Arden Motorsport are aiming for a return to form as the Formula Renault Eurocup resumes at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend [10-11 October].
The Banbury-based team have endured a difficult spell in recent rounds, but plenty of hard work back at base alongside the team’s trio of rising stars – Alex Quinn, Ugo de Wilde and Reshad De Gerus – have put spirits high heading out to Spain.
The next stop on the calendar for Europe’s premier single-seater series is the high-speed, sweeping 2.8-mile circuit on the outskirts of Montmelo, also famous as the host venue for the Formula 1 ® Spanish Grand Prix.
Both Quinn and de Wilde have reason to be optimistic heading into the weekend; the Brit scored a podium finish at the same venue last year despite limited experience, whilst Belgian rising star de Wilde took a brace of points finishes here in 2019.
For De Gerus, Barcelona represents another step into the unknown in his rookie season of competition at this level, but plenty of hard work pre-event and across testing should see the Reunionese driver in the mix for points once again.
After two collective tests on Friday (08:00/12:50 BST), the competitive action kicks off with qualifying at 07:45 on Saturday.
The opening race follows at 12:40 later that day, before the format repeats on Sunday, with second qualifying at 09:00 and the final race of the weekend at 13:55.
As always, the action can be live streamed across Renault Sport Series’ YouTube channel and social media platforms.
Ben Salter, Arden Formula Renault Team Manager:
“Everybody at the team is optimistic heading out to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend.
“It’s a circuit we’ve run well at in previous years, and results haven’t been quite where we’d hoped in recent rounds, so the motivation is certainly there to go out this weekend and put that right!
“Both Alex and Ugo know what it takes to do well around here, and Reshad’s ability to process information quickly and get up to speed will no doubt put him in the mix once again on his first visit to the track.”
Alex Quinn (#20) said:
“I’m very determined to do my best for the team so that we can get good results this weekend!
“I also like the track at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, so all in all I’m looking forward to getting back out there this weekend!”
Reshad De Gerus (#21) said:
“I am very happy to be able to drive in Barcelona this year. It’s my first time racing at this circuit, so we'll work hard to be as competitive as possible and we'll see what we can do!
Ugo de Wilde (#27) said:
“Barcelona is a good opportunity to bounce back and have a better second half of the season.
“I really like this track and team was competitive there last year so we will keep working to reach our goals!”