Arden Motorsport return to Autodromo Imola this weekend [31 Oct – 01 Nov] aiming to continue their winning form in the Formula Renault Eurocup.
The Banbury-based team return to Italy for Europe’s premier single-seater series’ annual slot on the Formula 1 ® support package on the back of a first victory of the season last time out at Spa-Francorchamps.
That win – a career-first for Alex Quinn, who also completed a Rookie clean sweep – was boosted by a podium double for home hero Ugo de Wilde and an impressive rebuild – then drive – for Reshad De Gerus after an unlucky accident in torrentially wet conditions in race one.
That optimism will serve the team well on their return to the twisty, high-speed 3.13-mile Imola circuit; a visit earlier in the year yielded a podium for Quinn and a points double for de Wilde, raising spirits as Arden look to close in on fourth in the Teams’ Championship.
Visiting familiar ground will also provide a useful benchmark for De Gerus as the French Formula 4 Vice-Champion continues his development in a highly-competitive field, and looks to add to his maiden point last month in Barcelona.
Unusually, this weekend’s action will be condensed into two days, in line with the Grand Prix itself.
A single practice session on Saturday morning (07:10 GMT) kicks off the action, ahead of Qualifying 1 (11:00) and the opening race (14:30).
Qualifying 2 (07:55) and the final race of the weekend (09:30) then take place in the lead up to the Grand Prix to conclude the action, with live coverage available across Renault Sport Series’ platforms.
Ben Salter, Arden Formula Renault Team Manager said:
“It’s always a special weekend when we’re on the Formula 1 support package, but to arrive after the weekend we had at Spa last time out is extra special.
“Everybody in the team did an excellent job, and it showed in the results, so the objective is to keep that momentum going at Imola this time around.
“Re-visiting a circuit we’ve already raced at in 2020 has its advantages. It means we’ve got a good baseline from earlier in the season, so the focus is very much on building upon that. All in all, I think we’re in good shape.”
Alex Quinn (#20) said:
“We ended on a high last time out at Imola earlier in the year, so I’m hoping to start where we left off.
“I have been putting in as much preparation as I can this week knowing that there is limited testing due to the Formula 1 schedule. All in all, I’m looking forward to the weekend.”
Reshad De Gerus (#21) said:
“I’m very happy to be back at Imola this weekend, especially on the same bill as Formula 1.
“The team has a very good dynamic at the moment, so the aim is to continue like this. I’m determined to bring back some good results!”
Ugo de Wilde (#27) said:
“I’m looking forward to Imola this weekend! It will be a special weekend as we are with Formula 1, so it means only one practice before qualifying - so I will have to be there from the beginning.
“But I’m confident we have good momentum at the moment and last time we were there, we had a lot of potential, so let’s put everything together and have another good weekend!”