World Series Formula Renault 3.5 – Barcelona, Spain

Race 1: Qualified 21st, Finished 10th, Rookie 3rd
Race 2: Qualified 15th, Finished DNF

Duncan was on top form at Barcelona with one of his typical surges to a point-scoring finish in the first race.

Qualifying had been disappointing with a burst of rain just minutes before the session changing conditions dramatically and Duncan having only 90 minutes track time here in the dry.

His race plan was to stay on the dry line of a damp track with his slick tyres. He gained places by going round the outside of a few cars at the hairpins on the first lap but then lost a place while avoiding a spinning Marcos Martinez in front of him.

A safety car was deployed and on the restart a pack bunched up on the start finish line. Duncan was further back which enabled him to maintain his momentum which he used to take positions.

By the midpoint of the 26-lap race Duncan was 11th and just one critical place away from another championship point. His barrier was Pablo Sanchez and Duncan pushed hard until Sanchez made the mistake that he needed to pass on turn two of the penultimate lap to take tenth and take the point.

Race two wasn’t the ‘high’ that Duncan had hoped would be the end of his World Series rookie season.

After a great start he was setting a good pace with Championship front runner Fabio Carbone. At the point that the pit stop window opened he had made up three places to run 12th.

Martinez challenged Duncan for position on lap 20 on the outside and they collided resulting in both of them ending their race in the gravel and giving Duncan his first non-finish in his eight Formula Renault 3.5 races.

Duncan said: “I was really hoping for a strong finish to the season so a DNF wasn’t the plan. The top ten finish from yesterday was more an indication of where I am so we need to look forward to next season and get some testing in over the winter to prepare for the races.

“Joining a championship late is always a case of trying to catch up with car knowledge so now that I have experience of the Renault 3.5 and some of the tracks I know that next year will be better. ”

•   Filed under: Formula Renault 3.5
•   Tagged as: Circuit de Catalunya, RC Motorsport