Double victories for Carlin in Spa and Silverstone

Carlin took two simultaneous victories today, as the team's Formula Renault 3.5 and British Formula 3 squads raced in Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone respectively. Mikhail Aleshin and James Calado both drove stunning lights to flag victories in their respective races to cross the line at exactly the same time 400 miles apart.

James Calado (GBR) Carlin Dallara Volkswagen Credit: British F3

Starting race three of the season from pole position this afternoon, Mikhail Aleshin looked strong to build on his Formula Renault 3.5 victory in Spain two weeks ago. The Carlin man made a strong start, and had pulled open a one second lap by the end of lap one. Team mate Jake Rosenzweig was also on the pace and had moved up to 14th place on lap four from his 19th place grid slot. At the front, Aleshin saw his lead come under threat from a charging Brendon Hartley, but the Russian maintained a steady gap until Hartley retired on lap 17 with a mechanical issue. Behind the leaders, Rosenzweig was involved in an intense midfield battle, but went on to cross the line in 14th place. Ahead of him, Aleshin went on to take his second victory of the season with a comfortable seven second margin.

Back in the UK at Silverstone meanwhile, James Calado was lining up in pole position for race three of the Cooper Tires British F3 season following an impressive performance in qualifying this morning. Following an obscure incident on the grid on the formation lap, the race at Silverstone finally got underway, with Calado making the perfect start from the front of the grid. Jean-Eric Vergne also made a stunning getaway to catapult into third place from his fifth placed grid slot. The Red Bull driver was soon under attack from Daisuke Nakajima however, and after a short battle wheel to wheel, fell in behind the Japanese racer for fourth place.

Calado meanwhile came under pressure mid way through the race from second placed man Oliver Webb. By lap eight the gap between the two were nose to tail, but Calado kept his cool in a mature drive to pull away slightly in the closing stages and crossed the line to take his first win the championship. Behind the leaders, the order remained relatively unchanged, with Vergne in a solid fourth place, Jazeman Jaafar laying seventh, Adriano Buzaid ninth, Rupert Svendsen-Cook eleventh and Lucas Foresti 14th.

Formula Renault 3.5 race winner Aleshin said, "I'm really happy to win again today, the team have done a great job, the car felt fantastic throughout the race. I made a good start and then [Brendon] Hartley closed in on me, but I just controlled my own race and did my job. I just stayed focussed and then he retired with a problem I think, so from then on I had quite a decent lead until the end of the race. I'm very happy; this is a really good result for the team."

Speaking about his maiden victory in British F3, Calado said, "It was a tough race, but I'm absolutely delighted. Tyre wear was a real issue today, and I think that was one of the reasons I lost some pace in the middle of the race which allowed Oli [Webb] to get so close. For about three laps he was trying to make a move, but I think I was quicker in the first sector which allowed me to keep just ahead. Then I think he must have made a small mistake as I was able to pull away a bit and once the tow was broken I was able to keep the lead and take my first F3 win!"

A delighted Trevor Carlin added, "To take two victories in two races simultaneously is an absolutely incredible achievement for Carlin and it shows the quality of people we have in every area of the team. Six out of seven wins so far this season in two different categories is extraordinary by anyone's standards."

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