René Binder replaces Nobuharu Matsushita in Austria

ART Grand Prix found itself in the uncomfortable situation of losing one of its drivers since the stewards in Baku deemed that Nobuharu Matsushita had endangered his competitors during the various safety procedures.

Under the obligation to field two drivers at each event, ART Grand Prix had little time for this interim replacement. The French team eventually chose René Binder, who is well acquainted with the discipline, having participated in it over the past three seasons before switching to Formula 3.5 this year. He is experiencing more success there, currently holding fourth place in the championship with two podium finishes to his credit.

The Austrian therefore has the opportunity to race in front of his home crowd with one of the best teams on the grid: “First of all, I would like to thank ART Grand Prix for this great opportunity to entrust me with their car during my home race in Spielberg. I love GP2 but I haven’t explored all of it yet. I’ve always said that if I had the opportunity to drive for a top team during the season, I wouldn’t hesitate to take on the challenge.”

But one might wonder (or regret) that ART Grand Prix did not seize the opportunity to let Esteban Ocon race, especially since the Frenchman is traveling to the Austrian mountains anyway as Renault’s reserve driver. Moreover, after winning the GP3 title with the French team, he now carries their colors in DTM…

From our special correspondent in Spielberg

With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr