Formula Renault 3.5
The Motorland Aragon circuit was covered by ice and snow and was unfit for the Formula Renault 3.5 Series cars. Thus, the second day of collective testing was abandoned.
“It’s simple: in the 25 years I’ve been involved in motor sport I’ve never seen that. This morning when I was coming to the circuit I thought I was in Alaska!” The way Loïc David, the ISR team manager, described the scene summed up the situation in a nutshell. The roads leading to the Motorland Aragon circuit were snow bound and the paddock and track were covered in ice! With the gusts of wind the temperature felt as if it was 10° below zero. At 11h00 the only possible decision was taken, namely; the cancellation of the second’s day’s collective tests of the year.
“It’s the right decision, there was no other choice. With the wind and the snow it was impossible to run in such conditions,” confirmed the different team managers. “It’s too cold; there’s ice on the track and it’s a wise decision to cancel today’s session.”
The drivers felt the same way: not one of them had any intention of defying the elements. Mikhail Aleshin used the Russian contingent as witnesses and laughed: “There are so many Russians that we’ve brought the Moscow climate here!” The 2010 champion who’s driving for Tech 1 Racing this year continued: “I love racing on ice but not in a Formula Renault 3.5 Series.” Last year at the same time Aleshin took part in the prestigious Race of Stars of which Renault is the main partner. This weekend Kimi Räikkönen and Charles Pic will do battle in the same event in the Moscow hippodrome!
“When it’s so cold we say like the French drivers that we’ve got wooden tyres,” grinned Oliver Webb in his sing-song French. His Fortec Motorsports team-mate, Stoffel Vandoorne said that he’d never raced on ice: “But I met with similar situations with the FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy. We learned to drive on various surfaces in all kinds of different conditions,” explained the Belgian who set the quickest times in the previous day’s sessions. “But it was in saloons. It was unthinkable today at Motorland Aragon in a Renault 3.5 Series!”
The World Series by Renault organizing committee will try to find a way of replacing this day in agreement with the teams.
Official Renault Sport Press Release.