09/06/2006
NEWS STORY
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Local heroes Adam Carroll (right) and Lewis Hamilton will line up on the front row of the GP2 series grid for tomorrow's race at Silverstone after posting times just 0.004 seconds apart in a close-run qualifying contest. The quickest lap of the session, however, was set by Nelson Piquet Jr, but the Brazilian will start fourth tomorrow as a penalty he received for overtaking under yellow flags in this morning's practice session means he loses his best time of the afternoon.
Adam took control from the outset, setting a 1:29.104 on his first flying lap to lead the first half of the qualifying session. Lewis challenged, but it was a rejuvenated Timo Glock at his new birth of iSport International who was looking like the biggest challenger to the Racing Engineering driver. Nelson meanwhile was having a torrid time, spinning an ill-handling car and spending much of the first 15 minutes in the pits. He knew he would need at least two very fast laps to be anywhere near the front of the grid following the Stewards' decision to dock his fastest lap.
Fired up and determined that's exactly what he did, eventually taking top spot from Adam on a 1:29.029. His second quickest lap however was a 1:29.160… quick, but not quick enough. For while Fairuz Fauzy had crashed heavily, and the BCN pair of Hiroki Yoshimoto and Luca Filippi had ended their days early, the ART Grand Prix boys had been tweaking their rides and Lewis had set a time just 0.004 seconds off Adam's best, which remained his first flyer of the day. Alex Prémat popped up to third on a 1:29.134 and so Nelson was pushed down to fourth.
With the front two rows assembled after Nelson's penalty had been imposed, the rest of the top ten caused just as much intrigue. Timo will start from a season best grid placing of fifth, followed in sixth by the continually impressive Andreas Zuber for Trident Racing. Lucas di Grassi completed an excellent afternoon's work at Durango to line-up seventh with Andreas' team-mate Gimmi Bruni eighth, Clivio Piccione ninth for DPR Direxiv and Petrol Ofisi FMS International's Giorgio Pantano tenth.
With the top 14 drivers covered by less than a second, tomorrow's race once again promises to be a thrilling contest. Come tomorrow afternoon, the Silverstone crowds look set to have a tough choice – either watch the England football team play their first match of the World Cup, or witness at first hand two of their country's brightest and most exciting young driver talents fight it out for a race win on home soil, and from the front row.
1st Adam Carroll – Racing Engineering: I like driving here, and I knew we could come here and do well. We've been creeping up to the front, and I know the results haven't been there but we've been getting much better. It's really, really good for everybody.
2nd Lewis Hamilton – ART Grand Prix: I didn't even know what times had been done, and the last time I checked the board I was fifth, but it was extremely close.To be on the front row is great for me, and it's even better to have two British drivers on the front row at our home race.
3rd Alex Prémat – ART Grand Prix: But I think the second row is alright for tomorrow, and I will push really hard because the race is really long, and we need to keep the tyres during the whole race.