Monaco race winner, Jazeman Jaafar, heads to Belgium today, in preparation for the next round of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, which takes place at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The young Malaysian driver had a breakthrough victory on the famed Monte Carlo street circuit last weekend and this, together with strong performances in the first round, has put him in the lead of the championship.
The PETRONAS Talent Development Programme driver put in a highly impressive performance in Monaco, taking pole position and leading from the green lights to the chequered flag, totally dominating the race.
Looking ahead to Spa, Jazeman says, “After such an awesome weekend in Monaco, I am feeling on top of the world and planning to stay there. It was long overdue for me to get a race win and now that I have one I want more, and quickly. Although Monaco is one of my favourite tracks, Spa comes a close second. It’s totally different, as it’s long, wide and fast, but I’m just as much at home with this sort of circuit as I am on the streets, so I need to get my car hooked quickly and get the power down to keep myself ahead of my rivals.”
The third of nine rounds of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series headlines the World Series by Renault weekend, a feast of motorsport with Jazeman being the man of the moment as championship leader of the main event.
Jazeman previews the weekend saying, “Spa is a track which is very weather dependent. Sitting up in the hills it is often misty in the early morning. You can also experience different weather at different parts of the track, so choosing tyres can often be a challenge. Added to this, the weather can change very quickly, so you have to be prepared for unscheduled stops as well. My race preparations this week will be a mix of light training and working with my race engineers to determine the car set up that we’ll have for the opening practice. There is so little time between the races – before I know it, I’ll be back in the car – can’t wait!”
Jazeman, racing with Fortec Motorsport this season, travels directly from Monaco to Spa tomorrow. For the 22-year-old driver the race weekend starts on Thursday, when he’ll walk the track with his engineers and coach, returning on Friday morning for the practice sessions, with the first from 10.00 – 10.50 and the second from 14.20 – 15.10. On Saturday morning the qualifying session starts at 10.25 with 30 minutes of track time to determine the grid positions for the first race. The first race is at 15.10, a 40 minutes race time. On Sunday morning qualifying takes place at 09.45 with another 30 minutes session to set the grid for the second race. The start for the second race is at 13.45, with 40 minutes of racing, including a mandatory tyre change pit stop. For broadcast schedule visit www.worldseriesbyrenault.com
