Charles Milesi returned from Germany with two new top 10s in his pocket. But if you look closely, the final result could have been even better given the level of performance that the young French driver achieved at Hockenheim during the 9th of 10 meetings of the 2018 Formula Renault Eurocup.
Charles Milesi continues to visit the most beautiful single-seater circuits in Europe, such as Spa Francorchamps, Monaco, Paul Ricard, Silverstone and Monza. This time, the drivers and teams involved in Formula Renault Eurocup travelled to the Hockenheim circuit. Very quickly, the driver from the Burgundy region showed his quick adaptation to the German track by setting the 5th and 7th time in the two sessions of Free Practice. The highly contested first Qualifying session didn’t bring Charles the expected classification. “Everything was decided at the end of the session, where it was important to make good use of the tyres. I felt comfortable, but I probably made a small mistake that cost me a few tenths and maybe one or two places,” Charles said. But in Formula Renault, the drivers are divided into two groups and two places lower is equivalent to two rows on the grid!
An exciting but frustrating race
In 10th place, Charles Milesi learned the lessons of the previous races and made a great start. Very incisive, he finished the first lap in 8th position. But a few metres away, Charles met four drivers who were in front of him on the grid. At the exit of the bend, the Frenchman was driven outward, causing him to go over the grass! “My team-mate did not leave me much room and I should have insisted on staying on the racing line. I need to be more imposing against my opponents in the last meeting of the season. This incident dropped me back down to 18th position. It’s all the more unfortunate as I was very fast at that moment. Of course, the rest of the race was very exciting, with a lot of overtaking that allowed me to recover 10th position with excellent lap times. But I cannot help thinking that I would have been able to get a much better result. I must continue to learn from my mistakes.“
Charles Milesi takes his place among the best
The second Qualifying session looked much like the first. “Rain fell on Sunday morning, and the track still lacked grip when we went out. The best times were achieved at the end of the session and I had to be satisfied with 5th place in my group, 9th on the grid.” This time, Charles’s race was to be quieter, although disturbed by a strong wind. “My car was sometimes destabilised when braking. I think I could have adapted better to these difficult conditions. At the height of the battle, the positions changed frequently, especially after the safety car came out in the second half of the race.“Finally, Charles managed to hold his place in the fighting pack to finish in 8th position, very close to the quartet of drivers who finished in front of him.
Ranked 7th in the provisional rankings of the Eurocup and 5th Rookies, Charles Milesi still has an opportunity to improve these two positions in Spain during the last race of 2018 in Barcelona on 19th-21st October. Determined, he will aim to seize every opportunity…
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