27/04/2008
NEWS STORY
DAMS - Kamui Kobayashi (Winner) Jerome d'Ambrosio (15th)
Today, DAMS won the second race in the GP2 Series Championship held on the Barcelona circuit. Kamui Kobayashi started from pole and scored a telling victory in the curtain raiser for the Formula 1 Grand Prix, receiving a warm round of applause from the whole Panasonic Toyota Racing team at the foot of the podium. Kamui also set the fastest lap of the race. The Japanese was passed by Sebastien Grosjean at the halfway mark, but got back in front when Grosjean was penalised by the Stewards due to a dangerous manoeuvre. Jerome d'Ambrosio started from 22nd place on the grid and fought his way up to 15th. He took advantage of the race to rack up experience in the car.
With 7 points DAMS is in 4th place in the teams' classification. Kamui Kobayashi has 8 points after scoring twice this weekend and is 4th in the drivers' ratings only 3 points behind the leader.
Eric Boullier, team manager: "We were a bit disappointed after qualifying yesterday but the team did a great job and turned the tables. It's this kind of reaction that makes all the difference in a championship. DAMS is certainly one of the most competitive outfits in the opening races of the GP2 Series. We'll do everything possible to confirm this in the coming events. Congratulations to Kamui for his perfect drive!"
Kamui Kobayashi: "By opening the season with a victory I've made the best possible start to the championship. The car's been competitive all weekend and I've scored points on two occasions. We've shown that we're among the front-runners. It's all very positive and I'm champing at the bit to increase my tally in the next race."
Jerome d'Ambrosio: "Starting from so far back it was impossible to score points without a major upset. I took advantage of the race to gain experience and it's been a success from that point of view. I was among the quickest up to the very last lap. I feel more and more at ease in the car, and I reckon I can make it into the top ten in qualifying provided that everything goes off as planned."
Jean-Paul Driot, Team Principal: "I'm happy with the opening weekend. We've continued the surge begun in the Asian GP2 Championship this winter and started our 2008 campaign with a victory. Bravo to the whole team. We're going to redouble our efforts to improve our performance before the next race."
Racing Engineering - Giorgio Pantano (3rd) Javier Villa (6th)
Today's Sprint Race at Barcelona saw a great result for Racing Engineering with both drivers finishing in the top six and scoring points. Giorgio Pantano continued his great run from yesterday with an intelligent drive and using all his experience he took a very close third place while once again Javier Villa kept his head and calmly moved up from 14th on the grid to finish an excellent sixth.
It was a clean start to the Sprint Race although Giorgio was hampered slightly by the car in front being slightly slower away but he still managed to take 4th place right on the gearbox of Buemi as the cars dived into the first corner. Javier also made a good start and was fortunate to avoid a spinning Chandhok, at the end of the first lap he was already up to 11th. Giorgio was trying everything he could to pass Buemi and tried to outbreak the Swiss driver into the first corner on lap 3 but wasn't quite close enough.
Javier was continuing his progress through the field as he moved up to 10th on lap two and then 9th on the fourth lap. Giorgio continued to put pressure on Buemi as he clearly had the faster car but he also had to keep a close eye on the 5th placed Petrov who was right behind him.
Javier was beginning to close in on the group of cars ahead of him that were battling over 3rd to 8th but he also had to be careful of the chasing Valsecchi but the young Spaniard was driving quickly and not making any mistakes. Lap 11 saw Giorgio continuing his fight to take 3rd place taking every opportunity to close in on the third placed Arden car and constantly keep the Racing Engineering car in Buemi's mirrors. A little further back Javier continued to close on the group ahead and by lap 12 he was only 1.5 seconds behind.
For the next eight laps the positions remained static other than the retirement of Petrov that moved Javier up to 8th but up ahead the two Piquet cars of Maldonado and Zuber were fighting each other for position and on lap 17 and then again two laps later the two cars made contact allowing Javier to close right in on them.
Lap 20 saw the Safety Car out on track as a spinning car was stranded on the track and as it pulled off the track on the following lap and the cars were up to speed again the two Piquet cars hit each other again. Javier took immediate advantage and passed Zuber and then dived inside Maldonado but the second Piquet car made contact with him and in the confusion Valsecchi passed the Racing Engineering car.
Lap 23 and everything changed as race leader Grosjean was penalised with a drive-through penalty moving everybody up a place. Three laps later and the chequered flag was waved and Giorgio crossed the line in an excellent third place and a delighted Javier came home sixth to see both the Repsol/Telefónica supported cars scoring points.
With such a great result for Racing Engineering both drivers can look forward to the next round in Turkey in two weeks time with more podium positions and a race win within the scope of both drivers.
Alfonso de Orleans Borbón (team principal): "I'm very happy with the results; both drivers did an excellent job today. Third, both, in the team and driver championship, I couldn't have asked for anything better. Thanks to all the boys as they have worked hard to make this possible."
Javier Villa: "Today everything went much better. I had a good start and also the first laps of the race went well. We had a good rhythm throughout the entire race, although towards the end I had a little contact with Maldonado, which made the last laps a bit difficult. I think we all learned a lot this weekend with the new car and it will help us with the upcoming races."
Giorgio Pantano: "For all of the weekend I think we did quite well. We nearly did the job, good for me and the team as we learned each from each other. That's important as we will improve more than we did this weekend. I am sure from next race on we will fight for victory."
iSport Intl - Bruno Senna (4th)
Bruno Senna shares top spot in the GP2 Series after two strong drives at the Circuit de Catalunya. Having taken a patient second place in yesterday's feature race, the iSport racer started this morning's sprint from seventh on the grid and eased his way up into fifth at a circuit where passing is notoriously difficult. When leader Romain Grosjean was penalised for a driving infraction, in the wake of a late-race Safety Car period, Bruno moved up to fourth and missed a second straight podium finish by less than a second. He leaves Barcelona with a share of the championship lead as teams prepare for the next event, in Istanbul, Turkey on May 9-11.
