Sacha Fenestraz Sets New Hungaroring Record

Race winner at Monaco last month, Sacha Fenestraz (Josef Kaufmann Racing) kept the momentum going during the return to action for the Formula Renault Eurocup. With a new category track record at the Hungaroring, the French driver dominated the two collective test sessions ahead of Robert Shwartzman (R-ace GP) and rookie Yifei Ye (Josef Kaufmann Racing).

On Thursday, Sacha Fenestraz set the fastest time in the private tests in 1:41.256. The Frenchman went to the top of the charts in the first session before Robert Shwartzman took over, but Sacha Fenestraz answered back in the final two sessions.

Will Palmer (R-ace GP) and Sacha Fenestraz both led the way early in the day before a stoppage provoked by Presley Martono (Mark Burdett Motorsport). When the action resumed, Yifei Ye and Max Defourny (R-ace GP) entered the mix, but Sacha Fenestraz went quicker before the red flag caused by Ghislain Cordeel (Arden Motorsport).

With nine minutes to go, Sacha Fenestraz improved to 1:40.838 to end the session on top, 0.004s ahead of Max Defourny. Renault Sport Academy Max Fewtrell driver (Tech 1 Racing), Yifei Ye and Gabriel Aubry (Tech 1 Racing) completed the top five.

Under darker skies in the afternoon, Mas Defourny was at the sharp end of the order until he was bettered by Alex Peroni (Fortec Motorsports) and Gabriel Aubry.

With eight minutes remaining, Sacha Fenestraz began the final sprint during which Red Bull Junior Team Richard Verschoor driver (MP Motorsport) was the first to improve upon the best morning time. But, once again, it was Sacha Fenestraz setting the pace with a lap of 1:40.244, ahead of Robert Shwartzman, Yifei Ye, Gabriel Aubry and another protégé in the Austrian programme, Daniel Ticktum (Arden Motorsport).

Sacha Fenestraz (Josef Kaufmann Racing): “After nearly a month break, it felt good to be back on the track! It was important to be well-prepared this weekend, even more so because some drivers raced in the Formula Renault NEC season-opener last week at Monza. The first results show we’ve done a good job and I hope it will be even more so when it counts tomorrow. It will be an interesting day depending on what the weather will have in store for us.”

Robert Shwartzman (R-ace GP): “We worked on set-up in the first session. It was a little difficult to get there with the heat, but we did it in the afternoon. In spite of a few errors on my part, it was much better. The goal tomorrow will be to get the pole positions. It could rain, but that doesn’t pose a problem for me. No matter what happens, the conditions will be the same for everyone and we’ll have to do our best.”

Yifei Ye (Josef Kaufmann Racing): “I raced here before during my first season in the Autosport Academy in 2015. With cars that are quite different and the resurfacing of the track since, it was a lot different. Since the three back-to-back meetings in May, I have worked a lot on my conditioning to get back in the fight for the title beginning in Hungary. The team gave me a good car to put me in the best possible conditions.”

Gabriel Aubry (Tech 1 Racing): “It is nice to return to the Hungaroring. I really like the track with its rather special rhythm that requires an atypical driving style. It is interesting to have to adapt to the circuit. The track has been repaved since the last time I was here in F4 and I was a little surprised yesterday and overdrove in some areas. Today, we focused on my development and that of the car. We have arrived at a level that should allow us to be in the top three or even take the pole tomorrow.”

Collective Test 2

1^st – No. 11, Sacha Fenestraz, FRA, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:40.244

2^nd – No. 10, Robert Shwartzman*, RUS, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:40.434

3^rd – No. 1, Yifei Ye*, CHN, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:40.514

4^th – No. 4, Gabriel Aubry, FRA, Tech 1 Racing, 1:40.670

5^th – No. 33, Daniel Ticktum*, GBR, Arden Motorsport, 1:40.692

6^th – No. 8, Will Palmer, GBR, R-ace GP, 1:40.706

7^th – No. 29, Richard Verschoor*, NED, MP Motorsport, 1:40.800

8^th – No. 7, Max Fewtrell*, GBR, Tech 1 Racing, 1:40.858

9^th – No. 17, Alex Peroni, AUS, Fortec Motorsports, 1:40.890

10^th – No. 31, Neil Verhagen*, USA, MP Motorsport, 1:40.957

11^th – No. 2, Luis Leeds*, AUS, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:41.030

