The 29th season of Formula Renault started at Monza

The 29th season of the Formula Renault Eurocup, the oldest international development single-seater series, started this weekend at Monza. The winners of two races at the legendary Italian circuit are Ugo de Wilde (JD Motorsport) and Alexander Smolyar (R-ace GP).

The 16-year-old Belgian Ugo de Wilde, the youngest driver in the series, claimed the victory on Saturday, securing the first victory for JD Motorsport since 2006. It was a double triumph for the team as his teammate Leonardo Lorandi finished the race in the second place. Kush Maini (M2 Competition) completed the all-rookie podium.

The pole-sitter Lorenzo Colombo (MP Motorsport) had to retire after a contact with Kush Maini in the first chicane, initiating Safety car intervention. At the restart, the order remained unchanged, with Ugo de Wilde leading the pack.

Race 1 winner Ugo de Wilde

On Sunday, Alexander Smolyar converted pole position into his first victory in the Formula Renault Eurocup. The rain-affected race started behind the Safety car, which stayed on the track for nine minutes. When the green flag was shown, the race lasted less than one lap when two separate collisions caused Safety car intervention.

Smolyar defended his lead during the two following restarts, with 12 minutes and two minutes remaining, eventually crossing the line 1.982 seconds ahead of Victor Martins (MP Motorsport). Another MP Motorsport’s driver Lorenzo Colombo completed the podium.

Alexander Smolyar

After two races at Monza, Victor Martins leads the drivers’ standings with 30 points on his account, four more than Leonardo Lorandi. Race winners Ugo de Wilde and Alexander Smolyar have 25 points, the same amount as Kush Maini. Among the teams, JD Motorsport leads with 51 points, six more than MP Motorsport.

Photos: DPPI/Formula Renault,