British racer Will Stevens has opted to remain in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2014 with Strakka Racing.
The 22-year-old took five podiums with P1 by Strakka Racing on his way to 4th in the FR3.5 Series last year; however as he enters his third season in the category, he knows he must push for the title.
Commenting about his aims, Stevens noted “My goal is to be in F1, and having discussed this with the Caterham Racing Academy, we have decided the right route for me is to stay in Formula Renault 3.5 and win the Championship.
“I developed a great relationship with my engineer at Strakka last season and the consistency of continuing that, together with my experience in the Series, should provide me with the platform to achieve my objective.”
Last month Caterham announced their split from Arden International, with the Formula One manufacturer pulling out of the category altogether, leading to thoughts that Stevens would join Caterham’s GP2 effort – a belief given further credence when Stevens tested with the GP2 team in November.
See also: “World Series by Renault confirm 2014 FR3.5 entries (December 14th, 2013)”
However a decision to switch was eventually sidelined in favour of continuity – something that has been largely absent during Stevens’ career, as he explains: “We gave the switch to GP2 very serious consideration and I like the Series but I have never in my career had two consecutive seasons with the same team in the same category and the chance to do that and really build on the solid year we had in 2013 swung the decision.”
No official decision has yet been made regarding who will partner Stevens at Strakka.
