ART Grand Prix - Nico Hulkenberg (3rd) Sakon Yamamoto (14th)

ART Grand Prix and Nico Hulkenberg had a fantastic weekend in Qatar where the German driver dominated the inaugural night event, taking pole, his second consecutive start from top spot, fastest lap and the victory in Friday's feature race, becoming the only other driver besides series leader, Kamui Kobayashi, to take the hat trick. To make it an even better weekend all round for Nico, race two, where he started eighth on the grid and moved to fourth by turn two, resulted in a second podium finish when he crossed the line in third place after a fierce battle with Edoardo Mortara.

However, despite Nico's maiden win in just two races contested, it wasn't an easy weekend for the team because as Nico impressed, teammate Sakon Yamamoto was involved in a horrifying accident when he stalled on the grid of race one before being rear ended by another driver. Thankfully both men were uninjured but the team was forced to stay up all night repairing the damage to ensure his participation in race two. Starting P24 on the grid, the Japanese driver raced to fourteenth place by the time the chequered flag emerged, proving what could have been by clocking the sixth fastest time.

Sakon's performances should be rewarded by points in the next event, while Nico will step out of the car and allow, Pastor Maldonado, to contest the final two rounds of the Asia series and become accustomed to the team before kicking off the new GP2 main championship.

Sakon Yamamoto: "The most important thing is that none of the drivers involved in the horrendous car crash were injured. I stalled on the starting grid, this time it was entirely my fault as I just tried to make a good start a bit too hard. I was afraid I would not make the start of the second race but thankfully the mechanics and all the team worked incredibly hard all night long and I am really thankful for this. Better still, the car was perfectly balanced; they are the best team, no question! Starting from P24 I was always going to have a tough race but I must say it was enjoyable. I overtook cars every 2 or 3 laps and even 2 at the same time in turn 1. I can't say I'm satisfied by the result and I will do my best to give the team the results it deserves next time in Sepang."

Nico Hulkenberg: "To do better would have been difficult. When you have the power to convert a pole position in victory, the feeling is just amazing. Things were not easy though because my radio was not working properly and I could not clearly hear what the team was telling me. But the strategy was awesome and that's down to the team and my tyre wear management. I pushed hard when I needed to and came out of the pits in front. First win in my second GP2 meeting, the feeling is good. It was difficult in race 2 because there was more dust and sand on the track and I struggled with my left front tyre when I was behind Mortara. I did not want to overuse it so I could keep my chances alive and when I get through, the Campos drivers were too far away. I am satisfied with my results in the GP2 Series because I did what was expected from me and it gives me confidence for the Main Series."

Frédéric Vasseur : "With 17 points we're close to perfection and it is motivating for ART Grand Prix to secure its first win of the year. Nico was perfect with a hat trick and 2 pole positions in 2 races while still a rookie in the championship. We did not get it right in terms of tyre wear in Bahrain but we were very good in Qatar on a dirty and slippery track. It was not easy to overtake in Losail, yet Nico offered us another podium on Saturday. Race 2 could have been different had he overtaken Mortara on the second lap, but we can't have any regrets. The fact that Nico is 3rd in the championship, just 2 points shy of second, shows how big his talent really is."

DAMS - Jerome d'Ambrosio (7th) Kamui Kobayashi (18th)

This weekend the DAMS team took part in the 2 rounds of the Asian GP2 Series on the Losail circuit in Qatar, the 4th round of the championship.

Kamui Kobayashi and Jerome d'Ambrosio who were in 4th and 5th places on the grid had a very good Feature race yesterday. Despite a car that was damaged in a collision the Japanese driver managed to hold on to his starting place until the finish and added another 5 points to his tally. Jerome made the best comeback in the race. Thanks to an aggressive strategy, a very good piece of driving on his part and a perfectly executed pit stop, he pulled back several places and finished fifth.

Today, in the Short race the team did not enjoy the same success. Jerome finished the 1st lap in 7th place where he stayed until the end, as he was unable to move any further up the classification. Lady Luck did not smile on Kamui. He missed his start and was in 8th position after the 1st turn but his car's handling went off aft er a collision. He made a couple of mistakes and saw the flag in 18th position.

After the 4th round Kamui has held on to his lead in the drivers' classification (Jerome is fifth) and DAMS is still in 1st place in the teams' ratings, 16 points ahead of its nearest challenger.

Eric Boullier, team manager: "The team's recent performances led us to believe that we'd reap a rich harvest of points this weekend. We had to make do with a fourth and a fifth place, but these results enable us to keep the lead in both championships. We never really got into the groove on this rather special circuit, and we reckon we'll be back at our best in the next round."