Renault World Series 2009 (Off season/General thread)

[runshaw]

That's a really good line-up of drivers. Looking forward to see how Adam Christo goes.

[sauber11]

Day1 Maybe Ricciardo straight to WSR without f3?
Tech 1
Alexandre Marsoin – Albert Costa – Anton Nebilitskyi
Draco
Marco Barba – Tristan Vautier – Omar Leal
Carlin
Daniel Ricciardo – Oliver Turvey
Epsilon
Dani Clos – Roberto Merhi
Prema
Claudio Cantelli – Pal Varhaug
RC Motorsport
Michael Rossi – Jakub Knoll
Pons
Jesse Krohn
KTR
Geoffrey Kwong – Sten Pentus – Miguel Molina
P1 Motorsport
Walter Grubmuller – Antonio Da Costa
Fortec
Jake Rosenzweig – Dean Smith
Comtec
Christopher Zanella – Riki Christodoulou – Max Chilton
Ultimate/Signature
Greg Mansell – Cesar Ramos

[WSR Fan]

Day One, Morning Times:

1 - Riki Christodoulou - Comtec - 1'17"162 - 60 giri
2 - Antonio Da Costa - P1 - 1'17"617 - 60
3 - Marco Barba - Draco - 1'17"703 - 68
4 - Albert Costa - Tech 1 - 1'18"016 - 56
5 - Dani Clos - Epsilon - 1'18"116 - 69
6 - Tristan Vautier - Draco - 1'18"276 - 57
7 - Alexandre Marsoin - Tech 1 - 1'18"392 - 51
8 - Jesse Krohn - Pons - 1'18"471 - 43
9 - Christopher Zanella - Comtec - 1'18"533 - 53
10 - Greg Mansell - Ultimate/Signature - 1'18"861 - 56
11 - Jake Rosenzweig - Fortec - 1'18"921 - 57
12 - Roberto Merhi - Epsilon - 1'19"178 - 46
13 - Dean Smith - Fortec - 1'19"185 - 55
14 - Walter Grubmuller - P1 - 1'19"201 - 49
15 - Daniel Ricciardo - Carlin - 1'19"360 - 49
16 - Pal Varhaug - Prema - 1'19"524 - 59
17 - Cesar Ramos - Ultimate/Signature - 1'19"577 - 46
18 - Sten Pentus - KTR - 1'19"855 - 52
19 - Michael Rossi - RC - 1'20"236 - 60
20 - Claudio Cantelli - Prema - 1'20"349 - 57
21 - Geoffrey Kwong - KTR - 1'24"732 - 36

[chunterer]

Wow, that's some handy margin Riki achieved there!!!

[duke_toaster]

I was a bit skeptical when I saw his name down but that was quite a good performance : I don't see why Sten Pentus is getting the test, not exactly impressive in British FRenault.

[WSR Fan]

Day One, Afternoon Times:

1 - Dani Clos - Epsilon - 1'16"150 - 61
2 - Marco Barba - Draco - 1'16"188 - 38
3 - Miguel Molina - KTR - 1'16"680 - 37
4 - Daniel Ricciardo - Carlin - 1'16"912 - 55
5 - Riki Christodoulou - Comtec - 1'16"958 - 39
6 - Roberto Merhi - Epsilon - 1'16"958 - 56
7 - Alexandre Marsoin - Tech 1 - 1'16"990 - 45
8 - Dean Smith - Fortec - 1'17"180 - 64
9 - Walter Grubmuller - P1 - 1'17"254 - 60
10 - Esteban Guerrieri - Ultimate/Signature - 1'17"274 - 55
11 - Greg Mansell - Ultimate/Signature - 1'17"304 - 52
12 - Claudio Cantelli - Prema - 1'17"327 - 43
13 - Jake Rosenzweig - Fortec - 1'17"369 - 50
14 - Pal Varhaug - Prema - 1'17"876 - 41
15 - Max Chilton - Comtec - 1'17"900 - 46
16 - Sten Pentus - KTR - 1'18"439 - 29
17 - Anton Nebilitskyi - Tech 1 - 1'18"451 - 37
18 - Omar Leal - Draco - 1'18"451 - 56
19 - Oliver Turvey - Carlin - 1'18"813 - 12
20 - Jakub Knoll - RC - 1'22"761 - 59

It's a shame that Turvey's initial running was a bit limited - he must have had some sort of mechanical issue considering he only did 12 laps. Hopefully he will get some decent mileage over the next two days though. Smith, Ricciardo and especially Christodoulou all had pretty solid runs too.

From what I've read, it seems as if Marco Barba is already confirmed at Draco for 2009, and if Walter Grubmuller's dad has indeed bought a big stake in P1 Motorsport, then you would assume that he is 99% sure of a seat there (just like the Herck/DPR relationship in GP2).

As for the rest, I'm personally hoping that Pic stays at Tech 1, Ultimate hold onto Guerrieri and both Alguersuari and Albuquerque land seats. Of course, it all depends on money, but if Filipe landed a decent drive he would have to be considered a hot favourite for the championship.

