Sacha Fenestraz became the 2017 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 champion at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last weekend, with the French-Argentine driver then ending the year with his seventh victory of the campaign.
The Josef Kaufmann Racing driver came into the weekend with a sizeable margin over Will Palmer, and although the Briton kept himself in the hunt with a second place finish in race one, Fenestraz’s own runners-up spot in race two confirmed him as the champion, before he fended off the challenge of Robert Shwartzman to win race three.
Fenestraz will now become a member of the Renault Sport Academy as a result of his championship victory, and he feels it brings him closer to his goal of making it to Formula 1, something he has dreamed about since he was five years old.
“It’s amazing. I’m over the moon,” said Fenestraz. “It’s been a really tough year in one of the toughest Championships in the world, but to take my first major title in Europe is fantastic.
“It means so much to me and my family. You make so many sacrifices to follow this path, but to take this title makes it all worth it.
“The team and ADD Motorsports have done an amazing job and I’ve worked really hard to get to this point as well. I want to thank them and my parents for everything they have done.
“I’m really excited about being part of the Renault Sport Academy and what my future has in store. It’s been a dream of mine to make it into F1 since I was five-years-old and hopefully I’m a step nearer making that a reality.”
Fenestraz felt his season truly began in Monaco, where he took his second win around the principality in as many seasons, but now his attention is switching to another legendary street circuit, as he joins Carlin’s five-car attack in the Macau Grand Prix.
“It’s been a long season that started off pretty well,” said Fenestraz. “But after we changed some things at Monaco, things really started to click. We’ve been really fast and our consistency since then has really paid off.
“My family, friends, team and I are all going out to celebrate – we all deserve it! Then it will be time to refocus for the Macau Grand Prix before we look ahead to next season!”
