Rookies show up in Barcelona

As soon as the curtain of the Formula championship Renault 3.5 Series 2009 lowered on the victory of Bertrand Baguette (International Draco Racing) that eyes are already turning towards 2010. If certain teams have already announced their duo of drivers for next year like Tech 1 Racing which will run Brendon Hartley et Daniel Ricciardo or Epsilon Euskadi with Albert Costa, the majority of teams take advantage of the two days of testing on the Barcelona track to test young hopefuls.

Thus, several drivers from Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, F3 Euroseries or British F3 are appearing in the Catalan capital to try their hand at the premier category of the World Series by Renault. The first day in ideal conditions, the drivers quickly got into action and the times fell quickly. At the end of the day, Jean-Eric Vergne (KMP Group / SG Formula), vice-champion of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, set the best time and confirmed his good disposition at the wheel of the Formula Renault 3.5, a few days only after setting the best time on the Motorland Aragón circuit.

The Frenchman finally beat Albert Costa and Daniel Zampieri (Comtec Racing), respectively winner of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Italian F3 Champion. “ For the first day on the circuit and for the team's first runs in Barcelona, ​​it's clear that I'm happy. Not bad for a first half session! », proclaimed Vergne who only rode in the afternoon.

On Wednesday, we find the same drivers at the front. British F3 Champion Daniel Ricciardo, fourth the day before, is the best performer of the day ahead of Albert Costa and Daniel Zampieri. Nathanaël Berthon, the French Formula Renault 2.0 champion, is also in the mix and climbs to fourth place. All the drivers appreciated the opportunity given to them to race during these two days like Zampieri. “ I had a blast aboard the Formula Renault 3.5. Braking, power, engine, chassis? everything works very well and I have very good feelings with this car », concluded the Italian.

The teams now have more information on the drivers and will be able to begin discussions with each other in order to compose their tandem as quickly as possible for the 2010 season.