Formula V8 3.5

Monaco: Series preview

Twenty-four drivers hit the streets! Drivers in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series are getting ready for this most glamorous event of the season, at Monaco, where they have the chance to race in the curtain-raiser event before the F1 Grand Prix. All ...

Edited: May 12, 2010, 12:57 AM

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Twenty-four drivers hit the streets!

Drivers in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series are getting ready for this most glamorous event of the season, at Monaco, where they have the chance to race in the curtain-raiser event before the F1 Grand Prix. All the twenty-four drivers involved have but one aim: to claim their first win in the famous Principality. A win at Monaco is never a matter of luck, and everyone dreams of making a big impression here, under the gaze of all the F1 talent scouts.

The 2010 season has started at a cracking pace. Having already won the first race of the season at Motorland Aragon, Mikhail Aleshin (Carlin) then showed it was no flash in the pan by winning at Spa-Francorchamps. Although he has already succeeded in his return to Formula Renault 3.5 Series, the 23-year old from Moscow is unlikely to let slip any opportunity to demonstrate his prowess. Monaco is the ultimate test of nerves. The slightest error is paid for immediately, as the crash barriers are unforgiving. Aleshin must choose between going for the win at all costs, or making sure he collects points with a view to the Championship.

In second place, only six points behind Aleshin, Daniel Ricciardo (Tech 1 Racing) is no stranger to the world of F1, as he is already a reserve driver for Red Bull Racing, together with his Tech 1 Racing team mate Brendon Hartley. On the other hand, the Australian has everything to learn about Monaco. That's not necessarily a handicap, with rookies often proving successful on the streets of the Principality, as Charles Pic showed in 2008 and Olivier Turvey in 2009. Other new boys such as Daniel Zampieri (Pons Racing), Nathanael Berthon (International Draco Racing), Jan Charouz (P1 Motorsport) and Albert Costa (Epsilon Euskadi) are all on form, and are anxious to claim their first success in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series at Monaco, just as Pic and Turvey did.

Ricciardo's stable mate at Tech 1 Racing, Hartley, starts with an advantage, as he is familiar with the circuit. Last season the New Zealander recorded the fastest time through Monaco's city streets, and he will be looking for his first victory in this formula. Having got no points at Spa-Francorchamps, he will be trying everything to put the record straight as quickly as possible.

Sten Pentus (Fortec Motorsport), with one first and one second place to his credit, has begun the season very convincingly, and lies in third place in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series overall rankings. He, too, can count on his detailed knowledge of this city circuit, as can Greg Mansell (Comtec Racing), Julian Leal (International Draco Racing), Federico Leo (Pons Racing), Anton Nebylitskiy (KMP Racing), Filip Salaquarda (ISR) and Daniil Move (Junior Lotus Racing), who all battled it out on this circuit in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series last season.

For Stefano Coletti (Comtec Racing), this event will have a particularly familiar flavour. The streets of this town hold no secrets for him, although the opportunities to blast out of the Tunnel at 250 km/h are pretty rare, even for this driver whose home is in Monaco! The 21-year old already knows the feeling. Last season he made his mark in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series meeting at Monaco, when he had 13th fastest time in practice and took 10th place in the race. Thanks to two podium finishes at Spa-Francorchamps, his first two in this discipline, he is more determined than ever to make the Monaco national anthem sound out loud after the one Formula Renault 3.5 Series race this weekend, which starts at 11 a.m. on Sunday 16 May.

In addition to Jake Rosenzweig (Carlin), another American driver will also be there. Alexander Rossi will take Esteban Guerrieri's place in the ISR team. Thus, four continents and a total fourteen nationalities will be represented in Formula Renault 3.5 Series.

-source: wsr

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