Jaime Alguersuari is preparing for his debut in the World Series at home. He has had two days of practice at the Circuit de Catalunya so that he can start his first race in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in tip-top form – this will be held at the same venue on 18th – 19th April. The Repsol driver is now at the end of the final part of his pre-season training, concentrating on setting up the car and at the same time keeping an eye on the first official practice sessions.
With 22 drivers on the track Jaime Alguersuari and his teammate, Oliver Turvey, completed a very similar work schedule on Monday morning, with long stops in the pits and a lot of adjustments being made to their cars. In the afternoon Jaime Alguersuari at one point managed to set the third fastest time, before his rivals decided to test with new tyres.
The Repsol driver was at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the final practice session in the rain that fell on the track in Barcelona yesterday, Tuesday, demonstrating to all and sundry that he can easily handle adverse weather conditions. In the morning, on a wet track but with no rain, Alguersuari set some good times – at one point he was second fastest – until an unforeseeen stop meant that he could not improve his times any more.
Jaime Alguersuari
Day 1:
“We are in the middle of the final pre-season testing and we are entering a very serious stage. We have to work hard. This morning we saw that we were at a very good level after adjusting several aspects on the setup. In the afternoon, I only used one set of new tyres as opposed to several drivers who preferred to use all those that were available. Nevertheless, I think that the team is at a very good level. The important thing is to be prepared for the first qualifying session”
Day 2:
“These were two days of very interesting practice at the Circuit de Catalunya, the place where I will make my debut in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. Finishing the session as the fastest is always a cause for extra joy. Rain is one of my natural environments, above all after having raced in the British F3 Championship. I think we have worked really hard and even though there are some things we can refine, we have shown that the potential of the Carlin Motorsport is enormous.”