[N.A-D.R]

Nice to see Daniel Testing and getting 4th on day one. Dani Clos was very good. I reckon Charles Pic will do GP2 considering how fast he was in testing.

How many days is this test?

[bella]

i remember reading 3, but don't consider that gospel - have a rummage on italiaracing.

[sauber11]

Day2, morning times
1 - Roberto Merhi - Epsilon - 1'16"343 - 46
2 - Charles Pic - Tech 1 - 1'16"542 - 42
3 - Max Chilton - Comtec - 1'16"586 - 36
4 - Miguel Molina - Epsilon - 1'16"602 - 35
5 - Marco Barba - Draco - 1'16"707 - 47
6 - James Walker - Ultimate/Signature - 1'16"933 - 53
7 - Oliver Turvey - Carlin - 1'16"960 - 38
8 - Claudio Cantelli - Pons - 1'17"135 - 42
9 - Anton Nebilitskyi - Comtec - 1'17"186 - 48
10 - Jaime Alguersuari - Carlin - 1'17"312 - 36
11 - Riki Christodoulou - Fortec - 1'17"315 - 28
12 - Omar Leal - Draco - 1'17"337 - 44
13 - Walter Grubmuller - P1 - 1'17"567 - 37
14 - Alexandre Marsoin - Prema - 1'17"801 - 35
15 - Siso Cunill - KTR - 1'17"894 - 40
16 - Nelson Panciatici - Tech 1 - 1'18"067 - 42
17 - Adriano Buzaid - Fortec - 1'18"119 - 37
18 - Rodolfo Gonzalez - Prema - 1'18"621 - 32
19 - Federico Leo - Pons - 1'19"184 - 42
20 - Jakub Knoll - RC - 1'20"914 - 52
21 - Sten Pentus - KTR - 1'23"745 - 8

[WSR Fan]

Day Two, Afternoon Times:

1 - Roberto Merhi - Epsilon - 1'30"815 - 45
2 - Claudio Cantelli - Pons - 1'31"427 - 54
3 - Jaime Alguersuari - Carlin - 1'31"514 - 60
4 - Anton Nebilitskyi - Comtec - 1'31"625 - 65
5 - Riki Christodoulou - Fortec - 1'31"644 - 65
6 - Max Chilton - Comtec - 1'31"862 - 51
7 - Charles Pic - Tech 1 - 1'31"921 - 58
8 - Miguel Molina - Epsilon - 1'32"019 - 60
9 - James Walker - Ultimate/Signature - 1'32"284 - 54
10 - Omar Leal - Draco - 1'32"446 - 37
11 - Siso Cunill - KTR - 1'32"461 - 51
12 - Marco Barba - Draco - 1'32"587 - 42
13 - Oliver Turvey - Carlin - 1'32"609 - 43
14 - Alexandre Marsoin - Prema - 1'32"769 - 57
15 - Rodolfo Gonzalez - Prema - 1'32"896 - 55
16 - Nelson Panciatici - Tech 1 - 1'34"114 - 38
17 - Pasquale Di Sabatino - RC - 1'35"121 - 38
18 - Federico Leo - Pons - 1'35"148 - 49
19 - Adriano Buzaid - Fortec - 1'35"215 - 11
20 - Sten Pentus - KTR - no time

Turvey has been quoted in this week's Autosport as saying that if he can't get an ART or iSport GP2 seat, then he'd like to do WSR with Carlin next year.

[runshaw]

Some impressive performances by young Brits over the past two days. When is Adam Christodoulou supposed to be running?

[N.A-D.R]

Roberto Merhi :O. Good on him.

[Sev]

Day three times:

Morning

POS CAR DRIVER TEAM LAPS TIME
1 2 Charles PIC Tech 1 Racing 38 01:15.998
2 7 Miguel MOLINA Epsilon Euskadi 34 01:16.071
3 8 Roberto MERHI Epsilon Euskadi 45 01:16.127
4 22 James WALKER P1 Motorsport 18 01:16.251
5 4 Marco BARBA International Draco Racing 18 01:16.318
6 1 Jaime ALGUERSUARI Tech 1 Racing 35 01:16.562
7 6 Oliver TURVEY Carlin Motorsport 39 01:16.659
8 21 Walter GRUBMULLER P1 Motorsport 28 01:16.783
9 25 Alexandre MARSOIN Red Devil Team Comtec 36 01:16.823
10 9 Renger VanDerZANDE Prema PowerTeam 46 01:16.870
11 27 Greg MANSELL Ultimate-Signature 35 01:17.021
12 24 Adam CHRISTODOULOU Fortec Motorsport 49 01:17.101
13 23 Jake ROSENZWEIG Fortec Motorsport 45 01:17.316
14 10 Claudio CANTELLI Prema PowerTeam 41 01:17.411
15 11 Pasquale DiSABATINO RC Motorsport 50 01:17.414
16 3 Joanne JOAKINEN International Draco Racing 60 01:17.435
17 16 Siso CUNILL KTR 44 01:17.529
18 28 Rodolfo GONZALEZ Ultimate-Signature 38 01:17.671
19 14 Anton NEBYLITSKIY Pons Racing 41 01:17.765
20 26 Harald SCHLEGELMILCH Red Devil Team Comtec 31 01:18.056
21 15 Federico LEO Pons Racing 51 01:18.967

