The second pre-season test for the Formula Renault 3.5 series is underway at the Spanish track of Circuito de Jerez, which will host the season finale in October. Carlos Sainz Jr and DAMS topped the timing screens of the first in Aragon last month, and the Spaniard will be one of the ones to watch here too, along with other title favourites such as Sergey Sirotkin, Oliver Rowland, Will Stevens and Pierre Gasly.
There are a number of drivers yet to be confirmed to race in the series in 2014, and some of them will want to impress their potential employers in the next three days. Nigel Melker, who finished sixth in the championship in 2013 with Tech 1 Racing is having all three days with ISR, while Cypriot driver Tio Ellinas is splitting his three days between two teams, testing for the first two days with Tech 1 with the third at Pons Racing.
Dutch female racer Beitske Visser has been given all three days of to prove herself alongside the already confirmed Zoel Amberg. Russian Roman Mavlanov and Spaniard Roberto Mehri are testing for Zeta Corse, while Romanian Robert Visoiu (days one and two) and Dutchman Meindert van Buuren (all three days) are testing for Pons Racing alongside Ellinas (final day).
The Carlin team are again absent from the test, and doubts must now be rising about whether the team will race in 2014 at all, having missed the first test in Aragon too. Comtec Racing have only brought Russian Nikolay Martsenko to the test, with their second car’s driver still to be announced.
Jerez Pre-season Test Entry List
NO | DRIVER | NAT | TEAM |
1 | Carlos Sainz Jr | ESP | DAMS |
2 | Norman Nato | FRA | DAMS |
3 | Sergey Sirotkin | RUS | Fortec Motorsports |
4 | Oliver Rowland | GBR | Fortec Motorsports |
5 | Pietro Fantin | BRZ | International Draco Racing |
6 | Luca Ghiotto | ITA | International Draco Racing |
7 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | Arden Motorsport |
8 | William Buller | GBR | Arden Motorsport |
9 | Tio Ellinas (Day 1 & 2) | CYP | Tech 1 Racing |
TBA | Tech 1 Racing | ||
10 | Marco Sorensen | DEN | Tech 1 Racing |
11 | Will Stevens | GBR | Strakka Racing |
12 | Matias Laine | FIN | Strakka Racing |
15 | Marlon Stockinger | PHI | Lotus |
16 | Matthieu Vaxiviere | FRA | Lotus |
17 | Jazeman Jaafar | MAL | ISR |
18 | Nigel Melker | NED | ISR |
19 | Beitske Visser | NED | AV Formula |
20 | Zoel Amberg | SWI | AV Formula |
21 | Roman Mavlanov | RUS | Zeta Corse |
22 | Roberto Mehri | ESP | Zeta Corse |
25 | Robert Visoiu (Day 1 & 2) | ROM | Pons Racing |
Tio Ellinas (Day 3) | ESP | Pons Racing | |
26 | Meindert van Buuren | NED | Pons Racing |
27 | Nikolay Martsenko | RUS | Comtec Racing |