AVF masters new aero specs on Day 2 of Jerez F.Renault 3.5 test

Hard work was the leitmotif of AVF’s second day of F.Renault 3.5 testing in Alcaniz: the Spanish team owned and managed by Adrian Vallés completed an astouding 98 laps with the two cars driven by Zoel Amberg and Beitske Visser, completing a programme that called for both qualifying simulations and setup work. While the latter was kept for the afternoon session, the low-fuel runs were carried out early in the morning with a very good outcome for both Amberg and Visser: with two outings on fresh rubber Zoel posted a best time of 1’25″961, just shy of the top ten and with the top five just 0″2 adrift. On a steep learning path compared to her fellow competitors, Beitske did an amazing job too as she reduced her gap from the quickest laptime to just 1″5.

The afternoon session provided AVF’s technical staff with a new challenge, as the team had to remove the sideskirts from both cars’ floors as mandated by the 2014 technical regulations. Amberg and Visser provided useful feedback on the new aero configuration, leading to immediate setup improvements that will be put to the test tomorrow, on the last day of testing before the Monza season opener.

Beitske Visser: S1 – P20; S2 – P17

“It’s getting better and better, my feeling with the car and the track is improving and with each lap I’m a bit faster. I reduced my gap to the front a lot today, and that’s good news if you consider that I’m not as fit as I should be to make the most of this car. My neck is fine but I need more strenght in my arms, and that is costing me time. Anyway it was a very good day overall, we did a lot of runs on used tyres and I enjoyed those as well”.

Zoel Amberg: S1 – P11; S2 – P11

“I was quite happy with our performance in the morning, on my best lap I did a mistake that cost me three tenths and without that I would have been easily in the top 5, so the pace is definitely there. In the afternoon we tested without the sideskirts for the first time and I have to say that the car’s balance changed a lot. Now we have more oversteer in the quick corners, so you have to be careful because ending in a hi-speed spin becomes quite easy. We already improved the situation working on the setup, but there’s definitely room for improvement”.