Euroformula Open racing in full swing at Jerez circuit

04.10.2018

The competition gets even more exciting, as the Euroformula Open heads South to Jerez for the penultimate round of the 2018 season. Schumacher name joins the field, as David will compete for RP Motorsport. Drivex will give Javier González his EF Open debut with Florescu setting to return to the category with Campos Racing

The first track test aimed at drafting a BoP ensuring equal performance levels, both in terms of power and torque, ahead of 2019 will be carried out in Jerez on Friday with cars powered by Mercedes-HWA, Volkswagen-Spiess and Toyota-Piedrafita engines

The Euroformula Open is entering the Spanish leg of the 2018 season with Round 7 taking place at Jerez next weekend. The Formula 3-based championship will have its traditional double-header in Southern Spain and there is still plenty to fight for. Felipe Drugovich (RP Motorsport) was crowned champion after enjoying another near-perfect weekend at Monza winning all two races during the weekend but up to four drivers are still in contention for the vice-championship. Besides, the Rookies’ class title is still open with two rounds to go.

Jerez is another high-calibre venue in the calendar. The 4.423 kilometre circuit features an undulating layout and a mix of fast and slow corners, comprising eight right-hand and five left-hand turns. The Andalusian circuit has been a constant presence in the series calendar for over a decade, concretely from the early days of the Spanish Formula 3 Championship as the series was then called. 

The local crowd will enjoy an event dedicated to single-seater racing as the Euroformula Open will be joined by the French F4 Championship, another closely-fought series with some of the sharpest young talents.

Jerez will also emphasise the importance of the GT Sport-promoted series as a key rung for drivers honing their craft on the way to the pinnacle of motorsport. As the series will be open also in 2019 to Volkswagen-Spiess and Mercedes-HWA engines alongside the Toyota-based currently used, a first track test to ensure a harmonized Balance of Performance, both in terms of power and torque, will take place on Friday. Carlin and Double R Racing will run Dallara-built cars powered by Volkswagen, Mercedes and Toyota engines providing valuable data throughout the day. At the moment, GT Sport technical staff is already working with the engine tuners (Spiess, HWA and Piedrafita).

After Drugovich sealed his championship victory two weeks ago, the battle for the vice-championship title is still completely open. Bent Viscaal (Teo Martín Motorsport), Matheus Iorio (Carlin), Marcos Siebert (Campos Racing) and Cameron Das (Carlin) will fight for the runner-spot in the remaining four races. Last but not least, Viscaal and Lukas Dunner (Drivex) are also in battle for Rookies class title.

The fiercely competitive pool of young drivers from 11 different countries will be enriched by some strong additions such as David Schumacher, Javier González and Petru Florescu.

Schumacher, son of the former Formula 1 driver and 6-time Grand Prix winner Ralf Schumacher, will make his debut with RP Motorsport. Schumacher is determined to rewrite the legacy of his family name in his first season as single-seater driver. The German youngster previously competed in the Formula 4 United Arab Emirates and the ADAC Formel 4 with 3 wins and 16 podiums to his name. “It’s such a pleasure to make my debut in the Euroformula Open with RP Motorsport, which is a prestigious team in the series as they won six titles over the last seven years. I think it’s the right choice to know how the series works. The Euroformula Open is extremely competitive. Of course, it will be my first outing driving a Formula 3 car, so I need to pay attention to every detail. I would like to thank RP Motorsport to give me this incredible chance and I’m looking forward to start driving the car” said Schumacher.

Drivex also announced that Mexican Javier González will join its driver line-up at the last two events of the season. González made his single-seater debut in the French and Spanish Formula 4 championships having a habit of being on the podium. The new ace of Drivex currently keeps in F4 Spain title contention.

“I´m happy having the chance to move into the Formula 3 arena with Drivex. I will be working with the same people and same environment what I enjoy in the F4 Spain, so it will make a bit easier my adaptation. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve in the series!” underlined González.

Finally, Romanian Florescu will make his comeback with Campos Racing after participating in the Euroformula Open season-opener in Portugal, where he clocked the pole position time for race 2.

RP Motorsport’s four-car effort will include Drugovich and Schumacher to team up with Brazilian drivers Guilherme Samaia and Christian Hahn, the latter switching to #2 for Jerez. Drugovich is aiming to continue its string of successes in Spain with his three teammates also having strong potential for podium.

Carlin will line up three cars for Iorio, Das and Dev Gore. Iorio and Das claimed eight podium finishes for the Great Britain-based outfit but they are still searching for an elusive first win in the series and could land on fertile ground in Jerez. Gore is showing a steep learning curve after a double points-paying result at Monza.

Campos Racing will play the “home stadium” factor with Siebert and Florescu. Siebert currently sits fourth in the standings with one win and three podiums to his tally and is hoping for a repeat of his best weekends of the year. Florescu is expected to be another podium contender despite a few months away from the championship.

Spanish team Teo Martín Motorsport will run their two-car line-up for Viscaal and Aldo Festante. Netherlands’ Viscaal is aiming at capping off the 2018 season in style after scoring his maiden win at Silverstone. Despite a DNF at Monza, his second place on Sunday left him well positioned for the final rounds. Festante registered another Rookies class podium finish at Monza and his goal is to extend the streak in Spain.

Drivex will enter two Dallara cars for Dunner and González. In spite of being below 18 years old, Dunner and González are an extremely solid driver line-up. Dunner stepped onto the podium twice at Silverstone and Monza and González is also ready to leave his mark in the Euroformula Open.