Who will be king at the 79th Grand Prix de Pau?
05.05.2022
Less than one week after the season-opener at Estoril, the Euroformula Open is back in action for the second round of the 2022 season and its most exceptional event: the Grand Prix de Pau. The legendary race in the French city - which sits at the feet of the Pyrenees - is one of the oldest, toughest and most prestigious races in motorsport. This year, the event marks its 79th edition.
2022 also marks the second time that Euroformula Open cars will form the grid of the Grand Prix de Pau. In 2019, when the race was last held before the two-year hiatus imposed by the pandemic, the race was made even tougher – and exciting – by the changing weather conditions. It ended with a result that will remain in the history books of our sport, as Billy Monger, driving a Dallara F317 entered by Carlin, took a resounding win. The young Brit that overcame the physical impediments resulting from a horrific accident in F.4 two years earlier to return to racing, was already a hero and a role model. But on that day, perceptions became facts.
The highly-praised Dallara 320 will take to the track at Pau for the first time, and so will all of the drivers so far confirmed to participate. The first round of the season at Estoril proved that many are candidates for victory and that the fight for the title looks more open than ever.
Wins in the three races in Portugal were evenly split by the three teams fielding three cars; CryptoTower, Motopark and Van Amersfoort. Leading the standings by a mere three points is Oliver Goethe (Motopark), who showed speed (taking the pole and two fastest laps) and great recovery skills to compensate for poor starts.
Danish fans have plenty to rejoice about as Goethe’s fellow countryman Sebastian Øgaard, representing VAR, also took one win and another podium finish at Estoril, on his way to second in the points.
In third position is Motopark’s Frederick Lubin, who has shown excellent consistency and taken two second positions. At Pau, the Anglo-American will be eager to go for a maiden win.
Australia’s Christian Mansell won the very first race for CryptoTower and is fourth in the standings, ahead of teammate Vlad Lomko, who lives in France and races under a French license, which makes Pau the closest to a home race for him.
Briton Josh Mason, the other member of the CryptoTower line-up, will be seeking revenge at Pau, after a somehow frustrating first round. The same can be said for Romania’s Filip Ugran at VAR.
The two Italian drivers fielded this year both showed promising signs at Estoril: Nicola Marinangeli (VAR) finished the weekend in the top five, while Francesco Simonazzi, the lone driver of BVM, scored in all three races.
The South American drivers, on their side, will certainly aim at confirming the constant progress shown so far: Chile’s Nico Pino is highly regarded at Drivex, the Spanish squad that still has to confirm its other driver for Pau, while Mexico’s Alex García is coveted by Motopark.
Last but not least, Pau will mark the debut of Effective Racing, the Czech squad that enters Vladimir Netušil, who has been dominating Central Europe’s single-seater scene for many years.
Pau being an event comparable to none, the weekend will have a format different from standard EFO rounds: two races will be held instead of three, with Race 1 on Saturday at 13:55 and the 79th Grand Prix de Pau on Sunday at 15:15. Each race will run to a familiar length (26 laps or 35’ max), give the usual amount of points, and will be preceded by a qualifying session determining the respective grids.
