Michael Lewis Stays with PREMA Powerteam to Compete In F3 Euro Series Championship
- May 25, 2012
Based on his stellar 2011 season the K&N sponsored driver and the PREMA Powerteam have agreed to another year together. Lewis returns to the Prema Powerteam to contest in the highly competitive 2012 Formula 3 Euro Series championship. Lewis will also compete in all the 2012 FIA Formula 3 International Trophy events, and this season Lewis is driving a Mercedes Benz-powered Dallara. "It is great to be back with PREMA Powerteam for another season in Formula 3," said Lewis. "With the hard work from Angelo Rosin and René Rosin at PREMA, and Mercedes-Benz, our engine manufacturer partner, I am excited to race in the prestigious Euroseries F3 championship. 2011 was an exceptionally good year in my first season of Formula 3, and I look to continue that progression with such strong entities as PREMA and Mercedes-Benz."
"Having Michael Lewis back with us was a priority after his excellent 2011 season in the Italian F3 Championship," said Angelo Rosin. "His move to the F3 Euro Series is a logical progression for him as well as for us. Michael is the kind of racer who can adapt to new situations pretty easily and I'm sure he won't have any problems in being at the top of the European level, too." Lewis kicked off his Formula 3 Euro Series campaign earning a solid 9th and 10th place finishes in Rounds 1 and 2 the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg circuit in Hockenheim, Germany. In Round 3 at the 4.574-km German race track, Lewis was eager to deliver an even stronger finish for the PREMA Powerteam in his Mercedes-powered Dallara F312. However, on lap 5 Lewis initiated an overtaking maneuver on the outside of a right-hand corner and slid up into the marbles and then flew off into the sand pit, ending his hopes for a strong finish in Race 3.
"I had a really good car and I was confident that I could get the results the PREMA Powerteam expected today," said Lewis. "I wanted to get up to the front and challenge for a podium finish. Unfortunately, I misjudged my line into the corner, which resulted in my drifting off into the sand trap ending my day at Hockenheim." As a result of his 18th-place finish, Lewis currently stands in 11th position in the 2012 Formula 3 Euro Series points standings. After the Round 3 race Lewis returned to his European home base of Baveno, Italy, and began preparing for the FIA Formula 3 European Championship event at the Grand Prix de Pau in Pau, France, contested last weekend May 11–13. As a result of Lewis' qualifying on Friday, the second best qualifying lap by each driver set the starting grid, placing Lewis in 14th for the start of Race 2. Understanding the difficulty of passing at Pau, Lewis knew the importance of getting a strong start and to try to pass as many cars as possible at the start and then keep pace with the lead pack.
When the lights went out on the starting grid, Lewis and his PREMA Powerteam Mercedes-powered Dallara F-312 vaulted from the 14th position on the grid into 11th place in just one-half lap. For the entire 40 minutes of the race and for all 31 laps Lewis remained right on the tail of PREMA Powerteam teammate Sven Muller's car. In fact, positions 6 through 11 were pretty much in a train, with each of the drivers trying to figure out a way to pass on the narrow street course. "I needed to have a good start because once everyone gets in a groove it is very hard to negotiate an overtaking maneuver and there is high risk here with every pass," explained Lewis. "My objective was to take it easy on my tires early on so I would be able to save them for the later stages of the race. However, all of us were going about the same speed and I knew that Sven had a good car, too, so I just wanted to be safe and get as many points as possible without the risk of making a mistake." On lap 7 Lewis posted the second fastest lap of the race at 1:11.967, illustrating just how strong all the PREMA Powerteam cars were for this event. Lewis' teammate Raffaele Marciello won the race, leading every lap, while another PREMA teammate Danni Juncadella finished 4th, and Sven Muller finished 10th. Next Lewis will travel to another FIA camp in Vienna, Austria, before heading to England on Thursday for Round 2 of the Formula 3 Euro Series race at the Brands Hatch Circuit. This will be a combination event featuring both DTM and Formula 3 Euro Series cars. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
