Max Fewtrell was delighted after a breakthrough weekend at the Red Bull Ring saw him take his maiden Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Series victory.
The 2016 British Formula 4 champion and Renault Sport Academy driver took the lead into turn one on lap one after a great start, having qualified an excellent second on the grid for the race. The Tech 1 Racing driver admitted leading for the whole duration of the twenty-five minute race felt like an eternity compared to how it feels when amid the pack, especially when in his mirrors were Max Defourny and Sacha Fenestraz.
“It is fantastic to take my first win, but a 25-minute race seems a lot longer when you’re leading than when you in the pack!” said Fewtrell on renaultsport.com. “Despite some difficult weekends like in Hungary and Monaco, we’ve never given up and this win is a very nice reward.
“I knew I had to get a good start and I managed to do so before controlling the race and defending my position when I saw (Max and Sacha) get bigger in my rear view mirrors in the final laps.
“It is a result that makes my new coach Jake Dennis look good! His aid has been a big help to me up until now, but there is another race tomorrow!”
Fewtrell also had a strong second race, climbing from eighth on the grid to finish fourth and the leading rookie, and he hopes the form he showed in Austria can translate into a strong ending the season, starting at the end of August at Paul Ricard.
“I am really pleased with my race,” said Fewtrell. “Contrary to the first qualifying session, I wasn’t able to perfectly negotiate the second sector in yesterday morning’ session and the tenth of a second I was missing made all the difference.
“I wasn’t expecting very much in starting eighth, nothing more than fifth, but I made some nice overtaking moves before attacking Gabriel [Aubry]. After three bad weekends, I really hope I can keep the momentum going for the rest of the season.”
