Parry claims Pau Grand Prix pole with qualifying race win

Photo: World Series by Renault

Matt Parry led from start to finish in the first race of the Formula Renault 2.0 Pau Trophy, securing pole position for Monday?s Pau Grand Prix.

The Caterham junior driver topped the earlier qualifying session in wet conditions, edging out Bruno Bonifacio by 0.035 seconds.

With the track now dry enough for slicks, Parry held the lead at the start of the race while his Fortec Motorsports team-mate Jake Dennis moved up into second place past Bonifacio.

Parry ran away to a 7.4s victory.

?It was my first race here and it was a fantastic experience,? he said. ?The track was wet, which made it tricky. I improved as the laps went by and grew in confidence, while trying not to make any mistakes. If you run a bit wide, the tyre wall really isn?t far away. Tomorrow I?ll try to make an even better start and drive the same race as I did today.?

Dennis finished just ahead of fellow Racing Steps Foundation driver Oliver Rowland, who completed a British 1-2-3 after getting ahead of Bonifacio on lap eight.

?It was the first time we?d used slicks, and it worked out nicely for the team with this one-two finish,? said Dennis. ?It was a difficult race but I made a good start, which helped me finish second. It wasn?t easy to negotiate the traffic on this track, and I had to be patient despite the dangers.?

Rowland finished with experienced Pau driver Matthieu Vaxiviere on his tail, the Frenchman having also disposed of Bonifacio on lap 13.

?The pace was good, but it?s difficult to overtake at Pau,? said Manor MP driver Rowland. ?I?m pleased to have gained two places. Bonifacio made a mistake and I managed to pass him, as I had better traction. Vaxiviere was coming back strong, so it wasn?t worth attacking Dennis.?

Bonifacio finished ahead of Prema team-mate Luca Ghiotto, with Vaxiviere?s Tech 1 team-mates Pierre Gasly and Egor Orudzhev completing the top eight. Alfonso Celis finished ninth in the third Fortec car, with Tristan Papavoine a lap down in tenth after a spin.

Race results