PREMA Powerteam, Aron inch closer to championship lead

PREMA Powerteam showed pace at Monte Carlo as the Italian squad secured a podium finish with Paul Aron in race 1 of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine. After qualifying third of his group, the Estonian kept his cool and navigated the track’s damp condition to score some extremely valuable points.

David Vidales scored 7th place, also retaining his starting position, while Dino Beganovic ended up in P16. The Swedish rookie was stopped by contact in practice, which deprived him of some needed mileage. In qualifying, Beganovic couldn’t do better than P11 in his group which meant two row-11 placings. However, the lowly starting position highlighted his comeback in race 1.

In race 2, Vidales was the only PREMA driver to see the checkered flag. Beganovic was wiped out in a multi-car lap 1 contact, while Aron clipped the barriers at the exit of St.Devote not too much later. The 18-year-old Spaniard had an impressive start from row 4 and gained one spot straight away. The lack of passing chances and the safety-car situations made the rest, as he secured a good load of points.

 

#1 PAUL ARON

“We had quite a bit of potential this weekend, but we couldn’t manage to show all of it. Qualifying went really well but in the laps that counted, I had a lot of traffic. It was definitely on for pole but I didn’t get enough clean laps. We ended up P2 in our group that meant P3 and P4 for the starts, still not bad as I was ahead of the championship contenders. In the first race, we struggled a bit with pace but still managed to bring it home in P3, with a podium and good points. In the second race, we improved the car a lot and the pace was much better, but the balance was a little more aggressive to the rear. I lost the car in turn 1 and I ended up in the barriers, a mistake on my side. It was a shame for the points because I was again ahead of the contenders, but we still significantly reduced the gap towards the lead in points this weekend. In addition, the changes made for the second race were really good and we hope they’ll last for the future. I’m sure that the car will be quite strong at Paul Ricard.”

Qualifying: P2 Gr. A

Starting Grid Race 1: P3

Starting Grid Race 2: P4

Fastest lap: 1’30″004

Race 1: P3

Race 2: DNF

#12 DAVID VIDALES

“We managed to bring home a good amount of points, as it was very important after Barcelona.  It is positive that we managed to do that, but we are still missing some pace. We lacked some speed in qualifying, and that’s very important on a track where it’s difficult to overtake. We need to work and analyze everything. We know the areas we have to work on and improve, and that’s a good thing. Now we have a few days to prepare for Paul Ricard. We must keep working and moving forward to understand everything we need for the next race.”

Qualifying: P4 Gr. A

Starting Grid Race 1: P7

Starting Grid Race 2: P8

Fastest lap: 1’30″212

Race 1: P7

Race 2: P6

#17 DINO BEGANOVIC

“It was a tough weekend but we learned a lot and made a lot of experience which was the key after the early end of my practice. It was super difficult to go in qualifying without a lot of laps done in practice. But I’d say that this weekend has been the most learnful so far. It was my first time on a street track and we improved the car all the time. I think we are going in the right direction. Overall it was still a positive weekend despite the fact that we didn’t get the results and I’m looking forward to Paul Ricard, I have a good feeling.”

Qualifying: P11 Gr. B

Starting Grid Race 1: P22

Starting Grid Race 2: P21

Fastest lap: 1’42″163

Race 1: P17

Race 2: DNF

Source | Photo: PREMA Racing