Louis Delétraz – Switzerland, 18
Eighteen-year-old Louis Delétraz is the youngest of the Renault Sport Academy members. If his surname does ring a bell, that’s because his father Jean-Denis took three starts with F1 minnows Larrousse and Pacific in 1994/95 and went on to secure a pair of class wins at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Having graduated from the 2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup with a win in the Grand Final, Delétraz Jnr then spent a formative year in Formula Renault NEC 2.0 with front-running squad Josef Kaufmann Racing. In 2014, Louis returned to the series and finished a close second, while also making select appearances in Eurocup.
The Swiss youngster entered the 2015 season with high ambitions and a full dual programme in NEC and Eurocup. Delétraz immediately stamped his authority on both categories with multiple wins across the opening weekends.
If you would have asked anyone in the World Series paddock before the summer break, he or she would have told you that Louis looked like a surefire champion such was his lead at that time. However, a mix of bad luck and drop in performance, compounded by Aitken’s storming recovery meant Delétraz had to settle for second in the championship.
The Swiss ace never took his foot off the gas in NEC though, racking up an impressive nine wins and 12 pole positions to comfortably edge team-mate Kevin Jörg. 2015 also saw Delétraz make his Formula Renault 3.5 Series debut with Comtec Racing at Red Bull Ring in the middle of summer.
In 2016, Delétraz is graduating full-time to Formula V8 3.5 with reigning Teams’ champions Fortec Motorsports, where he will partner another driver bearing a famous surname in Pietro Fittipaldi - the grandson of two-time F1 world champion Emerson.
Just like Renault’s new third driver Esteban Ocon remains under Mercedes management, Delétraz is still linked to BMW despite joining the French constructor’s young driver programme.
What is the philosophy behind the Renault Sport Academy?
“For this new scheme, Renault has focussed on drivers who have climbed through the ranks of their own championships, which are very high-level series in my opinion. That’s a very nice reward.
How do they help you?
“Renault provides some financial and marketing support. I don’t have all the details yet because that’s only the beginning but they are very motivated to train their young drivers and bring them to Formula One.
What is your relationship with Renault like?
“I started competing in Formula Renault 2.0, and now I’ve moved up to V8 3.5 and who knows, maybe in one year or two, I’ll be in F1. That’s really their target. To select their own pool of talents and help them on their ascent to the top.
“I was on Renault's radar after winning NEC and challenging for the title in Eurocup last year. They have a good relationship with BMW so I can carry on with them as well, but the Renault programme is the priority.”
