In 2009, Tech 1 Racing scored its first double at the Nürburgring. This year, the Toulouse-based team won again in Germany. Kevin Korjus came third on Saturday and first on Sunday thanks to a daring strategy, and he is now lying second in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series overall classification. The young Estonian is THE revelation of the 2011 season!

This weekend, the World Series by Renault was back at the Nürburgring for the first time since 2009.That year, Charles Pic won the second race from Brendon Hartley giving Tech 1 Racing a maiden double. Even if they hadn’t done any testing on this circuit, Kevin Korjus and Arthur Pic arrived in the Eifel Mountains with a good base setup for an event that marked the halfway point of the 2011 season.

As always both drivers had a clear-cut work programme to complete in the two collective practice sessions, but Arthur Pic’s plans were stymied by an off. Nevertheless, they tackled qualifying on Saturday morning in a confident frame of mind. Korjus banged in a stunning lap to give him the third-fastest time. Pic suffered a puncture and could do no better than twentieth. “The first qualifying session gave everyone’s morale a boost,” said Simon Abadie, the Tech 1 Racing team manager. “After that we knew that we could pull off a good result this weekend.”

This weekend, the capricious weather in the Eifel played on everybody’s nerves. On Saturday, rain upset the first race. Tech 1 Racing took the decision to leave third-placed Korjus out on slicks on a damp track. “It was the right thing to do. It wasn’t easy for Kevin but he drove a great race and mastered the conditions while showing maturity beyond his years. He finished third behind Robert Wickens and Daniel Ricciardo; it was a logical result. Arthur also upped his game in the race and showed an improvement in performance. As he was stuck in the mid-field pack, we took a gamble and brought him in for wet weather tyres. It didn’t pay off, but it was worth a try.”

On Sunday, the second qualifying session took place in pouring rain. “This year, we’ve entered two rookies who have almost never driven the Formula Renault 3.5 in the wet. They suffered and Kevin qualified thirteenth and Arthur twentieth, but that’s not their fault. They went quicker and quicker as the session unfolded. As long as they progress and learn in each situation, we’re in phase with our aims.”

At the start, Korjus was knocked into a spin by another car. This race incident was probably responsible for the third victory of the season for the Estonian driver in the Tech 1 Racing colours. “After his start line incident Kevin was going to be held up by all the other cars. We decided to bring him in as early as possible so he could take advantage of clear laps on good tyres. We then had a bit of luck with the intervention of the safety car. The others stopped later and that made the difference. Kevin did what was necessary to win. He had to pass several other drivers, which he did. He then had to lap quicker than the leaders – and he did! Luck played no part in his victory. He won the race by his performance out on the track.”

The Estonian was unbeatable in these difficult conditions and he took the chequered flag with five seconds in hand over his closest pursuer. Pic drove a solid race but did not reap the same rewards. “Once again we had to use a different strategy for Arthur. He was on the pace and he could have scored points. We thought it was going to start raining again so we decided to delay his pity stop as long as possible. Arthur finished fourteenth which is a poor reflection of his level of performance. He deserved some points.”

Kevin Korjus had a great weekend with third place on Saturday and a win on Sunday, results that have put him into second place overall in the drivers’ championship classification. “Kevin is the only driver who has won three races – so far,” said Simon Abadie. “He’s second in the championship, but even so we’re not going to change our objectives or our way of doing things. He still has a lot of scope for progression and things to learn. We’re going to do everything possible so that he continues winning races. We’re third in the teams’ classification just a point off second place. Our aim in two weeks’ time in the next round in Hungary will be to take that second place!”