A busy racing weekend ahead for Alex Palou, David Vidales and Pascal Wehrlein
The first ‘summer break’ is finally over and all three Monaco Increase Management contracted drivers are awaited for a busy schedule in July, starting with next weekend. Their commitment this time will spread over three continents as David Vidales will race in Silverstone during the British Grand Prix weekend, while Pascal Wehrlein will be in Morocco for the Marrakesh Formula E-prix and Alex Palou will tackle the Mid-Ohio road course in Lexington for the ninth road of the Indycar racing series.
Vidales currently ranks tenth in the FIA Formula 3 points standings and will race in England off the back of his maiden victory in the series at Barcelona in May. The young Spaniard has trained intensively during these ‘off’ weeks and is looking forward to another good result for himself and Campos Racing. As for Wehrlein, he’s set to improve his 55 points tally which currently sees him in eighth place in the Formula E classification. Meanwhile, the 27-years-old German-Mauritian has trained his hand by shaking down the new Generation 3 Porsche car for next season. The 2.97 racing track in the historical Moroccan city has replaced the Vancouver event in the calendar and is notoriously demanding for energy consumption, with its 12 turns and three straights.
“I know the track well and I know what we need to be successful”, says Wehrlein. “My experience at the track definitely helps us. However, the 2019 race was in January and the 2020 race was in February – so the heat wasn’t nearly as intense as what awaits us this time. Efficiency will play a big role. The track shares similarities with Mexico and things went perfectly for us there”.
Finally, reigning Indycar Champion Alex Palou has begun his racing week on the 15-turn classic Mid-Ohio track by studying the circuit – where he landed on a safe third place last year – at the simulator. And speaking of ‘virtual driving’, Palou also teamed up with his friend and current Formula One champion Max Verstappen for a ‘sim’ 2-hours race on the iconic Spa-Francorchamps track. Verstappen-Palou came back from P50 at the start to a final seventh place-a good feat indeed, but Alex does hope not to have to charge through the field this weekend!
