EUROCUP FORMULA RENAULT 2.0: ANTHOINE HUBERT FRUSTRATED BUT HAPPY
The “Volant Euroformula” 2013, Anthoine Hubert, had a podium win until he was penalised. From now on he is among those drivers who can win a race in the Eurocup. He gains experience with every race and will pull out all stops in the second half of the championship. The practice on Friday went well. Anthoine Hubert had never seen the layout of the Moscow Raceway before but he quickly got used to it and finished his second free practice session in fifth place. This augured well for the Race 1 qualifiers where he signed a pole position in his group, ahead of the provisional Championship leader.
Unfortunately the “Volant Euroformula” released his clutch too soon at the start of Race 1 and he had to brake before the lights went out. It was a double penalty, with one lost position at the start and a 10 second penalty at the finish. Anthoine Hubert passed the chequered flag in third place but was demoted to 10th which really didn’t reflect his performance.
The second qualifiers did not go as well because of a setup that was not adequately gauged for a different track temperature from the day before. Anthoine came in seventh in his group and 13th overall. With a harder car to drive, the “Volant Euroformula” had a good start in Race 2 but found himself boxed in and lost 4 places before pushing through to a final 13th place.
These results in no way portray Anthoine Hubert’s racing skills, and he feels happy but frustrated:
“This weekend was really frustrating because, although there were good performances in free practice and qualifying, it’s hard to come away with just one point! Nevertheless, my mistake in Race 1 gave me more experience and the setup problem in the second qualifiers, which spoilt our Sunday, also helped us evolve, the team as well as myself. The best moment will be Saturday with a pole position and a podium on the circuit which shows how competitive we are.”
On the “Euroformula” Roll of Honour there is also Paul Loup Chatin, the « Volant Euroformula » 2010, who stepped up on the third step of the podium of Le Mans 24 Hours in LMP2. Also of note are the three podiums for Jordan Perroy, finalist in the “Volant Euroformula” 2011, in Dijon for the single-seater class of the V de V Championship. He currently stands in second place in the overall rankings and has closed the gap with the leader in the last four challenges.
Laurent Fradon, the Director of the Euroformula School, feels positive about the rest of the championship: “Anthoine stepped up on the podium and even if he was demoted to 10th place shortly after, he showed that he is serious. He moved up another notch this weekend and gained precious experience which will stand him in good stead in future. He will reach a podium and a victory, it’s just a matter of time!”
The next meeting is in Germany, on July 12 and 13 on the Nurburgring Circuit where Anthoine Hubert, the “Volant Euroformula” 2013, has set his heart on a rematch to get back on the podium he has already touched with his fingertips!
