By choosing the prestigious Spa-Francorchamps circuit and the 12 Hours of Spa GT meeting, the Eurocup-3 organisers were hoping to launch the season with a bang. No doubt they weren't expecting to be subjected to the variable weather. And yet, on Thursday, private testing got things off to an enthusiastic start. For Switzerland's Dario Cabanelas, it was a beneficial day, as much for gaining experience as for gathering information.

"I didn't run much over the winter and it was important to build up the kilometres before really starting my season," said Dario. "I needed to get to know my environment better, the MP Motorsport team that has put its trust in me for 2024, my track engineer and all the other people around me. After all, I only contested four races in 2023 in Eurocup-3, so I'm still considered a rookie."

Unfortunately, the weather turned catastrophic on Friday in the Belgian Ardennes.

"The rain poured down. The organisers decided to cancel the two Qualifying sessions for safety reasons. The starting grid for Race 1 was set according to the results of Free Practice. The decision was a little unexpected, as Thursday's hierarchy was not really accurate. The drivers didn't all change to new tyres at the same time and we were more concerned with race preparation than with setting the fastest time possible. I ended up 8th out of 25 on the grid. This year, I'm aiming for the podium, so it was a bit frustrating not to have been able to fight for a better place".

As for the weather, Dario hadn't seen everything yet.

"Before we took to the track for Race 1, the weather seemed to have stabilised, even though we had to put on treaded tyres because the lines were still soaked. A few minutes before the start, we started to get hailstones, and then the rain started again. The start was given behind the safety car. It eventually pulled in, only to come back a lap later because of an incident in the pack. A new restart took place. Unfortunately, the downpour intensified and we ended up with a lot of aquaplaning due to the large amount of water on the circuit. Some drivers went off in front of and behind me, and it was getting really dangerous! Finally, the red flag was waved. The race didn't last very long and I was barely able to hold on to 8th place. In those conditions, it was really impossible to do any better, so the main aim was to avoid making any mistakes and bring the whole car back to the pits."

Unfortunately, Dario didn't get the chance to improve his position, as the safety conditions weren't always in place on Saturday morning for Race 2, which had to be cancelled.

"With all the weather and sporting ups and downs, it was clearly a tricky meeting, with the possibility of retirement due to running off the road never far away. So scoring points was important. For the moment, I'm 8th in the Championship and 2nd in the Rookies. It's a start, but it's clear that I hope to be fighting at the front very soon".

At the next Eurocup-3 race on the Red Bull Ring in Austria? Verdict from May 17 to 19...

About Dario Cabanelas

Dario Cabanelas made his debut in single-seater racing in 2021, as part of the French F4 Championship run by the FFSA Academy. Born on 21st July 2006, the young hopeful, who lives near Lausanne, quickly demonstrated his strong potential by finishing runner-up in the French Junior Championship and winning several races in his category. In his second year of F4 in 2022, he made it into the top 10 of the FIA rankings at just 16 years of age, finishing on the podium on several occasions.

A Swiss national, but also the grandson of a Spanish-Gallego emigrant, as well as having Ukrainian origins, Dario Cabanelas has always impressed with his strong determination. Fast and ambitious, he is fully committed to his goal of reaching the highest level of motor sport.

In 2023, Dario has decided to take things a step further by joining the highly competitive Eurocup-3 Championship midway through the season. Building on this experience, he has now signed up for the whole of 2024 in this prestigious competition with the MP Motorsport Team. Considered one of the top five Swiss drivers by his federation, the young driver has surrounded himself with a host of sporting and financial partners to continue his ascent.