2009 World Series by Renault

World Series by Renault

Industry	Motorsport
Founded	2005
Area served	Europe
Products	Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, Eurocup Mégane Trophy
Owner	Renault Sport

The 2009 World Series by Renault represented the fifth iteration of Renault Sport's comprehensive motorsport initiative, comprising three distinct championships: the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, and Eurocup Mégane Trophy. Competitions took place across seven different circuits, all offering complimentary access for spectators, highlighting its distinctive approach in the market.

The campaign commenced on 18 April at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona and wrapped up on 25 October at the Ciudad del Motor de Aragón in Alcañiz. The 2009 itinerary saw the replacement of Monza and Estoril with fresh venues at the Algarve circuit and Aragón serving as the finale location. Notably, Catalunya transitioned from hosting the final round in the previous year to opening the series this season. Additional events were staged in Belgium, France, Hungary, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Separately, the Formula Renault 3.5 Series also featured as a support category for two major standalone occasions: the Grand Prix in May and the endurance event, the 1000 km of Algarve, held in August.

Formula Renault 3.5 Series

At the start of the championship, pace was established by Marcos Martínez representing Pons Racing, who accumulated more points within his first two races than throughout his entire 2008 season, claiming victories in both Barcelona contests and an additional triumph at Spa-Francorchamps. He built a fourteen-point advantage over International DracoRacing’s Bertrand Baguette, who remained a strong contender despite not securing wins during the initial half of the season, achieving four podium finishes instead. Following the round at Hungaroring, Martínez and Baguette were level on points, which earned Martínez a Renault F1 test opportunity at Silverstone.

Martínez secured a fourth victory at Silverstone; meanwhile, P1 Motorsport’s James Walker moved up to second place in the championship standings following a podium finish at Silverstone and an earlier win at Spa. However, Martínez’s winning streak faltered subsequently; Baguette then claimed the championship lead after achieving two wins at Le Mans—a position he held onto to ultimately win the title. The contest for second place intensified after Algarve, with six drivers—including Walker, Carlin Motorsport’s Jaime Alguersuari, Martínez himself, Tech 1 Racing’s Charles Pic, Alguersuari’s teammate Oliver Turvey, and Ultimate Motorsport’s Miguel Molina—all separated by fewer than fifteen points. Ultimate Motorsport’s withdrawal following Algarve ended Molina’s participation.

Jaime Alguersuari made his Formula One debut with Scuderia Toro Rosso at Hungaroring before delivering his most impressive World Series performance at Algarve: securing pole position, winning the feature race, and finishing third in the sprint race to collect a total of 27 points. Baguette’s third victory at Nürburgring brought him close to clinching the championship; meanwhile, Hungarian winner Fairuz Fauzy emerged as a contender for second place through consistent strong results. Pic’s second victory of the season gave him a narrow lead over Walker and Alguersuari heading into Aragón; Martínez dropped to seventh after suffering four retirements over six races.

Baguette concluded the season with consecutive wins that comfortably secured his championship crown—finishing nearly sixty points ahead of runner-up Fauzy, who narrowly edged Pic by four points amid a five-driver battle for second place during the final weekend. Baguette’s remarkable consistency stood out: he scored points in fifteen successive races and captured five victories across the last eight rounds, amassing a commanding total of ninety points late in the campaign. Other race winners included Pasquale Di Sabatino from RC Motorsport and Jon Lancaster representing Comtec Racing.

Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0

The 2-litre Formula Renault season was primarily controlled by three young drivers: Albert Costa from Epsilon Euskadi, Jean-Éric Vergne representing SG Formula, and António Félix da Costa of Motopark Academy. Together, they claimed thirteen out of fourteen pole positions, twelve fastest laps, and twelve victories, with only Costa’s teammate Nathanaël Berthon and Félix da Costa’s teammate Adrian Quaife-Hobbs interrupting their supremacy. Costa started strong by winning the first four races on track; however, a gearbox failure at Barcelona cost him a win that was awarded to Berthon instead. Félix da Costa maintained consistent podium finishes throughout, while Vergne experienced a slow start. The championship lead shifted to Félix da Costa at Hungaroring after Costa retired in race one, which was won by Vergne.

At Hungaroring, Motopark’s Marco Sørensen earned his inaugural victory but was subsequently disqualified due to a technical infringement during Super Pole. This disqualification prompted Motopark to withdraw from the Eurocup and other Formula Renault 2.0 competitions. Sørensen’s penalty allowed Quaife-Hobbs to claim his first Eurocup victory.

Félix da Costa extended his championship advantage by winning at Silverstone mid-season. Vergne returned to competitive form by winning Silverstone’s second race after collisions eliminated both Costa and Félix da Costa from contention. At Le Mans, Vergne secured victories in both races, moving into second place overall behind Félix da Costa, with Costa in third. A critical moment occurred during Nürburgring’s Super Pole when Félix da Costa and Kevin Magnussen faced technical infringement appeals; Motopark’s appeal was rejected once more. Costa dominated the Nürburgring weekend with two poles, fastest laps, and wins, taking a vital points lead: Costa on 114 points, Vergne on 112, and Félix da Costa on 97.

