Draco parts with both of its drivers in Formula Renault 3.5
Draco has parted company with both Bruno Bonafacio and Pietro Fantin ahead of the penultimate Formula Renault 3.5 round at the Le Mans Bugatti circuit this weekend
The Italian-based team will field a single entry for Brazilian GP2 racer Andre Negrao, the son of Draco's owner Guto Negrao.
"I am here to do some training, as there is a long gap between Monza and the next GP2 race at Sochi," explained Negrao, who made 48 starts in FR3.5 for Draco from 2011-2013.
"Bruno and Pietro aren't coming as the situation is, unfortunately, 'No money, no race'.
"I have quite a lot to adapt to again. Although I raced this [chassis] in 2012 and 2013, my engineer has been telling me how much it has changed.
"The tyres have changed again, and they have done a lot of work on the car.
"But I have raced at the Bugatti circuit back in 2009 in Formula Renault 2.0.
"As for the last race [FR3.5 race] in Jerez, it's very likely I'll be driving there also, but a decision hasn't been finalised."
Third-year FR3.5 racer Fantin led a large portion of the preceding round at the Nurburgring, but he lost out on a potential maiden win when a safety-car period disrupted his race.
Former Auto GP driver Nikita Zlobin will make his FR3.5 debut for Pons Racing this weekend. The Russian will partner Yu Kanamaru who made his first FR3.5 start at the Nurburgring earlier this month.
Formula Renault 3.5 set to join GT Open for much of 2016 calendar
Oliver Rowland wants to seal Formula Renault 3.5 title with wins
HPD boss "amazed" by GTP reliability on debut at Daytona 24 Hours
The boss of Honda Performance Developments has expressed his amazement at the high levels of reliability demonstrated by the all-new GTP prototypes in last weekend's Daytona 24 Hours.
Is AI ready to take over Formula 1 strategy?
The viral success of ChatGPT since its launch has lifted interest surrounding Artificial Intelligence to new heights.
Why WTR Acura lacked pace to beat MSR in Daytona 24 showdown
Filipe Albuquerque admits that he knew it would be a tall order for Wayne Taylor Racing to overcome sister Acura squad Meyer Shank Racing in last weekend's Daytona 24 Hours.
How MSR took Acura to the first win of sportscar racing's new era
After much anticipation, the new dawn for sportscar racing got underway with a result that mirrored last year's IMSA SportsCar Championship's season-opener run to the previous DPi rules. Here's how Acura once again took top honours in the Daytona 24 Hours with a 1-2 led by Meyer Shank Racing, as the new GTP class for LMDh hybrid prototypes made its bow
How the post-Renault 3.5 series is shaping up
When Renault ended its support of its 3.5 Formula, there were fears about the category's future. But as PETER MILLS explains, the rebadged FV8 3.5 series has retained an appeal to drivers
An era ended in 2015 as Renault withdrew its backing of Formula Renault 3.5. GLENN FREEMAN and PETER MILLS pick the 10 best drivers from the World Series by Renault years
The top 10 FR3.5 drivers of 2015
The 2015 Formula Renault 3.5 season will be notable for being the last with the French company's backing but also produced a worthy champion in Oliver Rowland. PETER MILLS evaluates this year's crop of drivers
Since 2005 the World Series by Renault package has launched a host of young stars on the path to Formula 1. But there's much more to the events, both on and off the track
The top 10 FR3.5 drivers of 2014
The field was perhaps not as strong as in the previous season, but Carlos Sainz Jr emerged as a worthy Formula Renault 3.5 champion. GLENN FREEMAN rates the top 2014 drivers
The top 10 FR3.5 drivers of 2013
There were some standout performances in the Formula Renault 3.5 title race this year, but one racer stood above all the others. GLENN FREEMAN looks back and picks out his top 10 drivers
The 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 grid guide
Last year's field was extraordinary and hard to match, but the Formula Renault 3.5 grid will still have plenty of talent this season. Glenn Freeman runs through the field ahead of this weekend's season opener
Vandoorne: future McLaren F1 star?
Landing the Fortec seat that took rising star Robin Frijns to the 2012 FR3.5 title was already a good sign for Stoffel Vandoorne. Then McLaren took him under its wing. Peter Mills tells Vandoorne's story so far
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.