GOOD START TO MOTORLAND FORMULA RENAULT EUROCUP ROUND
Matty got himself reacquainted with a Tatuus FR2.0/13 race car during Friday’s two free practice and showed a promising pace, but has more to find if he is to enjoy a successful Formula Renault Eurocup meeting at the Motorland Aragon circuit.
In his first time in a Formula Renault car since an off season test in December at Silverstone, Matty made steady progress throughout the morning session, ending the 50 minutes of practice with a fastest lap time of 1:56.430.
It was a time that not only had him well sixth fastest, but also saw him as the fastest British driver in the field and the leading AV Formula car.
In the afternoon session, Matty could only manage 11th quickest with a 1:56.889 and complained about a lack of power along the straights, where telemetry showed he was losing time to the frontrunners and his team mate, Harrison Scott.
Following the post session technical debrief with his AV Formula team, a blocked air filter was identified as a potential cause for Matty’s issued and with the item replaced, he is hopeful of posting a representative time in the morning’s qualifying session.
Speaking after practice, Matty said: “Overall I’m pretty happy with how today is gone. I’ve gotten into the car and been fairly close to the pace of the leaders.”
“The car didn’t feel quite right this afternoon and the telemetry showed I was losing a bit of engine performance down the straights and its top marks to the team for working that problem through with me and hopefully sorting it out.”
“I’m in a tough qualifying group, but I think if I can hook up a good lap, then we can have a good session.”