The Carlin teams’ Formula Renault 3.5 outfit were absent from last weekends Monza round, but the bosses of the series have supported the team, and hope they return sooner rather than later. With three other teams only fielding one car in the event, it saw the smallest grid ever seen in the series since its inception.
A lack of funding has been cited by Trevor Carlin’s outfit, but Renault Sport CEO Patrice Ratti has told them the manufacturer are completely behind them and will not put any unnecessary pressure on them to rush them to return.
“I think Carlin made the right decision,” said Ratti to Autosport. “It is better to not do the season than to do it badly. I’d rather have them not racing this year than damaging their business.
“Maybe they will be back. It’s better to have a good season with 24 cars than a bad one with 26.”
ISR, Tech 1 Racing and Comtec Racing all field one driver in Monza, and Ratti is hopeful the number of entries will rise above the 21 seen at Monza when the series hits the Spanish track of Aragon at the end of the month. The series bosses are anticipating a 23 or 24-car field, but none of the teams will be penalised for not fielding two cars at every race.
“We are not applying penalties,” said Ratti. “We could, but we are not. We want to work with the teams. The whole market is struggling. “Of course we have to work on costs because times are tough. It is a sign of the times, but it’s still a concern.”
