FIA F2: KENNOL PODIUMS AT SPA!
After the traditional summer break, KENNOL is back on track in FIA Formula 2 World Championship, and podiums directly at Spa-Francorchamps Grand Prix, with new young driver Nyck De Vries at the wheel! Racing Engineering team signs a great weekend, with good overall performance by the 2 cars and drivers, from the free practice to the finish line, and looks towards new podiums and points for the upcoming races.
I am very impressed by their work approach, structure and professionalism.
Nyck DE VRIES, driver
▌ BIRTH OF A FUTURE STAR
Yesterday KENNOL and partner team Racing Engineering were back to the podium. This 2017 season was tricky, and the bold move of the summer break was to switch driver, in order to welcome the twenty-two years old Dutch driver Nyck De Vries.
Nyck has already shown that he is a star of the future, beginning in karting he won the WSK World Series in both 2008 and 2009 before winning the 2010 and 2011 Karting World Championships, a series previously won by current F1 star Max Verstappen. Moving up to single-seaters and competing in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 series he won the Championship in 2014 as well as taking the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps series in the same year.
Alfonso de Orléans-Borbón, President of Racing Engineering: “We have been closely following Nyck’s progress through the junior categories and have been in close contact for several seasons now, he is an exceptional young man, very professional and dedicated. The entire Racing Engineering team is excited to see him in our car and with two venues coming up now where we have historically celebrated fantastic results, I am very optimistic that we will see Nyck cross the finish line as one of the first on the track.
▌ FIRST RACE TOGETHER, FIRST PODIUM
The whole weekend has been a treat for the team, and sunday the cars were starting from 4th and 5th position on the grid. As the lights went green, Nyck made a great start moving up to 3rd, battling with Norman NATO into the first corner, and as the cars exited Eau Rouge, Nyck pulled level with the Frenchman taking 2nd at the end of Raidillon! The young Dutch driver now began to chase the leader, CAMARA, and he closed the gap to one second which he then held constant as he preserved his tyres for later in the race. Both men set almost identical lap times for a while, but with 4 laps remaining Nyck began to close the gap on the leader. Sadly, an accident to MATSUSHITA at Eau Rouge saw the Safety Car deployed. The damage to the track barrier meant that it was impossible to repair and the race finished under the Safety Car.
With a 2nd and a 4th place, Racing Engineering regains points and hope at the Championship, and plans to hit the end of season with many more good results. The team has little time to celebrate, though, as they will be leaving Spa-Francorchamps and Belgium today, to head to Italy and the also mythical Monza circuit, for next weekend’s ninth round of the 2017 FIA Formula 2 World Championship.
