20 years after hosting the first official race of the single-spec era - a non-championship round was held at Mugello a month earlier - of the Formula Renault Eurocup, Zandvoort is about to create a new sensation with a new challenge for the field.

While the track is fundamentally the same since the last visit, major work has been done to create two banked corners with an impressive 18 and 19°, i.e. around a 33 % gradient in tribute to Max Verstappen’s race number.

The race for the title is on!

Magny-Cours race winners, Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix) and Caio Collet (R-ace GP) continued to pull away from the rest of the field during the last round.

With three victories in the last four races, the Frenchman now has a two-point lead over his Brazilian rival. While both drivers could count on their past Magny-Cours experience, this time they will battle on a circuit that neither have raced on so far in their career.

The battle between the two leading contenders could allow one or the other to seize the psychological edge, but others hope to turn this situation to their advantage. This will certainly be the case of their closest pursuer, David Vidales (JD Motorsport).

With a runner-up and third place result in Burgundy, the Spanish rookie ran his podium tally to five, with two wins, and five Hankook Trophies in six starts in a single-seater. His hopes for success will be reinforced by the fact that he is one of the few drivers who can rely on a team that has raced at Zandvoort in the past. JD Motorsport took the pole and went on for the win with Matteo Grassotto in 2000… The year that Felipe Massa won the Formula Renault Eurocup title!

A chase group on the lookout

Slightly distanced after a scoreless weekend at Magny-Cours, Franco Colapinto (MP Motorsport) would like to bounce back in his team’s home country. The Argentinean will also have to keep a close eye on Alex Quinn (Arden Motorsport) and William Alatalo (JD Motorsport) who are just three and nine points behind him now.

The field of pursuers has even grown with the strong form of late of Lorenzo Colombo (Bhaitech Racing) and Grégoire Saucy (ART Grand Prix) that now has both of them less than 20 points behind fourth place.

Among these competitors, Grégoire Saucy might be one of the main challengers as he finished on the podium at Zandvoort in the ADAC F4 championship. The Swiss is one of the four drivers who raced on the Dutch circuit last year along with his team-mate Paul Aron (ART Grand Prix), victorious in Holland last summer, László Tóth (Bhaitech Racing), who scored one of his best 2019 results there, and Hadrien David (MP Motorsport), into the top ten back then and now racing with a Dutch team.

A field ready to charge

Despite the relatively recent experience of some drivers, the situation will be different because the Zandvoort circuit has gone through some changes to prepare the future Formula 1 venue. Some protagonists will try to make the most of it to break out of the pack.

Back in the points twice at Magny-Cours, Ugo de Wilde (Arden Motorsport) will look to firm up his place in the top ten. Meanwhile, Tijmen van der Helm (FA Racing) will be keen to get back behind the wheel after wrist pain prevented him from competing at the last meeting while Amaury Cordeel (FA Racing) and Petr Ptáček (R-ace GP) will look to get their seasons back on track before the second half of the season begins.

Nicola Marinangeli (Bhaitech Racing) has recovered from the injury he sustained during the summer break and will be back in the car that has been driven by Vicky Piria for the last two races. Just like the Frenchman Reshad De Gerus (Arden Motorsport), the Italian will be more motivated than ever to score his first points of the year in the Netherlands!

Both qualifying sessions and races from Zandvoort will be broadcast live on the Renault Sport Series Facebook page and Renault Sport YouTube channel.

Timetable

Thursday September 24
14h00–16h00 Pre-event collective tests

Friday September 25
8h30–9h20 Collective tests 1
12h50 – 13h40 Collective tests 2

Saturday September 26
11h35–11h55 Qualifying 1
17h00–17h40 Race 1

Sunday September 27
10h05–10h25 Qualifying 2
14h15–14h55 Race 2

Entry list