Defourny, BEL, R-ace GP, 1:14.273
3rd – No. 8, Will Palmer, GBR, R-ace GP, 1:14.289
4th – No. 1, Yifei Ye*, CHN, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:14.742
5th – No. 33, Daniel Ticktum*, GBR, Arden Motorsport, 1:14.958
6th – No. 29, Richard Verschoor*, NED, MP Motorsport, 1:15.245
7th – No. 30, Jarno Opmeer*, NED, MP Motorsport, 1:15.491
8th – No. 14, Rodrigo Pflucker, PER, AVF by Adrián Vallés, 1:15.520
9th – No. 18, Alexey Korneev, RUS, Fortec Motorsports, 1:15.528
10th – No. 5, Thomas Maxwell*, AUS, Tech 1 Racing, 1:15.560
11th – No. 15, Axel Matus*, MEX, AVF by Adrián Vallés, 1:15.766
12th – No. 2, Luis Leeds*, AUS, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:16.174
13th – No. 21, Sun Yue Yang*, CHN, JD Motorsport, 1:16.864
14th – No. 16, Gregoire Saucy*, SUI, AVF by Adrián Vallés, 1:18.209
15th – No. 22, Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer*, FRA, JD Motorsport, 1:20.050
Free Practice 2b
1st – No. 10, Robert Shwartzman*, RUS, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:13.870
2nd – No. 13, Henrique Chaves, POR, AVF by Adrián Vallés, 1:14.020
3rd – No. 17, Alex Peroni, AUS, Fortec Motorsports, 1:14.034
4th – No. 7, Max Fewtrell*, GBR, Tech 1 Racing, 1:14.184
5th – No. 4, Gabriel Aubry, FRA, Tech 1 Racing, 1:14.286
6th – No. 12, Raul Guzman*, MEX, R-ace GP, 1:14.550
7th – No. 23, Alexander Vartanyan, RUS, JD Motorsport, 1:14.998
8th – No. 34, Ghislain Cordeel, BEL, Arden Motorsport, 1:15.207
9th – No. 31, Neil Verhagen*, USA, MP Motorsport, 1:15.405
10th – No. 26, Presley Martono*, INA, Mark Burdett Motorsport, 1:15.562
11th – No. 20, Najiy Razak, MAS, Fortec Motorsports, 1:15.833
12th – No. 19, Frank Bird*, GBR, Fortec Motorsports, 1:15.885
13th – No. 6, Thomas Neubauer*, FRA, Tech 1 Racing, 1:16.426
14th – No. 25, Julia Pankiewicz, POL, Mark Burdett Motorsport, 1:17.056
No Time Set
No. 93, Zane Goddard*, AUS, Arden Motorsport
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