Thomas Neubauer has committed to a second season of Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, after agreeing to remain with French outfit Tech 1 Racing.
The eighteen-year-old Frenchman failed to break into the top ten during his rookie campaign, but did enough to earn his place in the team for a second season, and the hard-working Neubauer is looking to turn what he learned in 2017 into a strong 2018 campaign.
“I’m very happy to be staying on at Tech 1 Racing in 2018,” said Neubauer. “It was part of the plan we’d put in place last year, and I saw no reason to leave as I’d learned so much with the team.
“This stability is going to give me a boost, and after my performance in winter testing I know I’ve made the right decision. Although my first season threw up a lot of challenges, it gave me an idea of how much work would be necessary for me to achieve my objectives.
“It isn’t easy for a driver to keep a cool head and not prioritise results, but I had to learn the bases without which nothing’s possible. For example, I wasn’t able to string everything together over a lap so my qualifying performances didn’t reflect my potential.
“So we took advantage of the winter to focus on my driving, get the best out of the tyres and do simulations. All this has helped me to progress and gain confidence and it’s on these aspects that I have to build this season.”
Neubauer is looking to bring home top ten results right from the beginning of the season, which begins in his homeland at the Circuit Paul Ricard in April.
“My aim is to be in the top 10 at each meeting to score the maximum number of points,” said Neubauer. “It represents a big step forward. I know I’m going to have good yardsticks as I’ve got very quick team-mates with whom I get on really well.
“In the meantime, I have to fine-tune my preparation as well as studying videos to restart with the bit between my teeth!”
