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Barcelona - Race 2 Quotes

NEWS STORY
09/05/2010

Ocean Racing Technology - Fabio Leimer (1st) Max Chilton (16th)

Ocean Racing Technology started the GP2 Main Series championship on the right foot in Barcelona (Spain) this weekend by securing victory in the sprint race thanks to Fabio Leimer. The Swiss driver now sits in 2nd place in the drivers' championship, and the Portuguese team is 3rd in the teams' championship.

Fabio Leimer had an excellent start from pole position and led the race from the first to the last lap and at the half way mark was more than four seconds ahead of his nearest rival. At the end of the race Fabio had to to take it easy on his tyres, which were showing signs of wear, but it was not enough to make him lose his focus and he crossed the finish line to secure his debut win in the series, the second for Ocean Racing Technology after Spa-Francorchamps in 2009. "To finish my first GP2 weekend with a win is fabulous," Fabio Leimer said, "The car was perfect and it proves the team is doing an excellent job. Our aim is to stay among the best. It is a very special feeling for me and for all the members of the team because the GP2 Main Series is a very competitive championship and the best way to enter F1. I could not be happier."

Meanwhile, teammate Max Chilton endured a complicated weekend but the English racer adapted (well to the car and the team, his race pace getting stronger and stronger. Max Chilton finished the second race in 16th place but the fights he was involved in on Sunday showed that he has unquestionable potential. "I had a good start and the race was more or less like Saturday's. But I had some good fights and I think that some drivers found their match. I am really satisfied with my performance but it's clear it is impossible to secure a good result without a good position on the starting grid and that's what conditioned the whole weekend for me. The car keeps improving and Fabio did a great job with it. Congratulations to the team," Max Chilton said.

For the directors of the Ocean Racing Technology team, Tiago Monteiro and Jose Guedes, this victory confirms that all their hard work is starting to bear fruits.

"We could not possibly have a better start in the championship," assured Tiago Monteiro, "Fabio put on a performance worthy of a champion. He had to deal with tyre wear at the end and he proved to be very mature in spite of the experienced drivers who were chasing him. Max had an important race for his progression but we knew it was always going to be a difficult one because he was at the back of the grid. Tonight, Ocean Racing Technology is one of the most competitive teams and will keep fighting to secure good results."

ART Grand Prix - Jules Bianchi (DNF/12th) Sam Bird (9th/4th)

ART Grand Prix returns from the opening round of the 2010 GP2 Main Series, contested last weekend in Barcelona with six points and a lot of promise for the future thanks to Jules Bianchi securing the first pole position of the season and to some great come back drives from both Jules and his teammate Sam Bird, who qualified in third place on the grid for the first race.

After a difficult start for both drivers in race one Jules became the innocent victim in a first lap crash that left him spinning out of the event. Meanwhile, Sam was forced to take evasive action, going onto the kerbs and into the pits for a new nose. A series of fast laps soon followed and he drove brilliantly to work his way back to ninth place at the finish, one position shy of the top 8 and pole position for race two. However he did secure a point for his efforts after setting the fastest lap of the race.

Race two was always going to be a challenge for Jules who started in 22nd but the Frenchman got off to a storming start to move up to 12th by the end of the first lap. After that he became stuck behind experienced drivers and even had a moment when one tried to overtake him on the final lap.

Meanwhile, Sam was determined to get something more from the weekend, pulling off another brilliant display as he fought his way up to a superb fourth place by the end of the day.

ART GP now heads to Monaco for the second round of the season knowing the team and their drivers have the potential and everything it takes to secure poles and victories.

Jules Bianchi: From a mathematical point of view, it could not have been a worse start but there are a lot of positives. Firstly, the car is really fast. The team did a great job after the winter tests and both Sam and I showed we can deliver. I had my problems in practice but I worked really well with my engineer and qualifying was great; I was happy to offer ART Grand Prix this pole position for the first meeting of the season but I had a so-so start which got worse at the first turn. I was hit by several other cars and it was the end of my weekend but we'll be back in Monaco and I hope I will have a trouble free weekend this time to show what we are capable of.

Sam Bird: Qualifying went really well and we were optimistic going into the feature race. It's a shame that the first lap ruined our efforts. I tried to avoid other cars but it was just impossible and I had a damaged wing which destroyed our chances of winning the first race. The team did a superb job during the pit stop and the entire weekend. I had a winning car even though in the end we just couldn't win either race. At least we put on a good show and our level of performance is encouraging. I am totally relaxed in the team, we get along very well together and I'm a definitely a happy camper inside ART Grand Prix. I have never raced in Monaco but it should be awesome. I'm looking forward to it because I have always done well on street circuits.

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