Mikhail Aleshin and Esteban Guerrieri shared the Formula Renault 3.5 Series wins at Spa-Francorchamps.
Carlin driver Aleshin’s second win of the season came in regulation fashion after a convincing display from pole position, helped when nearest rival Brendon Hartley (Tech 1 Racing) retired on lap 16.
Hartley’s demise promoted Fortec Motorsport’s Sten Pentus to a lonely second place, well clear of a thrilling five-car battle for the final podium spot which was won by Comtec’s Stefano Coletti.
Epsilon Euskadi’s Albert Costa drove well to finish fourth ahead of Greg Mansell (Comtec), Federico Leo (Pons Racing) and P1 Motorsport’s duo Walter Grubmuller and Jan Charouz.
Fortec’s Jon Lancaster and KMP Racing’s Anton Nebylitskiy were both demoted places after the race having originally finished fifth and sixth. Lancaster was docked ten seconds for cutting the chicane, while Nebylitskiy got the same punishment for causing avoidable contact with Draco Racing’s Nathanael Berthon, dropping the pair to ninth and tenth respectively.
Chaos ensued in Sunday’s race 2, held in torrential rain, as ten drivers received drivethrough penalties for changing tyres on the grid as Guerrieri charged from 12th to take a first win for World Series by Renault newcomers ISR.
Front row starter Daniel Zampieri, one of the drivers to receive a penalty, finished second after a fine comeback drive through the field, with Coletti clinching his second podium of the weekend in third.
Aleshin extended his championship lead with a solid fourth place finish ahead of Tech 1 team-mates Daniel Ricciardo and Hartley. Lancaster came home seventh ahead of pole sitter Jake Rosenzweig, another to suffer a penalty, with Charouz and Berthon completing the top ten.
Formula Renault 3.5 Series results – Round 2, Spa-Francorchamps
Race 1
1 Mikhail Aleshin, Carlin, 46:26.663
2 Sten Pentus, Fortec Motorsport, +6.10
3 Stefano Coletti, Comtec Racing, +18.895
4 Albert Costa, Epsilon Euskadi, +19.231
5 Greg Mansell, Comtec Racing, +20.498
6 Federico Leo, Pons Racing, +21.166
7 Walter Grubmuller, P1 Motorsport, +24.785
8 Jan Charouz, P1 Motorsport, +29.668
9 Jon Lancaster, Fortec Motorsport, +30.053*
10 Anton Nebylitskiy, KMP Racing, +30.174*
11 Julian Leal, International Draco Racing, +30.992
12 Daniel Zampieri, Pons Racing, +31.891
13 Daniel Ricciardo, Tech 1 Racing, +32.198
14 Jake Rosenzweig, Carlin, +38.972
15 Keisuki Kunimoto, Epsilon Euskadi, +39.403
16 Daniil Move, Junior Lotus Racing, +1:16.605
Not classified
Brendon Hartley, Tech 1 Racing, 16 laps
Nelson Panciatici, Junior Lotus Racing, 12 laps
Nathanael Berthon, International Draco Racing, 11 laps
Victor Garcia, KMP Racing, 4 laps
Filip Salaquarda, ISR Racing, 0 laps
Esteban Guerrieri, ISR Racing, 0 laps
Sergio Canamasas, FHV Interwetten.com, 0 laps
Bruno Mendez, FHV Interwetten.com, 0 laps
Race 2
1 Esteban Guerrieri, ISR Racing, 45:25.474
2 Daniel Zampieri, Pons Racing, +3.308
3 Stefano Coletti, Comtec Racing, +17.157
4 Mikhail Aleshin, Carlin, +18.315
5 Daniel Ricciardo, Tech 1 Racing, +21.921
6 Brendon Hartley, Tech 1 Racing, +24.169
7 Jon Lancaster, Fortec Motorsport, +35.816
8 Jake Rosenzweig, Carlin, +38.695
9 Jan Charouz, P1 Motorsport, +50.759
10 Nathanael Berthon, International Draco Racing, +51.363
11 Bruno Mendez, FHV Interwetten.com, +53.131
12 Julian Leal, International Draco Racing, +55.256
13 Sten Pentus, Fortec Motorsport, +1:10.006
14 Greg Mansell, Comtec Racing, +1:10.523
15 Filip Salaquarda, ISR Racing, +1:17.824
16 Keisuki Kunimoto, Epsilon Euskadi, +1:19.350
17 Federico Leo, Pons Racing, +1:22.911
18 Walter Grubmuller, P1 Motorsport, +1:37.894
19 Albert Costa, Epsilon Euskadi, +1:38.311
20 Daniil Move, Junior Lotus Racing, +2:25.345
Not classified
Nelson Panciatici, Junior Lotus Racing, 13 laps
Anton Nebylitskiy, KMP Racing, 10 laps
Sergio Canamasas, FHV Interwetten.com, 7 laps
Victor Garcia, KMP Racing, 0 laps
Next round: 16 May, Monaco
Watch World Series by Renault highlights from Spa on Monday 10 May at 9.50pm (BST) on Motors TV.
Andy Wilkinson
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