The Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya played host to the final two races of the 2018 Formula Renault Eurocup season last weekend. It was Thomas Maxwell’s last opportunity to pick up some all-important points to add to his impressive tally, which, as he has been doing all year long, he did with ease.

 

Qualifying has been an area of great improvement for Thomas over the course of the season. The last few rounds especially, he’s put in some stellar performances to see him lining up in a good spot on the grid. This weekend was no exception. In both qualifying sessions, he finished third in his group to put him in sixth for both Saturday and Sunday’s races. This was his best qualifying performance of the year and shows his improvements over one lap.

 

Some things don’t work out as planned in motorsport, and unfortunately for Thomas, race one was one of those times. He was forced to retire for the first time this year after some unlucky contact caused a puncture after running in a good position.

 

Race two more than made up for missing out on points the day before. Once again, Thomas started from a strong sixth position. He wasted no time gaining a place as he made a great move past his team-mate, Lorenzo Colombo, at the start to take fifth. It then became a case of seeing if he could maintain or better his position. He kept those ahead of him honest, all the while defending from the charging Colombo behind. The two had a great race long battle, going side-by-side at one point, but ultimately, it was Thomas who came out victorious. He finished the final race of what has been a hugely competitive season in fifth place, cementing his top ten status in the Driver’s Championship.

 

“Very happy to end the season off on a high with what I felt was our strongest round pace wise,” he said.

 

“We did a very good job in both qualifying sessions putting myself in the top 6 for both races.

 

“It’s good to finish the season off with a strong 5th. I feel that we’ve made very good progress over the year and we’ve shown that we’re top 5 material. We've definitely shown our consistency and maturity throughout the year as well as showcasing some great race craft"

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"As a driver I feel like I've developed and  come a long way just in this year. Whatever next year throws at me I know that I'm good enough to take it on."

 

“I’ve really enjoyed my time at JD Motorsport and they’ve been like a family for me, it's always tough saying goodbye after growing a good connection throughout the year.”

 

This has been a hugely impressive season for Thomas. Asserting himself as one of the most consistent drivers in the championship, scoring points at nine out of the ten rounds. His weekend was at the notoriously tricky Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, where he finished fourth and seventh respectively. He has consolidated his points tally with two fifth place finishes and a string of points from several finishes at the very top end of the unbelievably competitive field. Qualifying, as mentioned above, has also been an area of great improvement for Thomas, as he found himself consistently qualifying well within the top ten from midway in the season on wards. He accumulated 76 points to finish a fantastic tenth in the championship.