13.05.09 TURVEY IMPRESS ON DEBUT IN WORLD SERIES After a successful season in British F3, the Racing Steps Foundation, my manager Didier Coton and I decided that World Series by Renault with Carlin Motorsport was the best option for my career progression towards achieving my ambition of becoming Formula 1 World Champion The first round of the championship was held at Barcelona this weekend. The three pre-season tests went well, as we were able to develop and improve the car setup which allowed me to become more comfortable and confident with the car. I worked hard over the winter to prepare for the season by spending time at the factory to learn and understand as much about the car and series as possible. We had two one hour free practice sessions but with only one set of tyres for testing the laps had to be limited. As the track conditions had changed a lot since the test, we had to adapt the cars setup to achieve a good balance. The qualifying format for World Series splits the field into two groups each having a 20 minute qualifying session with the top six drivers in each group going forward to a Superpole qualifying session. I set the 3rd quickest time in my qualifying group, only one tenth from the best time which comfortably put me through to the Superpole session where I qualified 5th overall. This meant I would start race one in fourth, due to the reverse grid, and start race two from fifth so had two solid grid positions for both races. I made a good start in race 1 from fourth but with cold brakes just overshoot the apex which allowed a competitor to get alongside giving him the inside for the following corner. However we had really good race pace, quicker than the cars in front, so was able to apply a lot of pressure eventually forcing a small mistake from the driver in front allowing me to overtake on the inside into turn four. I finished my first World Series by Renault race in 4th position and as the top rookie. It was the longest race I have done but afterwards I felt in great physical condition which was pleasing as I had worked hard on my fitness program over the winter to be fully prepared. For the second race we had a mandatory pitstop to make between laps 5 and 17. The race started in dry conditions but with rain clouds heading towards the circuit. Once again we had really strong race pace on heavy fuel so the team called me into pit early to try and get some space to set some quick laps. The team did a great pitstop and we were able to gain time on the drivers in front. However towards the end of the pitstop window it began to rain which allowed all the drivers who stayed out to come in for wets. Therefore we had to make a second pitstop for wets which ruined our strategy and put us towards the back of the field. I kept pushing and know never to give up, so charged back up the field to reach 10th and the last point's position by the last lap, setting the fastest wet lap time in the process. However they red flagged the race on the final lap, which meant the result was taken back one lap so we lost the points position. After analysing the race, it's clear that had it stayed dry, we would have been on the podium. Despite been unfortunate with our strategy in race two, there are a lot of positives to be taken from this weekend. I progressed comfortably through to superpole where we qualified 5th overall. We had really strong dry race pace in both races and were the quickest in the wet conditions. I gained some solid points by finishing 4th in race one and was the first rookie. We were looking strong for a podium finish in race two until it rained. The next race is in two weeks at one of my favourite circuits, Spa-Francorchamps. After dominating in F3 there last season, I am confident we could be challenging for victory. << back to news