Race 2Robin Frijns (Josef Kaufmann Racing) won race two at Silverstone to record his fourth victory of the season. It was certainly not the most straightforward of his triumphs, however, and he came under heavy pressure from Alex Lynn (Fortec Motorsports), Paul-Loup Chatin (Tech 1 Racing) and Stoffel Vandoorne (KTR). It was Frijns' second win of the season, and the Formula Renault 2.0 championship leader goes into the next round at Paul Ricard HTTT with a lead of more than 50 points. As a result, the title could well be decided in France.Alex Lynn was the real surprise package in qualifying, scoring his first Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 pole in the last lap of a highly competitive session. The British driver started at the front of the grid on his home circuit, and shared the front row with Miki Weckström (Tech 1 Racing). Robin Frijns and Carlos Sainz Jr. (Koiranen Motorsport), first and second respectively in the championship standings, started on the second row.Lynn seemed perfectly at ease with the situation, and got away well to lead ahead of Frijns, who also started strongly from the second row. Frijns showed his intent immediately, however, and launched an unstoppable charge to take first place from the British youngster. Paul-Loup Chatin occupied third place at this stage, followed by Felix Serralles (Fortec Motorsport) and Stoffel Vandoorne. Weckström and Sainz Jr. were the first lap's biggest losers, slipping down to sixth and ninth place respectively. Javier Tarancon also had a start to forget, and was forced to retire after his car came to a halt.Lynn and Chatin continued to keep pace with race leader Frijns, while Vandoorne moved past Serralles and up into fourth. Further down the field, Sainz Jr. managed to get the better of Will Stevens (Fortec Motorsports) and climbed up to eighth place.It was wheel-to-wheel stuff between the front four, with Chatin turning up the heat on Lynn, who in turn was edging ever closer towards Frijns in first. Meanwhile, Vandoorne lurked close behind and was ready to pounce on the slightest opening. Lynn tried his luck in lap nine and launched an attack on Frijns, but the Dutchman kept the door firmly shut. Behind them, Serralles made a mistake and allowed Daniil Kvyat, Weckström and Sainz Jr. to sneak through. The latter then gained another place, after Weckstrom was penalised for an earlier false start.It remained tight at the front of the pack all the way to the chequered flag, but it was Frijns who eventually emerged victorious for his fourth win of the season. Lynn and Chatin came home in second and third respectively, and the pair enjoyed podium finishes for the first time this season. The win caps a perfect weekend for Frijns in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. He extends his lead over Carlos Sainz Jr., who finished down in sixth. Frijns now heads to the next round at Paul Ricard HTTT with a 55-point lead over his Spanish rival.What they said:
Robin Frijns: "It wasn't an easy victory. Alex Lynn was faster, and he pushed hard throughout the race. The slightest error and he would have been past me in a flash! I now have a lead of more than 50 points, which represents two victories. I know the title could be decided at Paul Ricard HTTT, but at the same time, we've all seen how quickly things can change this season. So, I'd rather not think about it. For me, it'll be just like any other weekend.
Alex Lynn: "I really gave 110 per cent this morning to qualify on pole. It's very satisfying, because this is a really high-level discipline. I won in the Formula Renault UK this morning and got a pole and podium finish in the Eurocup in front of a large crowd, so it's been a very good weekend for me. I'm hoping to take part in the season finale in Barcelona.
Paul-Loup Chatin: "The whole team has worked really hard since the start of the season to get to where we are. It's a first podium finish in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, which I'm really happy about, and I hope I can do even better in France in a few weeks' time."
