Renault Sport has added three new drivers to its Renault Sport Academy line-up in 2018, including new FIA European Formula 3 driver Sacha Fenestraz.
Fenestraz and French Formula 4 front runners Victor Martins and Arthur Rougier join the academy, which is already supporting Sun Yue Yang, Christian Lundgaard, Max Fewtrell, and Jack Aitken.
“The Renault Sport Academy is about the long term,” managing director Cyril Abiteboul said at the launch event.
“If you compare the investment that goes into the car to the investment that goes into the driver, there is a disconnect in Formula 1. It’s very important for us to connect that disconnect.”
This will be the third season of Renault’s junior programme and Abiteboul believes this is its most promising line-up yet.
“Our 2018 intake represents our strongest line-up yet and we will encourage and nurture every driver.
“Alongside Renault Sport Racing and Renault Sport Formula 1 team, the Renault Sport Academy has grown and developed tremendously over the past two years.
“We will be keeping a close eye on everyone in the Academy as we seek to identify those who can develop to become the next Renault Sport Formula 1 drivers.”
This year, four of the academy drivers will be competing in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 championship. Martins, Rougler, and Lundgaard will make the step up from national championships while Fewtrell heads into his second season after finishing sixth last year.
2017 Formula Renault champion Fenestraz heads to the European F3 championship while Yue Yang moves to the British F3 series.
Jack Aitken, who has been in the Renault Sport Academy since its inception, will step up to FIA Formula 2 after finishing runner up in the GP3 series last season.
