FR3.5 leader to get some F1 action!

Thanks to the agreement in place between Renault Sport Technologies and Lotus Renault GP, mid-way through the season the leader of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series will be handed an F1 seat to perform the Lotus Renault GP F1 exhibition during the World Series by Renault event in Budapest. Monaco and the Nürburgring will provide the leaders of the discipline with chance to make the difference and grab this fantastic opportunity.

Since 2005, the Formula Renault 3.5 Series title holder has been invited to take part in a day of testing in F1. Robert Kubica, Alx Danielsson, Alavaro Parente, Giedo Van der Garde, Bertrand Baguette and Mikhail Aleshin have all taken their turns aboard a Renault F1 car as a reward for their titles.

Since 2009, the provisional championship leader at the mid-season mark has also had an opportunity to get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 during an F1 exhibition organized as a feature of World Series by Renault. In 2009, Spaniard Marcos Martinez, then leader of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, drove the Renault F1 R28 at Silverstone. Last season, it was Mikhail Aleshin who was in the seat of the Renault F1 R29 at Magny-Cours.

This year, it will be the overall leader at the close of the Nürburgring round who will be performing the Lotus Renault GP exhibition at the WSbR Hungarian leg on Saturday, July 2. After six races, in which five different drivers have taken wins, Jean-Eric Vergne (Carlin) is currently in the lead, seventeen points ahead of Alexander Rossi (Fortec Motorsport), himself closely followed by Robert Wickens (Carlin). Albert Costa (Epic Racing) has been consistent and lies 4th overall just ahead of Kevin Korjus (Tech 1 Racing). The single race in Monaco (May 29) and the two clashes at the Nürburgring (June 18 and June 19) will be crucial to decide who will lead between these five drivers, as we reach the mid-season point.

“Renault Sport Technologies and Lotus Renault GP are working together to prepare the drivers in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series for Formula 1”, underlines Patrice Ratti, Managing Director of Renault Sport Technologies. "Every lap aboard an F1 car is a privilege and an opportunity that the drivers know they must grab with both hands. The protagonists of this very competitive season will be going all out to be leading the championship on that evening at the Nürburgring. It adds a little spice to the season, and above all it’s a golden opportunity for the leader to find out what it’s like to drive the R30 over several laps. This demonstration aboard a Lotus Renault GP liveried car is a foretaste of the F1 test that the Formula Renault 3.5 Series 2011 Champion will get to do at the end of the season."