The Renault F4 Eurocup 1.6 series heads to Silverstone next weekend as part of World Series By Renault Festival, with Stoffel Vandoorne very much the man to beat heading into the meeting. The RACB National Team driver had a perfect weekend last time out at Hockenheim, giving himself a 42 point lead in the standings as the series heads to Britain.
With just the final round at Catalunya to follow, the Belgium ace looks in a commanding position atop the standings. While he won't want to take any un-necessary risks at this late stage in the season, the 18 year old would still love to add to his six race wins already this season if the opportunity arises at Silverstone.
His chief rival will be Norman Nato, who is the only driver in the series to have picked up points in every race so far this season. The Frenchman lies second in the standings, with one win victory this season at Motorland in Spain. He will be hoping to close the gap on Vandoorne and end his first season in car racing in style.
He is closely followed in the standings by compatriot Frank Matelli, who sits just 5 points behind Nato. The Corsican driver picked up two third places last time out and has five podiums in total this season, including one win at home circuit Magny-Cours. He will be hoping to add to this tally on the new Grand Prix circuit.
Completing the top five in the standings are fellow Frenchmen Mathieu Jaminet and Paul Lanchere. Jaminet had a disappointing weekend last time out, but will be hoping to replicate his performance from the meeting before at Hungaroring, where he dominated the weekend, winning both races. Lanchere on the other hand, has yet to pick up a win this season, but consistent points finishes, including five podiums, have seen him work his way up the standings. Just below them, sixth placed Paul-Loup Chatin is heading into the weekend in good form, after securing his first ever podium in car racing at Hockenheim.
Three drivers who are hoping to realise their potential at Silverstone are Pierre Sancinéna, Alexandre Mantovani and Jean-Baptiste Lahaye, who lay 7th, 8th and 9th in the standings respectively. All three have had frustrating seasons to date, not getting the results expected with the talent at their disposal. Each will be hoping to run at the front of the pack and show the fans what they can do.
Rounding out the top ten in the standings is Sébastien le Bras, who will be hoping to do well at Silverstone and climb up the standings after being forced to miss Hockenheim out. He's closely pursued by 16 year old Nicolas De Moura and Tristan Papavoine, who are having contrasting runs of form heading into the meeting. While Da Moura recorded his best ever finish of 6th last time out, Papavoine is on a run of two meetings without scoring any points.
Towards the back of the field, the two ladies in the field will also be looking to put on a show. Both Marie Baus Coppens and Italian racer Giada De Zen, who is the youngest driver in the field at just 14 years old, will be looking to pick up their first points of the season in this competitive series.
With over 20 cars on track, fans heading to Silverstone next weekend can look forward to action packed racing throughout the field, as these continental racers look to put on a spectacle in front of the passionate British support.
