Thanks to one victory and one podium in Austin, Cem Bölükbaşı is now leading the Formula Renault Esport Series ahead of the final round.
Cem Bölükbaşı was the sole representant of M2 Competition for the third round of the Formula Renault Esport Series taking place at the Circuit of Americas, Austin (Texas).
Race 1
The first qualifying session set the tone for the whole event, foreshadowing an intense battle between Cem and Victor Martins. Cem eventually tipped off the Frenchman for pole position. When the lights went out, Cem took a brilliant start, awarding him a comfortable lead after the first lap. However, he was overtaken by Martins in the early stages. Despite a late effort in the last laps, Cem could not retake the lead and finished right behind Martins.
Race 2
After claiming his fifth pole position in just six qualifying sessions, Cem lost a few places after a difficult start. Nevertheless, he managed to race back to the top and remained close to leader Victor Martins, swapping places several times throughout the race. He eventually pulled off a brave move in the last lap of the race to claim his third win in the series.
Cem Bölükbaşı, driver: “That was a fun one, also definitely not the easiest win of my career. I had an issue at the start but I managed to get back to P3 on lap 1. Then there was a good battle with Victor and I am quite happy with the win. Suzuka is going to be a difficult race, it’s highly technical but if we practice as we did with M2 Competition, I think we have a good chance of claiming the title.”
Jonathan Moury, Team Principal: “Cem did a tremendous job once again. 5 out of 6 pole positions so far is impressive and shows how quick he is. COTA is a complex track and the mandatory set-up was difficult to drive and to master, and on top of that Cem had a series of other commitments this week so the preparation was a lot more limited than the previous rounds. He now leads the championship and we will do everything to be up there at the last round next week.”
Thanks to this week’s performance, Cem is currently leading the series standings ahead of Victor Martins. The final round of the series will take place next week on 26th June at Suzuka (Japan).