12^th – No. 93, Zane Goddard*, AUS, Arden Motorsport, 1:41.093

13^th – No. 30, Jarno Opmeer*, NED,  MP Motorsport, 1:41.100

14^th – No. 23, Alexander Vartanyan, RUS, JD Motorsport, 1:41.197

15^th – No. 5, Thomas Maxwell*, AUS, Tech 1 Racing, 1:41.244

16^th – No. 22, Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer*, FRA, JD Motorsport, 1:41.264

17^th – No. 18, Alexey Korneev, RUS, Fortec Motorsports, 1:41.266

18^th – No. 12, Raul Guzman*, MEX, R-ace GP, 1:41.425

19^th – No. 9, Max Defourny, BEL, R-ace GP, 1:41.490

20^th – No. 34, Ghislain Cordeel, BEL, Arden Motorsport, 1:41.576

21^st – No. 16, Thomas Randle*, AUS, AVF by Adrián Vallés, 1:41.596

22^nd – No. 26, Presley Martono*, INA, Mark Burdett Motorsport, 1:41.643

23^rd – No. 15, Axel Matus*, MEX, AVF by Adrián Vallés, 1:41.760

24^th – No. 96, Bartolomiej Mirecki*, POL, BM Racing Team, 1:41.761

25^th – No. 13, Henrique Chaves, POR, AVF by Adrián Vallés, 1:41.841

26^th – No. 6, Thomas Neubauer*, FRA, Tech 1 Racing, 1:41.845

27^th – No. 19, Frank Bird*, GBR, Fortec Motorsports, 1:41.965

28^th – No. 21, Sun Yue Yang*, CHN, JD Motorsport, 1:41.998

29^th – No. 20, Najiy Razak, MAS, Fortec Motorsports, 1:42.073

30^th – No. 25, Julia Pankiewicz, POL, Mark Burdett Motorsport, 1:43.110

 

Collective Test 2

1^st – No. 11, Sacha Fenestraz, FRA, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:40.838

2^nd – No. 9, Max Defourny, BEL, R-ace GP, 1:40.842

3^rd – No. 7, Max Fewtrell*, GBR, Tech 1 Racing, 1:40.879

4^th – No. 1, Yifei Ye*, CHN, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:41.050

5^th – No. 4, Gabriel Aubry, FRA, Tech 1 Racing, 1:41.085

6^th – No. 29, Richard Verschoor*, NED, MP Motorsport, 1:41.143

7^th – No. 31, Neil Verhagen*, USA, MP Motorsport, 1:41.211

8^th – No. 16, Thomas Randle*, AUS, AVF by Adrián Vallés, 1:41.238

9^th – No. 93, Zane Goddard*, AUS, Arden Motorsport, 1:41.420

10^th – No. 2, Luis Leeds*, AUS, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:41.459

11^th – No. 18, Alexey Korneev, RUS, Fortec Motorsports, 1:41.478

12^th – No. 30, Jarno Opmeer*, NED,  MP Motorsport, 1:41.486

13^th – No. 33, Daniel Ticktum*, GBR, Arden Motorsport, 1:41.496

14^th – No. 23, Alexander Vartanyan, RUS, JD Motorsport, 1:41.539

15^th – No. 17, Alex Peroni, AUS, Fortec Motorsports, 1:41.620

16^th – No. 5, Thomas Maxwell*, AUS, Tech 1 Racing, 1:41.650

17^th – No. 13, Henrique Chaves, POR, AVF by Adrián Vallés, 1:41.715

18^th – No. 8, Will Palmer, GBR, R-ace GP, 1:41.880

19^th – No. 19, Frank Bird*, GBR, Fortec Motorsports, 1:41.881

20^th – No. 22, Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer*, FRA, JD Motorsport, 1:41.977

21^st – No. 10, Robert Shwartzman*, RUS, Josef Kaufmann Racing, 1:42.043

22^nd – No. 6, Thomas Neubauer*, FRA, Tech 1 Racing, 1:42.172

23^rd – No. 20, Najiy Razak, MAS, Fortec Motorsports, 1:42.340

24^th – No. 15, Axel Matus*, MEX, AVF by Adrián Vallés, 1:42.638

25^th – No. 21, Sun Yue Yang*, CHN, JD Motorsport, 1:42.658

26^th – No. 25, Julia Pankiewicz, POL, Mark Burdett Motorsport, 1:42.745

27^th – No. 12, Raul Guzman*, MEX, R-ace GP, 1:43.082

28^th – No. 34, Ghislain Cordeel, BEL, Arden Motorsport, 1:43.173

29^th – No. 26, Presley Martono*, INA, Mark Burdett Motorsport, 1:43.583

30^th – No. 96, Bartolomiej Mirecki*, POL, BM Racing Team, 1:43.934