Photo: Renault Sport
Belgian youngster Stoffel Vandoorne was the star of the first Formula Renault 3.5 race, taking a phenomenal lights-to-flag victory.
Vandoorne kept the race under control for the entirety of the race, keeping Antonio Felix da Costa at bay to take his third win of the year as the Portuguese man struggled with a broken exhaust.
Tech 1’s Nigel Melker took another podium in third, emerging victorious in a first lap fight with series rookie Will Buller. The man from Northern Ireland ended his first Formula Renault 3.5 race in fifth, having been also overtaken by Will Stevens.
The Draco duo of Andre Negrao and Nico Muller were next in sixth and seventh, with Marlon Stockinger recording his first points of the season in eighth. The winner’s teammate, Oliver Webb, finished ninth, while Marco Sorensen held off a charging Kevin Magnussen to take the final point.
Race results
Pos. | Driver | Team | Time/Gap |
1 | Stoffel Vandoorne | Fortec Motorsports | 33 laps in 45:30.868 |
2 | Antonio Felix da Costa | Arden Caterham | +6.734 |
3 | Nigel Melker | Tech 1 Racing | +10.050 |
4 | Will Stevens | P1 by Strakka Racing | +10.867 |
5 | William Buller | Zeta Corse | +34.929 |
6 | Andre Negrao | International Draco Racing | +35.180 |
7 | Nico Muller | International Draco Racing | +35.934 |
8 | Marlon Stockinger | Lotus | +36.731 |
9 | Oliver Webb | Fortec Motorsports | +38.450 |
10 | Marco Sorensen | Lotus | +39.353 |
11 | Kevin Magnussen | DAMS | +40.809 |
12 | Arthur Pic | AV Formula | +41.367 |
13 | Norman Nato | DAMS | +43.501 |
14 | Matias Laine | P1 by Strakka Racing | +43.917 |
15 | Carlos Huertas | Carlin | +57.942 |
16 | Mikhail Aleshin | Tech 1 Racing | +1:15.374 |
17 | Daniil Move | SMP Racing by Comtec | +1:15.581 |
18 | Pietro Fantin | Arden Caterham | +1:16.535 |
19 | Yann Cunha | AV Formula | +1:17.163 |
20 | Mihai Marinescu | Zeta Corse | +1:18.529 |
21 | Zoel Amberg | Pons Racing | +1 lap |
22 | Christopher Zanella | ISR | +1 lap |
Not classified | |||
Jazeman Jaafar | Carlin | +6 laps | |
Lucas Foresti | SMP Racing by Comtec | +12 laps | |
Nikolay Martsenko | Pons Racing | +12 laps | |
DNS | Sergey Sirotkin | ISR |
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