Interview
Formula V8 3.5 Aragon
Vaxiviere aiming for Formula Renault 3.5 title after Aragon win
Matthieu Vaxiviere is targeting title glory in the Formula Renault 3.5 series after taking victory in the second race of last weekend's opening round at Aragon.
Basile Davoine
Edited: Apr 27, 2015, 4:31 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The Lotus driver was on the pace throughout the weekend at the Spanish circuit, and was rewarded for his impressive speed with a win on Sunday after taking the lead on the very last lap of race two.
After setting the pace in practice on Friday and taking pole on Saturday morning, he had already established himself as a contender for the win - and he was a touch frustrated after finishing fourth in the first race, the result of being forced wide at the first corner by teammate Meindert van Buuren.
"We had worked well throughout the winter on many things, including the balance of the car", Vaxiviere told Motorsport.com. "We were fastest and we knew we were going to be competitive at Motorland.”
"Unfortunately, in race one, my teammate [van Buuren] jumped the start while I had started well, which was a shame. But this is racing, and fourth enabled me to score good points”.
Tyre management was crucial
On Sunday, Vaxiviere was determined not to let victory slip through his fingers, but the Frenchman was denied pole position after an extremely competitive qualifying session.
"We tried to change a small thing and it did not turn out well," he admitted. “Too bad that it was 0.024 seconds, but it was a shame not to be on pole!
"In the race, there was a lot of rain in the beginning and they made the right call by red flagging it, because it was undriveable.”
After a safety car start and a red flag that lasted nearly half an hour, race two took place on a drying track, meaning the last stint required good tyre management. Vaxiviere took advantage of this to pressure Nyck de Vries, who had been leading since the start.
"As it was drying more and more, I was trying to manage my brakes and cool down my tyres on the straights and on the parts of the track that were still wet," he explained. "It enabled me to have more traction in the last turn and overtake him [de Vries] on the outside”.
The winning move
As Vaxiviere made his move at the hairpin on the final lap of the race, de Vries veered wide on the exit and hit the Lotus driver, damaging his own steering.
"I had been planning that move the lap before and I knew it was possible to make it there", Vaxiviere said. "I didn’t think it would be that complicated, we collided, but in the end it was a win and good points, so it was a great weekend.
"I was especially happy for the team and for myself, because we really deserved it with all the work we carried out during the winter”.
Vaxiviere therefore left Aragon in second place in the standings, three points behind race one winner Olivier Rowland, and has set his sights firmly on sealing the title.
"I can’t rest on my laurels, I have to keep going and I’m already focused on Monaco," he insisted.
"The aim is very clear - winning the championship. We will do our utmost to win and we’ll work hard to make it."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Round 1 produces a first podium for Team Peugeot-Hansen!
Next article Five worthless opinions: Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama edition
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Basile Davoine
2026 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix starting grid
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2026 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix starting grid
2026 F1 Mexico Grand Prix starting grid
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
2026 F1 Mexico Grand Prix starting grid
More from
Matthieu Vaxiviere
Alpine reveals WEC Hypercar lineups, signs Gounon as reserve
WEC
WEC
Alpine launch
Alpine reveals WEC Hypercar lineups, signs Gounon as reserve
Vaxiviere to join Wayne Taylor Racing for IMSA enduros
IMSA
IMSA
Vaxiviere to join Wayne Taylor Racing for IMSA enduros
R-Motorsport Aston takes maiden win at Silverstone
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance
Silverstone
R-Motorsport Aston takes maiden win at Silverstone
Latest news
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
1 h
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
1 h
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 2 h
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe