Zandvoort, NL, September 26/27 – MIM driver David Vidales took home another podium finish by clinching third place in the first round of the Formula Renault Eurocup weekend at Zandvoort. But equally worthy, and far more spectacular, was his effort in Sunday’s Race 2, which gained him a fourth-place finish, despite a final-attempt accident in qualifying that relegated him to P8 on the starting grid.

In Race 1, pulling away from the fourth slot on the grid, the 18-year old Spanish rookie quickly got past Petr Ptacek’s car and then managed his pace to gain his sixth podium place out of seven disputed races. The Sunday race was complicated by an off-track on the slippery Dutch tarmac in the morning qualifying session. Overtaking has always been difficult in the Renault one-make series, but David left nothing untried as he came round the iconic Tarzan corner, working his way past two rival cars. He immediately put pressure on Grégoire Saucy and hallway through the race managed to get a good tow and pass the ART driver for fifth. Later on, as rookie Paul Aaron disappeared from the race, Vidales inherited fourth place and came within 0.7 seconds of Franco Colapinto’s car, chasing him all the way to the finish line.

After disputing only four rounds in the Eurocup (i.e, two races short of his colleagues), the JD Motorsport driver runs a strong third in the overall series classification with a 60.points lest over second best rookie Alex Quinn.