26 September 2014
Advantage Nyck de Vries at Paul Ricard
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 championship leader, Nyck de Vries (Koiranen GP) began his weekend at the Paul Ricard circuit in style. The member of the McLaren Young Driver Development Programme and native of Holland set quickest time in the collective tests. On the “Plateau du Castellet”, his best lap of 2:04.116 saw him lead the way ahead of Louts F1 Junior Team driver Alexander Albon (KTR), who dominated the morning session. Kevin Jörg (Josef Kaufmann Racing) clocked the third best time on Friday.
Under sunny skies, Nyck de Vries (Koiranen GP) was the first Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 competitor to set a time on the Paul Ricard Circuit. The championship leader went faster on several occasions before being dislodged by Alexander Albon, then the Prema Powerteam trio of Hans Villemi, Dennis Olsen and Bruno Bonifacio.
With eight minutes to go, Anthoine Hubert (Tech 1 Racing) put an end to the domination of the Italian team, as the final sprint began. With a lap of 2:04.732, Alexander Albon re-took the advantage ahead of the Josef Kaufmann Racing duo of Kevin Jörg and Ryan Tveter. Dennis Olsen (Prema Powerteam) and Matt Parry (Fortec Motorsports) completed the top five in the morning session.
In the afternoon, Ignazio D’Agosto (Koiranen GP), Nyck de Vries, Alexander Albon and Egor Orudzhev (Tech 1 Racing) took turns at the sharp end of the order before Nyck de Vries returned to the top of the time sheet. Gustav Malja (Josef Kaufmann Racing) answered; then it was Ignazio D’Agosto and Nyck de Vries who replicated.
With the switch to new tyres, the final minutes saw Anthoine Hubert and Bruno Bonifacio lower the best time, but Nyck de Vries held on to best time with a lap of 2:04.116. This run allowed him to end the session on top ahead of Alexander Albon and Kevin Jörg. Bruno Bonifacio and Gustav Malja completed the top five.
Quotes
Nyck de Vries: “Overall, it was a good day. Our track time was limited during the first collective test session, but we were able to catch more mileage up this afternoon. This weekend, the goal is still to win races even if I can clinch the championship. It is the main objective for the team and me.”
Alexander Albon: “Today is the occasion to bounce back after Budapest! The car was really good straight away. This afternoon, I think some drivers used new tyres that they saved from this morning, but we have fast pace for both qualifying and the race. We also have an advantage in having three cars this weekend, and the more data the better!”
Kevin Jörg: “The conditions were perfect today and I was quick this morning and this afternoon. After a very complicated weekend in Budapest, I am thrilled to once again be up front. I hope it will continue in qualifying, both on Saturday and Sunday.”
