Just a couple of days after the end of the 2014 World Series by Renault season, I.S.R. Racing went back on-track at Jerez de la Frontera in the first day of postseason testing. As the Formula Renault 3.5 cars re-fired their engines at the tricky Andalusian venue, the Czech squad welcomed two new drivers, rookies Andrea Pizzitola e Gustav Malja, for the two sessions scheduled today.
The brand-new duo was called to a learning experience. Frenchman Pizzitola, who had already sampled a Renault 3.5 car before, merged well with the team and worked hard to increase the confidence with the car on a twisty circuit. His progress was steady and by the end of the day he was able to put his name into the top-10.
Swedish racer Malja had his first contact with the 3.5 Dallara and the day’s work for him was focused in making a first contact with the series and its technical package. In the afternoon, he delivered a good run that brought him to 14th place overall.
The activity on-track at Jerez will continue tomorrow with two more testing sessions.
Gustav Malja (#17), AM: P16 – PM: P14
“I’m happy about what we did today. It was my first time on such a powerful car like the Formula Renault 3.5 and I really enjoy this kind of driving style. We did a good job with the team, and I have the time to adapt myself to this car. This morning we went out a bit late with new tyre, when track conditions were not the best on the grip side. I have a great chemistry with the team and I think we can show some good potential over the two days”.
Andrea Pizzitola (#18), AM P17 – PM: P10
“I already drove a Formula Renault 3.5 car in Alcaniz, a totally different track compared to Jerez. Here you don’t have long straights or full-speed corners, so it’s more like a kart-driving style. Physically, it’s very demanding, but I’m ok. I found a very good atmosphere in the team and I like working with my engineer Loic – he explains me very well what I have to do. The run on fresh tyre was pretty ok, but we also saved some new sets for tomorrow”.