Walker took second, holding off Turvey, although he conceded it wasn't easy: “After qualifying I was disappointed not to be on pole position, but in the end I'm very pleased today,” said James.

“This is a good weekend and I now go second in the overall standings, that is perfect. The end of the race was difficult because Oliver Turvey came back really strong. I managed to hold him off, but it was very complicated.”

“Two podiums, in front of such a big crowd, it's perfect,” added Turvey. “James didn't make an error, so impossible to get past him. I'm not thinking about the title, it's my first season.

“I'm here to learn. I'm savouring every result and we will then see what happens.”

Further down the order Fauzy was fourth, followed by Baguette, Martinez, Sten Pentus and Daniil Move. Sixth for Martinez was enough to keep him top in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series championship, but Walker is now second and only six points behind.

The World Series by Renault now continues in two weeks time when the competitors head to France.