Kevin Korjus, Oscar Tunjo and Esteban Ocon continued their World Series by Renault campaign this weekend on the brand-new Moscow Raceway. The first international event held on a circuit in Russia was a big success and attracted more than 85 000 spectators!
In the Formula Renault 3.5 Series Kevin Korjus had his best weekend since the start of the season with fifth place on Saturday and a podium today, Sunday. The Estonian has relaunched his championship hopes and showed that when he doesn’t suffer technical problems his place is at the top of the time sheets.
In the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup Esteban Ocon upped his game and scored points on Saturday. Oscar Tunhjo had problems getting his car’s setup to his liking all weekend, and had a difficult time but again showed his capacity to fight back.
Kevin Korjus (EST)
Formula Renault 3.5 Series – Tech 1 Racing
Qualifying 1: 9th – Race 1: 5th
Qualifying 2: 8th – Race 2: 3rd
Championship standing: 9th / 49 points
“We had a good weekend without any technical glitches. Above all I needed to score points and that was my main aim when I arrived in Russia. I scored twenty-five, which isn’t too bad. On Saturday I was quick in the race and that fifth place did me a lot of good as I hadn’t finished in the first ten for four races. The start on Sunday was completely chaotic and I damaged the car slightly because of a contact. But I saw that we could pull off a good result. We opted for a cautious strategy by stopping as soon as possible for our obligatory halt. Throughout the race the warning light for the temperature was flashing. I didn’t take too many risks as above all I wanted to see the chequered flag. I managed to snatch third place in the closing laps. I haven’t been on the podium for a long time and it’s done me a power of good!”
Oscar Tunjo (COL)
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 – Tech 1 Racing
Qualifying 1: 13th – Race 1: 11th
Qualifying 2: 19th – Race 2: 11th
Championship standing: 12th / 18 points
“The weekend didn’t turn out as I’d hoped. Overall, we didn’t manage to get the car handling properly even though we ran through numerous setups. As it was difficult to overtake on this circuit qualifying was of capital importance. I finished eleventh in both races despite very different scenarios. On Saturday I did what I could with my car and the race was fairly monotonous. On Sunday, I fought back from nineteenth place on the grid and I enjoyed it as I pulled off quite a few passing manoeuvres. Clearly we’re not where we should be. We’ll have to work hard to get back to the top when the season restarts.”
Esteban Ocon (FRA)
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 – Koiranen Motorsport
Qualifying 1: 9th – Race 1: 8th
Qualifying 2: 13th – Race 2: Retired
Championship standing: 16th / 14 points
“I got used to this new circuit very quickly. It’s really like a kart track with strings of corners that leave you no time to relax. We took a little time to choose the right setup and we found a good compromise. I hadn’t scored points since Motorland Aragon so I’m happy to have finished eighth on Saturday. On Sunday I retired for the first time this year after a collision. I feel frustrated as I was quick enough to finish in the top seven. I’ll have to do better in the second half of the season.”