Carlos Sainz and DAMS dominate in the Ardennes!

After the twists and turns of Monaco DAMS tacked the Belgian roller-coaster! In a week the French squad has dominated on the two most prestigious circuits in the championship, which are both daunting challenges. Carlos Sainz clinched two pole positions and two victories with Norman Nato bagging a couple of fifth-place finishes. In the teams’ championship the French squad is now a country mile ahead of its pursuers. For the moment it’s all roses and sunshine, although it must be remembered that the championship hasn’t yet reached the half-way stage and DAMS is up against a bunch of tough rivals.
 
Carlos Sainz was the star of the weekend. In the second free practice session he went to the top of the time sheets where he stayed until Sunday evening. In the races themselves he had no time to relax early on as he fought off the attacks of Gasly, Rowland and Stevens after which he strolled home to victory. As his nearest rivals took points off one another he now has a comfortable lead in the drivers’ classification. Nato again ran into problems in qualifying but his determination and sheer speed in the races yielded two top-5 finishes.
 
There is now a month’s break in the World Series by Renault before the next round, the Moscow Raceway on which DAMS hasn’t been very lucky up till now. It poses a very different challenge from the last two circuits as it’s more technical and difficult with several low-speed corners. This type of track should suit Norman down to the ground and help him to continue his fightback in the championship.
 
 
François Sicard, Managing Director: “What an incredible week! I would like to congratulate the whole team on their work as they didn’t relax for a second after Monaco. Carlos loves Spa and he gave a master class this weekend. Our rivals weren’t too far behind, but he has that little extra that enabled him to open up a gap. Although Norman started too far back on the grid his talent and his speed in the races helped him to score a good haul of points. At the moment things are looking good in the championship. However, there’s still a long way to go and we have to remain focused.”
 
Carlos Sainz: “Naturally I’m very happy with two more victories. They make up for my slight disappointment in Monaco and winning at Spa is always a privilege. My thanks to the team as yet again the car was sensational. My rivals took points off one another so I have some wiggle room in the championship. But there’s no question of starting to calculate as my aim is victory in the races to come.”
 
Norman Nato: “I’m coming away from Spa with ambivalent feelings. I was unable to get the best out of my car in the second part of qualifying. On the other hand I really enjoyed myself in the races and clinching two top-five finishes is a source of satisfaction. So I going to redouble my efforts to solve improve my qualifying and get back on the podium as soon as possible.”
 
 
Next round : Moscow 28-29 June