Afternoon

POS CAR DRIVER TEAM LAPS TIME
1 22 James WALKER P1 Motorsport 42 01:16.100
2 7 Miguel MOLINA Epsilon Euskadi 60 01:16.157
3 4 Marco BARBA International Draco Racing 58 01:16.215
4 2 Charles PIC Tech 1 Racing 37 01:16.313
5 27 Greg MANSELL Ultimate-Signature 57 01:16.325
6 25 Alexandre MARSOIN Red Devil Team Comtec 41 01:16.450
7 1 Jaime ALGUERSUARI Tech 1 Racing 37 01:16.664
8 26 Harald SCHLEGELMILCH Red Devil Team Comtec 45 01:16.956
9 9 Renger VanDerZANDE Prema PowerTeam 57 01:17.046
10 21 Walter GRUBMULLER P1 Motorsport 59 01:17.110
11 10 Claudio CANTELLI Prema PowerTeam 58 01:17.161
12 3 Omar LEAL International Draco Racing 64 01:17.304
13 23 Jake ROSENZWEIG Fortec Motorsport 44 01:17.308
14 8 Roberto MERHI Epsilon Euskadi 54 01:17.343
15 14 Anton NEBYLITSKIY Pons Racing 55 01:17.392
16 16 Siso CUNILL KTR 43 01:17.461
17 11 Pasquale DiSABATINO RC Motorsport 55 01:17.569
18 24 Adam CHRISTODOULOU Fortec Motorsport 67 01:17.846
19 6 Oliver TURVEY Carlin Motorsport 33 01:17.906
20 28 Rodolfo GONZALEZ Ultimate-Signature 53 01:18.181
21 15 Federico LEO Pons Racing 62 01:18.401
22 12 Geoffrey KWONG RC Motorsport 75 01:19.696

[WSR Fan]

Well, after reading the testing reports on Renault-sport.com, they give us a few indications as to who we might see on the grid next year:

James Walker - "I'll definitely be competing in Formula Renault 3.5 Series next year. I just have to choose a team."

Renger Van der Zande - "Nothing is decided for 2009 yet, but it'll probably come down to a choice between GP2, FR 3.5 and DTM."

Riki Christodoulou - "These two days have really convinced me. I hope that I can find the money to compete for the whole of the 2009 season."

Cesar Ramos - "I love the car. Now my goal is to race in Formula Renault 3.5 Series next season!"

I'll also be interested to see what Miguel Molina does next year. Despite his performances this season he doesn't seem to have attracted any interest from GP2 teams so his best option is probably to stay in World Series. He's not quite 20 years old yet so he has plenty of time on his side and if he can grab a decent seat then he would be a title contender for sure.

[runshaw]

He wasn't present at the test, but is Ricardo Teixeira already confirmed with Ultimate? Just seen pics of Walker's Ultimate-Signature car plastered with Sonangol over it. Even if he brings huge sponsorship to the team, I hope he doesn't get a drive, he has done 4 years in British F3 with no top 10 finishes!!

[bella]

the sonangol thing is ongoing, the test day at snetterton recently was a showcase sort of thing for the motorsport academy scheme thingy. it makes a lot more sense if you read the waffle on the website

[runshaw]

That academy thing sounds ok (providing your an ace driver that no one can beat!), from FBMW to F3 and finally to the World Series. Although I don't know where they are coming from on the last step, saying if you do well in WSbR then F1 beckons; surely they should have a GP2 team for that. I didn't realise Ultimate had a FBMW team either.

[runshaw]

Giedo van der Garde had his test with Renault today, finishing 16th out of 17 runners, and crashed.

[Alex K]

That's what I am saying... rather than giving them a test n Renault F1 car, take some of the 'responsibility' for them in their quest for GP2 budget. If they can give them that quarterof the budget or though it will be better for those guys than having 3 hours of test or Roadshow exhibition.

[Sev]

Not to mention VdG has had plenty of time in F1 cars before with Spyker...

In fact, poor performance today considering his prior experience. He was beaten soundly by Piquet, who isn't exactly the sharpest knife in the block.

[runshaw]

It isn't exactly a test which many people will remember. What I find baffling is Van der Garde, Senna and di Grassi, who are young aspiring drivers at the top of their game in formulas just below F1, is that they are all over 2 seconds away from Loeb, who isn't even a racing driver.

[chunterer]

2 secs off??

Really, yes that's very odd.........

[Albeckinho]

What I find odd, is that Van Der Garde tests with Renault today, too. o.O

[Sev]

I don't think you can compare times from different teams in the last test; they were all using different regulations. Loeb used a '08 spec Red Bull, which we know is pretty decent. Senna and Di Grassi used an '08 Honda, which was pretty ****e, with an '09 front wing, which is even worse.

[runshaw]

Van der Garde knocked a second off his time from yesterday, and di Grassi improved considerably to be on the pace.