12 September 2014
Charles Leclerc quickest so far in Budapest
In his final Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 appearance this season, wild-card entry Charles Leclerc (Fortec Motorsports) set best time in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 group testing. On a soaked Hungaroring track, the Monaco native established the time to beat in 2:00.294 ahead of Bruno Bonifacio (Prema Powerteam) and Jack Aitken (Fortec Motorsports). Championship leader and crowned last weekend in the ALPS against Charles Leclerc, Nyck de Vries (Koiranen GP) led the way in the morning session.
The Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 competitors were greeted by a soaked track surface upon their return to action. Points leader, Nyck de Vries was the first to set a time, but was quickly bested by Andrea Pizzitola (Manor MP Motorsport), he replied before a red flag provoked by Simon Gachet (ART Junior Team) stopped the session.
When the action re-started, Nyck de Vries lowered his best time to 2:02.576, which went unchallenged through the rest of the session, marked by an interruption caused by Steijn Schothorst (Manor MP Motorsport) and a premature ending brought on by Vasily Romanov (Tech 1 Racing). The Koiranen GP driver was more than a full second ahead of Andrea Pizzitola, Kevin Jörg (Josef Kaufmann Racing), Ignazio D’Agosto (Koiranen GP) and Alexander Albon (KTR).
The conditions remained tricky despite an end to the rain in the afternoon. James Allen (ARTA Engineering) caused the first red flag. Then, Nyck de Vries moved to the top of the time sheet, only to be dislodged immediately by Nick Cassidy (Koiranen GP) and Andrea Pizzitola. The French driver spent quite a while in first place before being knocked of the top spot by the Fortec Motorsports duo of Charles Leclerc and Jack Aitken
The final minutes were full of action with Bruno Bonifacio and Nyck de Vries setting fastest time. With seven-minutes to go, Charles Leclerc re-took command of the session then improved his best lap several times. His final effort of 2:00.294 was the quickest of the day. Bruno Bonifacio, Jack Aitken, Kevin Jörg and Callan O’Keeffe (ART Junior Team) completed the top five.
Quotes
Charles Leclerc: ”I had to learn the track in rain conditions this morning, which was a little complicated. The track conditions improved throughout the day. We thought about switching to slicks at the end of the session, but I felt the track was still damp. It was the right decision. I am confident, but I’ll have to be in front tomorrow! ”
Jack Aitken: ”The track was really soaked this morning. For a first time in these conditions, we made good progress throughout the session, so it was a good day. At the Nürburgring, we were successful in overcoming the problems we had suffered until then to take a first podium result. We hope to be able to fight for more in the final races of the season.”
Bruno Bonifacio: ”The weekend weather forecast calls for a lot of rain. So it was important to prepare early when the track was really wet. We struggled a bit this morning before improving in the afternoon. The progress is very positive although the track was practically dry at the end of the day.”
