In a weekend of mixed fortunes, we head into the final race before the summer shutdown with another point on the board, thanks to Pierre’s faultless defensive driving in the Belgian Grand Prix.

After suffering a technical issue the day before, Pierre didn’t put a foot wrong in tricky conditions and under immense pressure, he held firm to secure the final points-paying position of tenth. As our team prepares to make the 800-mile journey to the Hungaroring on the outskirts of Budapest, let’s take a look back at an eventful weekend at Spa.

Always in our hearts

The event began on a poignant note, with Pierre’s annual track run in memory of his dear friend Anthoine Hubert, who lost his life racing at Spa in 2019. Members of the F1, F2 and F3 communities came together on the start/finish straight on Thursday evening, wearing Racing for Anthoine t-shirts, to complete the 7km circuit on foot. Accompanied by Anthoine’s mother, Nathalie, Pierre paused at Eau Rouge to pay his respects, while the group also paid tribute to MP Motorsport racer Dilano van ’t Hoff.

Over the weekend, Pierre also wore a cap, which belonged to Anthoine from his days as a Renault Academy member in 2019. Additionally, both cars also raced at Spa with the name Darren Foster on their rear wing endplates. ‘Fergs’ was a well-liked and respected member of the team who worked in the composites department at Enstone.

Unlocking the potential in the A525

The Sprint format meant there was just a single one-hour practice session on Friday morning before heading straight into Sprint Qualifying. With a hard compound tyre two steps softer than the medium, the morning session was spent working on setup. Franco struggled with grip - locking up at La Source - and could only manage P19 in the afternoon’s qualifying session as the limited track time hampered his progress.

Pierre, too, faced limitations around the majestic Spa circuit. Working closely with his engineers, they opted to trim downforce to maximise straight-line speed. Despite a challenging middle sector to drive, Pierre squeezed into Q2 - admitting he might have been fortunate with a late yellow flag - and then delivered an excellent lap to reach Q3, ultimately lining up eighth on the grid.

On Saturday morning, Pierre and Franco headed to the Fan Forum in the FanZone and were welcomed by thousands of fans – largely French - who sang out La Marseillaise. As is a regular scene across races, many Argentina flags were dotted around, much to the joy of Franco.

On track, as the cars headed to the grid for the Sprint, Pierre suffered a water leak and unfortunately couldn’t make the start of the race. After some quick work from the mechanics, he was able to get going once the Sprint had started - using the laps effectively as an additional Practice session. Meanwhile Franco started the Sprint from the Pit Lane after we decided to take his A525 out of Parc Fermé conditions. He took a similar approach to gain mileage.

In between the Sprint and Qualifying, in FIA Formula 2, Alpine Academy driver Gabriele Mini clinched his second podium of the season with a well-managed race, climbing from P8 on the grid to P3 at the chequered flag.

In a quick turnaround, Qualifying took place in the afternoon and Pierre again progressed from Q1 and was satisfied with his Q2 lap, although he didn’t quite have the pace to reach Q3. On Franco’s side of the garage, he managed P15 on the grid, narrowly missing out on a spot in Q2.

Bright finish after a stormy start

Sunday dawned with typically wet Ardennes weather, and the heavy rain ultimately delayed the start of the Belgian GP by 90 minutes, with the race eventually beginning behind the Safety Car. Starting 13th, Pierre looked after his intermediates on the drying track and was one of the first to pit for new mediums on lap 12. That early stop proved decisive, helping him leapfrog drivers who waited another lap, as the slick tyre immediately offered better pace than the worn inters. Once the pit stops had played out, Pierre was running in 11th - just outside the points.

The key was looking after those tyres to the end, but in mid-race, Pierre was facing an attack from behind with Yuki Tsunoda, Oliver Bearman and the Aston Martins all on his tail. Yuki was within a second almost every lap, but thanks to the team’s decision to run a low-downforce setup, Pierre had the straight-line speed to stay ahead on the Kemmel Straight. When Nico Hülkenberg pitted for fresh tyres - as Franco did on lap 28 to cover Carlos Sainz’s stop — Pierre moved into tenth, then battled hard to keep Bearman at bay on the final lap.

Next stop: Hungary. A circuit where we've enjoyed success in the past - and one we’re looking forward to before the summer break.