Catalunya: Series Friday test notes

Baguette hungry for victory!

After collective testing, Bertrand Baguette (International Draco Racing) is clear about his ambitions for the final weekend of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series season at Barcelona: he's in it to win it. The Belgian driver got his meeting off to the best possible start, claiming the best time of the day ahead of Mexican driver Salvador Duran (Interwetten.com Racing) and the Barba brothers, Alvaro (Prema Powerteam) and Marco (International Draco Racing).

Most of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series competitors were on the track from the very start of the first 45-minute session, with Bertrand Baguette (International Draco Racing) the quickest off the mark.

Charles Pic (Tech 1 Racing) and Miguel Molina (Prema Powerteam) shared the lead in the early laps. Charles Pic was leading with a time of 1'37''670 when the red flag was brought out after Claudio Cantelli (RC Motorsport) crashed off ten minutes in.

At the restart, the standings changed. The lead passed first to Mikhail Aleshin (Carlin Motorsport), then Felipe Albuquerque (Epsilon Euskadi), Alvaro Barba (Prema Powerteam) and Bertrand Baguette. There then came another interruption, this time due to Marco Bonanomi (Red Devil Team Comtec), sixth at that stage, straying into the gravel trap.

Mikhail Aleshin had the last word, setting the fastest time of the morning in 1'34"893, ahead of Alvaro Barba, Bertrand Baguette and Marco Barba.

The drivers began the afternoon session with a series of long runs. Mikhail Aleshin picked up where he left off, leading the pack ahead of Bertrand Baguette and Salvador Duran (Interwetten.com Racing). On worn tyres, the drivers initially focused on getting their handling right in race conditions, and did not get close to their times from the morning session.

After a brief interruption caused by Fabio Carbone (Ultimate Signature) crashing off, everyone set off again in search of quick times. On his home turf, Miguel Molina took the lead with a time of 1'34''304.

But his time was soon bettered by Salvador Duran, then Bertrand Baguette. With a lap timed at 1'33''949, the Belgian finished top of the pile, ahead of Duran and the Barba brothers, Alvaro and Marco in that order. Miguel Molina completed the top 5

Bertrand Baguette: "It's a good start to weekend. Once again, we were in contention from the off. Our car is performing well and I'm feeling good. We've only won one race this season. That's not really a fair reflection of our efforts. We've deserved to win more, at Estoril, for example. We really need at least one more win. We're always among the leaders; we're just missing the results. I'll be looking to finish the season on a high this weekend."

Salvador Duran: "This result is good for team morale. The guys worked really hard after Estoril to rebuild the car. I hope we can build on this result tomorrow, first in qualifying and then in the race. I live in Barcelona, so in a way it's like my home circuit! I got pole position here last year. This year I want to win."

-credit: wsbyrenault.com