Strakka aims to reign in Spain in next FR3.5 at Motorland Aragon

Strakka Racing’s Round One victor Will Stevens and team mate Matias Laine have been hard at work to maximise qualifying pace ahead of the next WSR race this weekend

After a weekend in Italy where Strakka Racing got to experience the spectrum of emotions generated in motorsport, the Word Series by Renault moves from Monza and on to Spain and the Motorland Aragon track. Following Will Stevens’ emphatic win at Monza, he now shares the championship lead with title protagonist Carlos Sainz Junior and despite a DNF after contact in race two, the Caterham Academy driver is firmly focussed on holding on to the top spot. “There are a lot of positives to take away from Italy. We now need to keep working hard and we need to improve our qualifying. We have spent a lot of time since Monza with the team, poring over the data and looking at matching our race pace in qualifying. After Monza and its emphasis on low drag, Motorland is back to a more traditional track and one that I am always strong at.”

For Finnish team mate Matias Laine, Monza was a weekend filled with promise but a number of issues, including damaged steering in race two, precluded the higher points haul the Finn expected. As a track where the team has conducted a lot of running over the winter, Laine is confident going to Motorland Aragon and like Stevens, is focussed on a strong qualifying performance. “Qualifying is the key, we have really good race pace, so starting a little further up the grid is what I am aiming for in Spain,” adds Laine.

Stevens scored his first European race win in FR2.0 at the Spanish circuit, a success at the Hermann Tilke-designed track that came off the back of a brace of pole positions. His Motorland Aragon run of form continued last year in FR3.5 with a strong second behind 2014 McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen, followed by a fourth in race two, finishing just two places behind 2014 Sauber F1 rookie Sergey Sirotkin.

Following the first two rounds and having secured its first win in the category, Strakka Racing lies third in the Team’s Championship. Will Stevens is currently jointly heading the Drivers’ table with Carlos Sainz Junior. Matias Laine is 15th in the standings.


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