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16.07.2008
Charles Pic, Tech 1 Racing driver - Sweet and sour Formula Renault 3.5 Series, 8th & 9th rounds, Hungaroring July 5-6 2008 FFSA French Circuit Team member Hungary saw Charles Pic back in the Superpole and picking up some championship points. He was going extremely well in open practice and qualifying but by the end of the weekend the French youngster was forced to make do with a disappointing 9th place which was well below his expectation. Unlike at Monza, Spa, Monaco and Silverstone, Charles started with the advantage of already knowing the Hungaroring, having raced there last season in a Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup event. Of course things happen more quickly in a 3.5 litre car but Charles made the most of his prior knowledge of the circuit and was soon kicking up the dust on the Thurday. The 1’32’’561 lap he clocked was not bettered by anyone during the two days of testing. When the time came to qualify for the Superpole runoff, Charles sailed into it with the 4th fastest time in Group B. He was 4th over the line in the Superpole session but his best lap was docked because he didn't slow down enough for the yellow flag. So in the end he was only 8th. However, the main thing was that he qualified for a spot on the front four lines of the grid in both races. In fact he was in pole position in race 1 thanks to the reverse grid rule. At 2:45PM sharp the lights went out for Saturday's race. Charles' rear wheels spun as he dashed out of the blocks and two cars seized the opportunity to get ahead of him going into braking for the first bend. The Tech 1 Racing driver held on to 3rd for several laps before losing it to team-mate Julien Jousse. Then it was Marco Barba's turn to attack him, and everyone started wondering what was up with Dallara-Renault No. 2. After the race, team manager Simon Abadie came up with the reason. "We found out that Charles had a slow puncture and that was what spoiled his race." So that's why Charles spun while he was still well in the running for a podium place. The incident put him at the back of the pack and eventually back in the pits, when he had to abandon the race three laps from the end. On Sunday, the Hungaroring audience reached the remarkable figure of 120,000. Charles didn't want to come away empty-handed, especially as he badly need some championship points going into a summer break that would keep him away from the track for eight weeks. That decided him to play safe and he eventually came home 9th, which gave him two points. The next meeting is at the Nürburgring next August 30-31. Charles not only knows this circuit, he has also won here. It was here at the foot of the Eifel Hills that the young driver from Montelimar first hit the headlines in 2007 with his maiden victory in international racing. He certainly wouldn't say no to the taste of Champagne on his lips again! Charles Pic digest Nationality: French, Born on February 15th, 1990 2004: Karting Junior ICA, French Championship, 3rd 2005: Karting Junior ICA, European Championship Western qualification race winner; 3rd in European Championship Final; Margutti Trophy winner; Italian Junior Championship runner-up 2006: French Formula Campus Renault Elf Championship, 3rd (2 race wins, 2 pole positions) 2007: Formula Renault 2.0, 3rd in Eurocup (1 race win, 5 podium finishes, 2 pole positions), 4th overall in French Championship and Rookie runner-up (4 overall podium finishes, 1 pole position) 2008: Formula Renault 3.5, Tech 1 Racing driver, FFSA French Circuit Team member, Monaco winner, provisional 8th (best rookie) after 9 out of 17 rounds.
- Romain Didier / future racing commm -
Author: maggy (admin2)
Last modified: Wednesday, 16.07.2008 - 12:09 More reports from this category all copyright automobilsport.com.
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