Formula Renault 3.5 Series – A low-key weekend for DAMS!

Despite good races by its two drivers the French team quit the magnificent Silverstone circuit with a feeling of dissatisfaction. The car was obviously quick but the results, a fourth place for Arthur Pic and seventh for Lucas Foresti, did not reflect this. After free practice, which went off without a hitch, used by the team to set up the car DAMS felt frustrated after qualifying . In Q1 on a drying track, Pic was seventh fastest only a few fractions of a second off pole. Despite an excellent run Lucas Foresti could not up the pace and finished sixteenth.

The start of race 1 was given just before a violent shower hit Silverstone. Arthur Pic made a stunning getaway. Unfortunately after a few corners he went wide and tagged another car damaging the rear wing and puncturing a tyre so he had to retire. In this race full of twists Lucas Foresti made the best of the conditions and got as high as fourth. He saw the flag in seventh position showing a good turn of speed – his best result this season so far.

The two DAMS drivers qualified in sixth and fifteenth positions for race 2 and were hoping for better results. As rain and Silverstone are synonymous the track was still wet in places when the pack was unleashed. Pic started on the wet side of the grid and lost seven places immediately, pointing thirteen after the first lap. He then put on a stunning fight back and took the flag in fourth spot. His Brazilian team-mate ran into technical problems with his car and finished way down the field.

Jean-Paul Driot, CEO: “It’s been a strange weekend. It’s obvious that the car was quick and could match the speed of the front-runners, but we didn’t manage to turn this into good results. A race incident eliminated Arthur in the first heat and Lucas had a problem with his car in the second. However, Lucas’s good performance on Saturday and Arthur’s fight back on Sunday show that we could have hoped for better. If we manage to get everything right for the next race we’ll again be podium contenders.”

Arthur Pic: “I’m a bit disappointed with these results. I wasn’t able to get the best out of the car in qualifying and both races were chaotic. In the second one I suffered wheelspin at the start and lost too many places. Once I got into the groove the car was perfect and I made a great comeback with good passing moves. I hope we’ll be able to avoid all these minor glitches in Hungary.”

Lucas Foresti: “An up-and-down weekend. I’m still having problems getting the maximum out of the qualifying tyres as I was not comfortable with the car but my performance in the first race has boosted my confidence. I felt very much at home in the rain. I’m unhappy with my second race. The car felt very unstable and we’ll have to find out why.”