“I actually love this observe,” says Franck Montagny of the Jerez circuit in southern Spain. “I keep in mind my chief engineer in Renault’s take a look at crew was all the time saying ‘if there was a championship of 15 races in Jerez, you might be world champion yearly’.”
The Frenchman by no means raced on the observe he picks out as his favorite, however relished each time he bought to drive it testing Components 1 equipment between 2002 and 2007. That’s simply as effectively, as a result of he accomplished simply shy of 5,000 laps of the circuit for Renault, Toyota and Power India, together with 2,312 excursions throughout 22 days in 2005 alone.
“It fits quite a bit the Renault automotive right now,” says Montagny, who began seven grands prix for Tremendous Aguri in 2006 when Yuji Ide’s superlicence was revoked. “It’s an outdated observe, bumpy, there’s no massive resort on the aspect, so I perceive that individuals don’t actually adore it. However I let you know, it was a magic observe. I all the time had loads of pleasure there.”
After internet hosting seven F1 grands prix between 1986 and 1997, Jerez had grow to be a preferred take a look at venue in the course of the period of unrestricted working within the early-to-mid 2000s. As Michelin tyre testing was sometimes the order of the day throughout Montagny’s spell at Renault, each in dry situations and moist when the observe was specifically sprayed, he was largely driving with new rubber and had “all the time full capability of the automotive” on the observe’s prevalence of medium and high-speed corners.
“It was actually cool,” says Montagny wistfully. “Jerez is ideal for an F1 automotive – it’s dry, sunny, scorching, you’ll be able to work simply and there are all of the corners you want to develop the automotive. It’s an ideal place and also you get the nice jamon!”
He singles out the “actually thrilling” double-left at Turns 7 and eight that observe the Flip 6 hairpin the place Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve famously got here to blows in 1997 as his favorite level of the circuit. The primary was taken flat, earlier than dropping one gear on the “demanding” second left that leads right into a sequence of right-handers interrupted by a chicane put in on the web site of Martin Donnelly’s horrifying accident in 1990.
Montagny believes Jerez has each mandatory characteristic for F1 automotive testing
Photograph by: Edd Hartley
Montagny’s first go to to Jerez in December 2002 was memorable. It marked the event of the 2001 Components Nissan champion’s first Renault take a look at outing, and he concedes that “particular feeling with Jerez possibly comes from there”.
Montagny was entrusted with sharing the working with the crew’s 2003 race drivers Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli plus reigning Components 3000 champion Sebastien Bourdais. Nonetheless, within the perception it was primarily motivated by a need for the crew to earn good publicity from the French press for supporting promising homegrown abilities, he didn’t pin his hopes on it translating into something concrete.
“I used to be not pondering anymore about F1,” says Montagny, who had plumped for Components Nissan after two unfulfilling seasons of F3000 in 2001 attributable to a scarcity of different choices. “All of the sudden they referred to as me to do this. It was like, ‘what?’ I used to be not relying on it, as a result of I knew it was faux.”
“Jerez is ideal for an F1 automotive – it’s dry, sunny, scorching, you’ll be able to work simply and there are all of the corners you want to develop the automotive”
Franck Montagny
He initially felt vindicated when Allan McNish was employed as Renault’s Friday driver for 2003. Though Montagny was additionally introduced into the fold as a tester, he was largely saved on the bench and didn’t drive the R23 till July.
“However ultimately, I used to be fallacious,” he says. “When you’ve gotten the chance to get in an F1 automotive, it’s a must to take it. You by no means know what can occur after.”
As Montagny wrapped up a second Dallara Nissan title, so his Renault mileage progressively elevated over the ultimate 4 months of 2003. He accomplished 12 days throughout Barcelona, Valencia and Jerez earlier than being appointed because the crew’s third driver for 2004, when he accomplished 54 days, 23 of which got here at Jerez.
Jerez is enshrined in Montagny’s thoughts as the primary observe he examined for Renault in 2002, which parlayed right into a extra common gig
Photograph by: James Moy
His final outing in an F1 automotive earlier than concentrating on sportscars with Peugeot additionally got here on the Spanish observe in December 2007, when Montagny joined Giancarlo Fisichella for an analysis with the newly-renamed Power India squad.
Christian Klien, Ralf Schumacher, Tonio Liuzzi, Giedo van der Garde and Roldan Rodriguez have been all subsequently rotated by the rebadged Spyker F8-VIIB to audition for the drive alongside former Renault man Fisichella that was finally retained by Adrian Sutil. Montagny recollects that a problem along with his seat on his first set of tyres thwarted his momentum.
Now an F1 pundit on French TV for Canal+, Montagny stresses that Jerez was a circuit he by no means uninterested in visiting. Now predominantly a motorcycle racing venue, it final held F1 testing in 2015 and staged a high-powered single-seater race when Components 2 and GP3 held a standalone assembly in 2017.
“It was a very good place, I don’t become bored with it,” he says. “I’m certain if I’m going again tomorrow, I shall be very happy.”
Montagny, pictured testing for Toyota in 2006, says he by no means uninterested in visiting the Spanish observe
Photograph by: Edd Hartley
