Tatuus iMagazine

36 Lorenzo Colombo, currently third in the Renault Eurocup championship and competing with the new Tatuus single-seaters made under the FIA F3 rules, collected three victories and two poles in the last four races held between Le Castellet and Spa. He is getting back in touch with the leaders of the championship Victor Martins and Oscar Piastri in the general classification. If the French and the Australian have 147 points, he has 134 and there are still 10 races to go. Unlike the two main contenders for the title, Colombo is one of the very few drivers whose careers have taken place entirely with Tatuus-built racecars. Lorenzo entered the Italian F4 championship, then the F.Renault 2.0 and finally the current Renault Eurocup, all single-make championships using the Italian Machinery. Colombo talks about his experience with Tatuus cars, now in its fourth year. «The route I took from F4 to the current Renault Eurocup F3, passing through Renault Eurocup 2.0, was an incredible training journey. I raced for two seasons with BhaiTech in the Italian Formula 4 Championship, with Tatuus cars, to constantly refine my driving style. I found it a very valuable “school car” because, although it might seem easy to drive, you have to be extremely capable to reach the limit and be fast on all tracks» How did things change in the step to a new series? «In the following step, with the Tatuus Renault 2.0 of JD Motorsport, I kept the basic driving style I learned in F4, but the big difference was represented by the cornering speed that this 2.0- litre car was able to achieve thanks to remarkable aerodynamics. This led me to push further than the F4, finding new limits. I must say that I immediately felt great chemistry with this machinery». The third‐year was in Renault Eurocup… «In my opinion, Tatuus did a great job in following the FIA regulations. This car is a constant challenge to understand in terms of how to drive it because it is much heavier than the previous ones and has more power than the 2.0 litre Tatuus, going from 220 to 280 horsepower in the Renault engine. Even the Hankook tires, compared to the previous Michelin tires, are different because, with the new tire, you have less side grip. Then, when they get more worn out, they are almost similar, but the difference is clear when the rubber is fresh. With the new Tatuus Renault Eurocup, it took me a while to get the right pace, but in the end, I made it. I believe that the training with Tatuus was fantastic and allows me to look to the future, to the major series, with some peace of mind for what I could learn and what they taught me. It is an important training ground because of the difficult cars to drive and they ask the driver a lot, making the difference between those who are worthy and those who are not. For the teams, it was a great challenge as they needed to find the right basic set-up for the various tracks and so far my MP Motorsport crew has done an excellent job». by Massimo Costa Renault Eurocup Colombo: «A learning journey that gives you confidence for the future»