The Banbury-based outfit were denied an opportunity to showcase their pace last time out at the Hungaroring.
A triple points finish in the red-flagged opener then gave way to a triple non-finish, Alex Quinn suffering a mechanical fault and both Patrik Pasma and Frank Bird were wiped out at Turn 1 in other people’s incidents.
This weekend marks a return to the 2.89-mile Catalan circuit following pre-season testing earlier this year.
A strong showing by the team on that occasion provides a solid foundation to build upon, with a return to the podium the aim for all three drivers.
The race for third in the Teams’ Championship is also ‘one to watch’, with Arden now just 23.5 points adrift of JD Motorsport after making further inroads last time out.
Free Practice kicks off the action on Friday at 08:50 & 12:20 (BST), with Qualifying and Race 1 at 08:00 and 11:15 the following day.
That format repeats as usual on the Sunday, at 08:00 and 12:25 respectively. Sessions can be viewed live through the Renault Sport Series YouTube channel or Facebook page.
Ben Salter, Arden Formula Renault Team Manager said:
“We head to Barcelona this weekend feeling optimistic; testing went well back in pre-season and we’ve shown consistently in recent rounds that we’re a serious contender at the front.
“Patrik and Frank have been performing well all season, and it’s been really encouraging to see how well Alex has adapted to the Formula Renault with limited preparation. This weekend gives him one more chance to show everybody what he can do.
“The car itself is coming on leaps and bounds, which is a testament to the work the whole team is doing. If we keep going as we are, then there are certainly some stand-out results to be had before the end of the year.
“In truth, Hungaroring was a weekend that promised much, but delivered very little, but we can take some comfort in the knowledge we did all we could from our point of view – sometimes that’s motorsport. Everybody is certainly feeling motivated to put things right this time around.”
Patrik Pasma (#31) said:
“I have an exam on the Friday so I’ll miss both free practice sessions; going straight into qualifying on Saturday is going to be pretty difficult.
“But we had good pace in Barcelona during winter testing so I think we should still be up there.
“I’m a fan of the circuit, so hopefully we’ll get some more podiums this weekend.”
Frank Bird (#32) said:
“I’m really looking forward to Barcelona next weekend. Hungaroring was another step in the right direction and, even though the results didn’t show it, we had good pace all weekend.
“We had a pre-season test at Barcelona so we’ve got some data to work from, so we should be in good shape.”
Alex Quinn (#33) said:
“Going to Barcelona I’ve got no pressure on me and I just want to go out and do the best job for the team.
“The car has felt really good recently and I want to bring home some more trophies. Time for one last push to show people what I can do.”