Formula Renault 2.0
Pierre Gasly (Tech 1 Racing) produced a dominant drive at Moscow Raceway to record his first victory in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. The Frenchman was joined on the podium by Oliver Rowland (Manor MP Motorsport) and Steijn Schothorst (Josef Kaufmann Racing), and the result extends his championship lead.
In qualifying this morning, Pierre Gasly claimed his first pole position of the season in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. The championship leader was the only driver to lap in under 1:32 at Moscow Raceway, and his time put him ahead of Oliver Rowland and Steijn Schothorst on the starting grid.
When the lights went out, Gasly held his pole advantage and immediately pulled away. Oliver Rowland, Steijn Schothorst, Esteban Ocon (ART Junior Team) and Luca Ghiotto (Prema Powerteam) chased behind the front pair. Further back, Ignazio D’Agosto (KTR), Aurélien Panis (RC Formula) and Roman Mavlanov (RC Formula) were all handed drive-through penalties for jumping the start.
Pierre Gasly then pulled into a commanding lead, but there was still plenty of drama in the chasing pack. The battle between Nyck De Vries (Koiranen GP) and Jake Dennis (Fortec Motorsports) was particularly absorbing, with the pair starting from halfway down the grid and fighting for 10th place all the way to the end.
There were several other notable duels elsewhere in the field. Guilherme Silva (Koiranen GP) ended up in the gravel trap on lap eight and Yu Kunamaru (KTR) went on to the grass on lap nine, while Matthieu Vaxivière (Tech 1 Racing) snatched seventh place from Alexander Albon (KTR) on lap 12.
Eventually it was Pierre Gasly who took the chequered flag, finishing six seconds ahead of Oliver Rowland and Steijn Schothorst. Esteban Ocon came fourth, with Luca Ghiotto, Bruno Bonifacio (Prema Powerteam), Matthieu Vaxivière, Alexander Albon, Mikko Pakari (Fortec Motorsports) and Nyck De Vries all finishing in the points.
What they said
Pierre Gasly: "It was a fantastic race for me. I was just focused on what I had to do: try to push as hard as possible to stretch my lead. The car was absolutely magnificent, and I hope I can repeat this performance tomorrow."
Oliver Rowland: "Pierre did a great job today, both in qualifying and in the race. His pace was superb. It was very hard to keep up with him on this track."
Steijn Schothorst: "It's my first podium finish in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. It's a nice reward for all my efforts, and I'm delighted. I'd like to thank my team, because without all their hard work and preparation, this performance would have been difficult to achieve."
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 – provisional championship standings: 1. P. Gasly 78; 2. O. Rowland 59; 3. M. Vaxivière 57; 4. E. Ocon 52; 5. J. Dennis 42 [...]
Official Renault Sport Press Release.