In the closing rounds at Alcañiz, Félix da Costa won both events but required his rivals to falter to maintain championship hopes. Although finishing behind him, guest driver and 2009 Formula Renault UK champion Dean Smith was ineligible for points; thus, Costa’s third-place finish earned sufficient points to secure the title by a ten-point margin over Félix da Costa. Vergne finished sixth but tied on points with Félix da Costa; he claimed second place based on countback due to having an additional win. Quaife-Hobbs ended fourth overall after narrowly edging out Vergne’s teammate Miquel Monrás in their final race duel.

Eurocup Mégane Trophy

The Eurocup Mégane Trophy championship saw an intense contest between Mike Verschuur of McGregor by Equipe Verschuur and Jonathan Hirschi from TDS Racing. Hirschi began the season strongly by winning three of the first four races and held an approximate twenty-point lead over Verschuur, with Pierre Thiriet closely following behind. Verschuur missed the second Spa race due to an issue on the formation lap, allowing Hirschi to extend his advantage. At Hungaroring, Verschuur reduced the deficit despite finishing behind Boutsen Energy Racing’s Dimitri Enjalbert in both races. Hirschi was disqualified from the second race following collisions.

Enjalbert then achieved three consecutive wins at Silverstone, closing the gap with 48 points. Verschuur took over the championship lead for the first time after finishing runner-up to Enjalbert, while Hirschi dropped down to sixth place. Hirschi ended Enjalbert’s winning streak at Le Mans and reclaimed the championship lead by a narrow one-point margin over Verschuur. With four races remaining, only Enjalbert or Fabrice Walfisch could challenge if either leader faltered.

At Nürburgring, Enjalbert secured his seventh victory with a double win; however, Verschuur finished second in both events to regain the championship lead. Hirschi retired from race one there, giving Verschuur a comfortable fourteen-point cushion heading into Alcañiz. Despite limited scoring opportunities, Enjalbert remained within striking distance. Verschuur clinched the title by winning both races at Alcañiz, while Hirschi secured second place after Enjalbert retired during the final race. Walfisch finished fourth overall ahead of Thiriet. In the Gentlemen drivers category, Jean-Philippe Madonia dominated with nine victories.

Race calendar

• Rounds highlighted in light blue were excluded from the World Series but still contributed to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series championship standings.

... [Remaining calendar entries unchanged] ... Circuit Location Date Series Race winner Winning team Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Circuit de Catalunya Montmeló, Spain 18 April FR3.5 1 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Marcos Martínez Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Pons Racing FR2.0 1 Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Nathanaël Berthon Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Epsilon Euskadi EMT 1 Template:Country data CHETemplate:Namespace detect showall Jonathan Hirschi Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall TDS Racing 19 April FR2.0 2 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Albert Costa Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Epsilon Euskadi FR3.5 2 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Marcos Martínez Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Pons Racing EMT 2 Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showall Mike Verschuur Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showall McGregor by Equipe Verschuur Template:Country data BELTemplate:Namespace detect showall Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps Spa, Belgium 2 May FR2.0 3 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Albert Costa Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Epsilon Euskadi FR3.5 3 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Marcos Martínez Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Pons Racing EMT 3 Template:Country data CHETemplate:Namespace detect showall Jonathan Hirschi Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall TDS Racing 3 May FR2.0 4 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Albert Costa Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Epsilon Euskadi EMT 4 Template:Country data CHETemplate:Namespace detect showall Jonathan Hirschi Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall TDS Racing Icon Championship FR3.5 Formula Renault 3.5 Series FR2.0 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 EMT Eurocup Mégane Trophy } Formula Renault 3.5 Series Position Driver Team Points earned 1 Template:Country data BELTemplate:Namespace detect showall Bertrand Baguette Template:Country data PRTTemplate:Namespace detect showall International DracoRacing 155 2 Template:Country data MYSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Fairuz Fauzy Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Mofaz Fortec Motorsport 98 Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Mofaz Racing 3 Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Charles Pic Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Tech 1 Racing 94 4 Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Oliver Turvey Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Carlin Motorsport 93 5 Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall James Walker Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall P1 Motorsport 89 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Position Driver Team Points accumulated 1 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Albert Costa Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Epsilon Euskadi 138 2 Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Jean-Éric Vergne Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall SG Formula 128 3 Template:Country data PRTTemplate:Namespace detect showall António Félix da Costa Motopark Academy 128 4 Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showallAdrian Quaife-Hobbs Motopark Academy 83 5 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showallMiquel Monrás Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showallSG Formula 76 Eurocup Mégane Trophy Position Competitor Team Points Scored 1 Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showall Mike Verschuur Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showall McGregor by Equipe Verschuur 163 2 Template:Country data CHETemplate:Namespace detect showall Jonathan Hirschi Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall TDS Racing 136 3 Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Dimitri Enjalbert Template:Country data BELTemplate:Namespace detect showall Boutsen Energy Racing 120 4 Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Fabrice Walfisch Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Team Lompech Sport 88 5 Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Pierre Thiriet Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall TDS Racing 65