Costa Manages An Extraordinary Podium In Montecarlo

Albert Costa confirmed yesterday's good omen taking over the third position of the single World Series by Renault race held today in Monaco. The Catalan driver rounds off a great weekend at a track that he first stepped in on Thursday and where, with little over than an hour experience, yesterday achieved the second best lap time imposing over more experienced drivers. His team mate Keisuke Kunimoto finished 18th, while the race winner was the Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo ahead of the Championship leader the Russian driver Mikhail Aleshin. With this result, the Catalan driver climbs to the fourth position in the overall Championship and is already second in the rookies standing.

Albert Costa Credit: Epsilon Scuderia

The 3,340 meters Monaco track is well known for its technical complexity and the little margin for error it offers. Therefore, having a good start was essential and Albert Costa, starting third from the clean line, didn't miss. He managed to keep the position, perfectly negotiated the first turn and even getting Aleshin, second, into trouble. From there on, Albert stayed focus and carried an excellent performance out overcoming the increasing pain in his right hand that considerably made his driving style difficult half way through the race. This podium is twice as important for Costa since it confirms the extraordinary progression of the 20-years-old driver, having missed almost the entire testing preseason due to the hand injury he suffered, and the way he is adapting to the new car.

His team mate, Keisuke Kunimoto couldn't do more from the 20th position that he started from, experiencing first-hand the fact of Monaco being a circuit that allows very little overtaking with the starting position being crucial. In spite of it, the Japanese diver improved twice his position and kept a competitive pace from the beginning to the end.

The EPSILON team returns to Vitoria for a well deserved break before they face the next Championship meeting that will take place on the 4th, 5th and 6th of June at the Czech circuit of Brno.

#15 Albert Costa - 3rd (26 points, 4th in the Championship): "This podium is so important for me and I want to thank all the team for the job done. These days we worked really hard and the car was working perfectly. Most of the job had been done already but it was important to make a good start, maintain the position and move forward. From there on, keep the concentration high until the end. This was the most difficult because about the middle of the race the pain was intense and I was driving almost with one hand. This is a highly demanding track where you have to work a lot with the driving wheel. But I did it my way and got on the podium. There was no way I was going to let it go. And this is only the beginning."

#16 Keisuke Kunimoto - 18th: "We all knew it was going to be hard and it was. It is almost impossible to overtake in this circuit but I managed to gain a position at the start. From my position, the most important was to keep the concentration high, not to make any mistakes and be there to take advantage of any opportunity. The car was working well and I put it to the limit, but half way through the race the tires were nearly finished and I had to do my best to finish the race. I really hope that Brno will set a turning point in this start of season."

Albert Fabrega - FR3.5 Team Manager: "We are really satisfied with Albert's performance and his podium. It wasn't easy, especially in his situation. New track and a particularly difficult one, not yet 100% fit from his hand injury, having missed almost all the preseason testing and having the added pressure of sharing scenario with the Formula 1. This is why yesterday's qualifying and today's podium has an added value. Both Albert and the team worked very well and they proved it. Keisuke did a good race too, but the position he started from was a serious handicap. Nevertheless, he maintained a competitive pace until the end and improved a lot his feeling with respect yesterday's practice. Thus allows us to face the next meeting a little more optimistic. Brno is another technical circuit and unknown for all of us but working the same way we did here, I believe we can manage another good result."

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