Formula Renault 3.5 sets 2014 schedule

No sooner has the 2013 season come to an end than the 2014 edition has been launched. In what will be its tenth season, the World Series by Renault will feature seven meetings staged at a mix of now-familiar tracks and new venues. Jerez de la Frontera makes its debut on the calendar and the Nürburgring its return, while the Monaco race, the curtain-raiser for the Formula One Grand Prix, remains the centerpiece of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series season.

Season ten of the World Series by Renault will observe a now well-established tradition, with Renault Sport Technologies’ Fast, Free and Fun event roaring into action in late April at Motorland Aragon, where races in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Eurocup Clio will all be on the card.

By that time the battle for the Formula Renault 3.5 Series title will have already commenced, with the legendary Monza circuit hosting the category’s opening races two weeks earlier. The FR 3.5 Series field will also head to Monaco for a solitary race that will serve as an appetizer for the most prestigious of all Formula One Grands Prix. With the motorsport elite looking on, the drivers will be doing all they can to get themselves noticed.

WSR will then call in at Spa-Francorchamps at the start of June before heading off to Russia’s Moscow Raceway. The three categories will reconvene in mid-July for an eagerly awaited return to the Nurburgring, one of motorsport’s classic venues.

Budapest in September marks the start of the final straight, and the tension is sure to rise a notch or two when WSR stops off at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France before decamping to Andalusia for Jerez de la Frontera’s maiden series meeting.

In drawing up a schedule featuring classic F1 venues and new horizons, Renault Sport Technologies is looking to consolidate World Series by Renault’s position as the most effective driver development program offering a route into F1.

“We’ve put together a calendar that offers plenty of variety and is structured around Formula One circuits and key markets for the Renault brand," explained Arnaud Boulanger, Director of Motorsport Renault Sport Technologies. “We’ve gone for the same balance, and the tracks selected will give drivers the best possible preparation for the challenges that await them in their careers. In this our tenth season we felt it was important to combine classic circuits like Spa-Francorchamps with newcomers like Jerez."

2014 World Series by Renault calendar
26-27 April: Motorland Aragon, Spain (FR3.5 Series, Eurocup FR2.0, Eurocup Clio)
31 May-1 June: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium (FR3.5 Series, Eurocup FR2.0)
28-29 June: Moscow Raceway, Russia (FR3.5 Series, Eurocup FR2.0)
12-13 July: Nurburgring, Germany (FR3.5 Series, Eurocup FR2.0, Eurocup Clio)
13-14 September: Hungaroring, Hungary (FR3.5 Series, Eurocup FR2.0)
27-28 September: Circuit Paul Ricard, France (FR3.5 Series, Eurocup FR2.0, Eurocup Clio)
18-19 October: Circuito de Jerez, Spain (FR3.5 Series, Eurocup FR2.0, Eurocup Clio)

Formula Renault 3.5 Series only:
12-13 April: Monza*
24-25 May: Monaco Formula One Grand Prix

*To be confirmed