Webb narrowly misses out on points finish around the streets of Monaco
Posted on in Latest News
28 May 2013
Webb narrowly misses out on points finish around the streets of Monaco
Series: World Series by Renault FR3.5
Track: Monaco
Track length: 3.340 km (2.075 mi)
Date: 24-26 May 2013
Qualifying: Pos. 11; Time: 1m23.974s + 0.521
Race: Pos. 11; + 33.746s
Round 3 of the World Series by Renault FR3.5 championship arrived on the glamorous streets of Monaco, with British racing driver Oliver Webb feeling confident on his return to the Principality. Continued improvements throughout the weekend saw a strong qualifying but, despite continued pressure throughout the course of the race, he was unable to claim the final points position, finishing in 11th.
The World Series by Renault FR3.5 championship joined the Formula 1™ weekend activities again this season for the race weekend in Monaco, and a tough practice session saw Webb struggling for pace in the early stages. However, the BRDC Superstar driver was quickly up to speed and he continued to improve his times until a red flag brought the session to a premature end.
Qualifying around the famous street circuit saw the World Series by Renault grid split into two groups, ensuring the circuit was not too congested during the shootout for pole position. Webb took to the track during the second group and was immediately back at the pace he had shown during the end of the previous runs, pushing hard near the top of the timesheets and, as the chequered flag fell, the Knutsford-born driver was in 6th, just 0.5 seconds off the top time of the session. On combined times, Webb moved down the order slightly and would line up in 11th, just behind his Fortec Motorsport teammate, Stoffel Vandorne, who was handed a five-place grid penalty following an incident in an earlier session
Webb made a good start away from the grid, and negotiated his way around an extremely congested circuit, working hard to close down the cars ahead while defending and trying to break away from the chasing pack. The British racer was unfortunate to drop a place in the opening stages, but continued to apply pressure, and regained a position at the race’s half distance. Significant amounts of traffic around the 3.340 km circuit meant that overtaking opportunities were limited and, despite a late charge, Webb was unable to take the final points position, coming home P11.
Commenting on the race weekend, Webb explained: ‘Racing in Monaco is such an amazing and unique experience. Qualifying around the tight streets is absolutely crucial, as overtaking during a race is a real challenge, but it is such a fantastic place to compete. It was a shame that I wasn’t able to make up that final place to grab a point in the closing stages, but I am confident that this coming weekend in Spa will see us back in the points.’
The World Series by Renault series now moves straight on to Round 4 of the championship this weekend, 1-2 June, at the famous Belgian circuit Spa-Francorchamps.
Log on to www.worldseriesbyrenault.com for additional details about the Championship. For information on Oliver Webb, visit www.oliwebbracing.com or follow him on twitter, www.twitter.com/oliverjameswebb.