Formula Renault: Spa podium for Saucy
PERFECT STRATEGY In the run-up to the 24 Hours of Spa, Grégoire Saucy drove to a third place in the Formula Renault Eurocup. The Jura native's tire poker paid off with his second podium of the season. The recording of the second race in Spa shows how Grégoire Saucy drove from 13th on the grid to the podium. Grégoire Saucy is this year's [...]
The recording of the second race in Spa shows how Grégoire Saucy drove from 13th on the grid to the podium.
Grégoire Saucy is the only Swiss driver in the Formula Renault European Cup field this year. The 20-year-old from Jura achieved his first podium in the turbo racing car (FIA Formula 3 chassis with Renault engines) at the third event at the Nürburgring, having previously scored points in only one of the four races at Monza and Imola.
In Magny-Cours and Barcelona, Saucy only just missed out on his second podium of the season in fourth place, which he now achieved on Saturday in the run-up to the 24 Hours of Spa.
Difficult conditions and decisions
The first race on Friday afternoon took place entirely in the wet and lasted just four laps before an accident, which was followed by the race being stopped. Saucy finished eleventh and tenth respectively in the classification of registered drivers to score half a point.
The circuit was still damp on Saturday morning, but there was no more rain. So which Hankook tires to fit? The front runners opted for slicks, while some in the midfield opted for profiled tires. This included Grégoire Saucy, who was only 13th on the grid.
Smart approach
His calculations and those of his rivals who had also started on rain tires worked out. The Swiss driver finished third, well behind Alex Quinn and Ugo de Wilde. In doing so, he kept his championship-leading ART teammate Victor Martins just behind him.
His delight at the podium at this legendary venue was correspondingly great.
Grégoire Saucy: "I would like to thank my team for making the decision to start on rain tires. At first I was extremely careful, even when overtaking the cars in front on slicks, because a race like this is not decided in the first few laps. Towards the end, I drove on the damp part of the track wherever possible to prevent the tires from overheating. Even though Victor caught up with me on slicks, it paid off in the end."
Three more racing events planned
Three events in Imola, Hockenheim and Le Castellet are still on the calendar. The further course of the Covid-19 pandemic and the measures imposed by the authorities will show to what extent these events can be held.
Theoretically, Grégoire Saucy would have the chance to move up two or three positions from sixth place in the 22-strong standings.
