Sacha Fenestraz, Carlin, Dallara Volkswagen
French-Argentinian driver Sacha Fenestraz underlined his huge potential in the sport once again with a seventh place finish in the Macau Grand Prix FIA F3 World Cup this weekend (17-19 November).
In an extremely competitive field, the 18-year-old put on a performance packed full of pace and maturity to finish well inside the world Top 10.
The Vaillante-Carlin racer also finished up second best rookie in the competition, which was some feat: it was only his second weekend in an F3 car while the best rookie had two years!
And the ever-smiling ADD Motorsports-supported teen was delighted to have met all the targets he set himself before the weekend – going well above and beyond what he could have hoped for.
He said: “It was a really solid weekend, the team did an amazing job. We were really fast every day.
“We set ourselves a few goals: one to stay on track all weekend, one to finish in the Top 15 and then if we could, to get into the Top 10. We did them all!
“To finish as the second best rookie when I’ve only raced in the car for two weekends – and it being my first time in Macau against such an experienced line-up, felt great.
“But I’m now looking forward to coming back next year even stronger!”
After winning the Formula Renault Eurocup Championship last month, Sacha was full of confidence, but well aware of the tough challenge that lay ahead this weekend.
The Macau Grand Prix is well known for showcasing the best new talent, with 10 of the current F1 World Championship having raced there.
And the 64th running of the iconic race looked to be as competitive as ever – boasting a stellar line-up including F3 winners and drivers already making a name for themselves at higher levels.
In the stunning blue and red Valliante liveried Carlin Volkswagen powered Dallara, Sacha used his first free practice to good effect.
He continued this into qualifying and despite a red flag disrupted session that hampered his rhythm – including a long break for barrier repairs – he showed his growing maturity to take 8th place as the quickest rookie.
The second free practice saw him get some more lap time under his belt, learning the track and taking everything on board from the team.
He impressed again in the second qualifying session, finishing 11th, before another superb run in the qualifying race where he lost a few places on the inside before brilliantly pulling it back on worn tyres to finish 12th.
Sacha Fenestraz: “We set ourselves a few goals: one to stay on track all weekend; one to finish in the Top 15 and then if we could, to get into the Top 10. We did them all!”
Sacha lost a place early on when the main event began, but the young driver stayed calm and focused. A chaotic race saw two quick full course yellows that shaped proceedings in the initial stages where he made the most of the restarts to move up to tenth.
With three laps to go, a great manoeuvre saw him take another place where he then used his pace to gain on the leading pack. He took advantage of a mistake and grabbed seventh on the very last corner to end up as the second best rookie.
He added: “Macau is amazing, it’s another world. It’s so fast, you fly everywhere – so I’m really happy to have come seventh.
“I prepare the same for every race, so I took it like any other, but it will give me a lot of confidence going into next year.
“I’m now looking forward to working hard during the winter and getting going again.”
Fraser Sheader, director of performance and management team ADD Motorsports, added: “It was a great weekend. Sacha was very sensible and level-headed and showed great maturity, considering his inexperience when compared to the other drivers out there. He kept finding time and moving forward in each session and to finish seventh and second best rookie was a really brilliant effort.
“He should be very proud of himself. He’s on the map and in the right place for next year.”
ends
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