Only four drivers are still in the running to take the first ever World Series Formula Renault 3.5 title: Robert Kubica (Epsilon Euskadi), Adrian Valles (Pons Racing), Tristan Gommendy (KTR) and Markus Winkelhock (Draco Multiracing USA). Safe in the knowledge that he will go away from Portugal still leader whatever happens, Robert Kubica is the only one who can put an end to the suspense this weekend.After thirteen of the seventeen races on the 2005 calendar, Robert Kubica is in an ideal position to win the championship which he has led right from the outset. With twelve points finishes, eight podium finishes and four wins, the Polish driver's track record is clearly a cut above that of his rivals. A closer look at the figures reveals just how big the gap is: the Epsilon Euskadi driver has a lead of 44 points over his closest rival!
With 34 points up for grabs this weekend, Kubica is sure to go into the final round at Monza as leader. But he could also take the title in Portugal and go to Italy in style. To do that, he will have to score 24 points here this weekend. That's a difficult challenge, given that it has only been achieved six times this season.
In contrast to Kubica, his rivals do not have the luxury of simply being able to control proceedings: they will have to win everything, or pretty much, to remain in with a chance when the Championship moves onto Monza. After a very consistent start to the season, Adrian Valles went through a bad patch from Le Mans to Oschersleben. But after taking his first race win in Donington, the Spaniard seems to have new-found momentum. As a result, he has moved back into second overall ahead of Tristan Gommendy.
The Frenchman was the one to suffer most from the trip over the Channel. In failing to build on the promising form shown in testing, the KTR driver dropped a lot of points. He now lies in third, nine points behind Valles.
While he is mathematically still in with a chance of the title, Markus Winkelhock harbours no illusions of Championship glory. After his win in Donington, a more realistic target for the German is a place on the final podium.
But he is by no means the only one in the hunt for a finish in the top three in the overall standings. No longer a serious threat to Kubica since Bilbao, the Australian Will Power (Carlin Motorsport) has had a bad run over the last four races. But he can never be ruled out as a potential race winner! His teammate Andreas Zuber is another one in with a good chance of grabbing a race win between now and the end of the season.
Christian Montanari (Draco Multiracing USA) and Damien Pasini (Cram Compétition), who both had podium finishes in Donington, will want to show that it was no fluke. But competition in the field is very fierce and no-one is going to give an inch without a fight: Jaap Van Lagen (KTR), Simon Pagenaud (DHG Saulnier Racing), Felix Porteiro (Epsilon Euskadi), Colin Fleming (Jenzer Motorsport), Alx Danielsson and Pastor Maldonado (Dams) are just some of who will be looking to get a taste of the champagne!
Eurointernational meanwhile continues to work with Fabio Carbone, who looked very promising at Donington for a newcomer to the category. At Victory Engineering, Danilo Dirani – a recent recruit to the BAR team's young driver programme – also continues to cut his teeth in WSR. At Cram Compétition, Eric Salignon is replaced by Benjamin Hanley, who already looked impressive at the wheel of a Formula Renault 2.0 in his first ever season in competitive motorsport! And Patrick Pilet is finally to get back behind the wheel of a Formula Renault 3.5: the Frenchman teams up with Milos Pavlovic at GD Racing.
