Formula Renault 2.0
Since its creation in 2005 the World Series by Renault has always been very family-oriented. The show on the track and the entertainment in the village allow young and old alike to satisfy their passion together. It works so well that drivers and their sons come to the World Series by Renault en famille! Famous names include Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell and Carlos Sainz.
The final meeting of the season had a whiff of nostalgia about it with the presence of Damon Hill and Olivier Panis in the paddock. Hill, who won the F1 world championship in 1996, got back behind the wheel of an F1! He livened up the F1 Show at the wheel of the Red Bull-Renault RB6 and thrilled the spectators. He was also in Spain to support his son, Josh Hill, who is racing in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup.
“I’m really delighted to get back into an F1, and also to be with Josh,” explained Damon Hill, both driver and dad in Barcelona. “I’m impressed by his evolution and his capacity to improve step by step. I’m not the kind of dad who puts pressure on him. I feel all the emotions he must be feeling behind the wheel but I stick to my role as his father, not as a coach. That could complicate our relationship and that’s something I really don’t want. I think all fathers will understand what I’m saying.”
Young Aurelian Panis is cutting his teeth in the same championship and he too is supported by his dad, Olivier, who is keeping a close eye on his career! “He still has a lot to learn but I’m proud of him,” says his pop! Both were able to monitor their sons’ progress from the trackside like Carlos Sainz did in 2011 when he followed his son Carlos Jr’s season.
Other former world champions have also done the dad thing in the WSR. In 2009, when the World Series by Renault went to Silverstone Nigel Mansell supported his son, Greg, who was racing in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. And in 2011 Alain Prost had the pleasure of sharing the track with his son, Nicolas, in an emotional and exciting F1 Show.
The family vocation of the World Series by Renault goes well beyond the spectators as even the drivers feel at home here – just like a family!
Official Renault Sport Press Release.