Bruno Senna: "This has been a good weekend. We underlined our pace and proved we have the ability to mount a championship challenge, so I couldn't really ask for more. My goal today was to make up as many places as possible without taking any risks, and I did exactly that. I had a scare on the opening lap – Andreas Zuber chopped across in front of me and I had to back off or I'd have pushed him off the track. After that I just drove at a controlled pace. There wasn't much I could do about the guys ahead and those behind weren't quick enough to catch me, so I just concentrated on not making any mistakes.
"I had a few problems with my gearbox during the second part of the race – it missed a few upshifts and some of the downchanges were quite abrupt, but overall I'm absolutely delighted with the way things have gone. It gives us an excellent platform for the rest of the season."
Super Nova Racing - Alvaro Parente (7th) Christian Bakkerud (DNE)
The final days racing in the first leg of the 2008 GP2 Main Series took place today in beautiful sunny conditions with a grid of 25 out of 26 cars lining up for the start at 10:30 am this morning. Unfortunately, Christian Bakkerud was unable to race for Super Nova today after his plaguing back injury reappeared during yesterday's feature race and forced him to pull out 17 laps before the end.
As Alvaro Parente triumphantly claimed first place on the podium yesterday, he started the race 8th place on the grid this morning. After the first few laps he had dropped back to 12th but he drove a steady race and kept going despite a few incidences on track which included the safety car coming out on one occasion.
However, he kept a cool head and moved up the field during the race and finished a creditable 7th place missing out on a point by just one position. However, his superb efforts this weekend has gained Super Nova 11 points giving them the joint Championship lead heading into the second round in Istanbul, Turkey in two weeks time.
Team Principle David Sears: "After Alvaro flat spotted the front tyre early on in the race it was always going to be difficult to claim any more points this weekend. In fact Alvaro was so close to 6th place but it was awarded to Villa. However, due to Grosjean collecting a drive through penalty and other leading drivers from yesterday's race not finishing Alvaro is still jointly leading the championship.
Christian Bakkerud could not take part due to his back injury from yesterday and he will be going to hospital for full scans tomorrow and the team will then make a decision as to whether or not we need to find a replacement driver for the next race in Turkey in two weeks time".
Alvaro Parente: "My start was not too bad and I kept my position on the first four corners. However a bit further on I was touched by another car and lost a few places as a car spun in front of me. I had to break hard which wasn't great because by doing this I had a flat spot on the front right and I lost a bit of pace and traction compared to yesterday. After the safety car went out, there was a bit of confusion and I managed to make up a few positions. It was a real shame I didn't make it across the line in 6th as I was very close".
Trident Racing - Mike Conway (8th) Ho Pin Tung (14th)
After the bad break experienced yesterday, Trident Racing finally brought the two team's car to the finish on the second race of the weekend at Barcelona. Mike Conway ended up in 8th after completing several passes with no mistakes, while Ho Pin Tung paid a spin happened at lap 8 that forced him to restart from 22nd after climbing up to 14th. It was a reasonably good day for Trident, that finally allowed the staff to see their true potential, undisclosed until now after yesterday's double DNF at lap 1.
Mike Conway: "Today's goal was to complete the race, and we eventually met i. My arrival position was beyond expectations, especially thanks to a good start, that allowed me to gain several positions. I lost some valuable time at the back of Hanley, who was slower than me everywhere but in the second split. I only managed to get past in the closing stages, as I'm satisfied with the result. I look forward to Turkey, where we'll be focused to run at the top since qualifying".
Ho Pin Tung: "I made a great start, and I was also able to take some places in the initial stages. At lap 2 I had a gearbox problem while downshifting, and I was passed by Hanley, but i managed to stay cool and keep a good pace. In the final part of the race, I committed a mistake and ended up spinning, moving to the back of the pack. I'm pleased with the improvements shown since the offseason and I'm very looking forward to the following races".
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Managing Director: "Today's race was quite positive for both our drivers. Mike managed to enter the top-10 by driving both cleverly and aggressively. Unfortunately he lost a lot of time behind Valles, who was fast but stopped him a bit at midpoint. Without this inconvenience, he would have been able to end up in the points zone. Ho Pin drove a good race, with a good sequence of laps, though a spin prevented him from entering the top-10".
Fisichella Motor Sport International - Adrian Valles (14th) Roldan Rodrigues (DNF)
Fisichella Motor Sport International's will head into the second round of the 2008 GP2 Series in Turkey in a fortnight's time determined to score well after a disappointing opening round in Barcelona.
It looked to be a strong weekend for the Italian outfit when Adrian Valles posted the sixth fastest time in qualifying on Friday, setting him up for a third place grid slot for Saturday's main race. However, with the safety car deployed on the first lap it was a dash out of the pits as the entire field made their mandatory stops. Losing out in the pits, Valles made a second stop towards the end of the race for new tyres and scored FMSI's first point of the 2008 campaign as he scored the fastest lap of the race. However, his 18th place finish put him on the ninth row for Sunday's shorter race. He made good progress over the sprint event, moving up seven places to 11th, but unfortunately was still out of the points.
Valles' team-mate Roldan Rodrigues had a weekend to forget. Rodrigues only joined the team just prior to the start of the season in Spain, and so did not have the benefit of pre-season testing with FMSI. He qualified on the twelfth row in 24th but failed to finish the feature race due to an accident. In Sunday's sprint event he was forced to retire with a technical problem, which may have been linked to Saturday's accident.
Paolo Coloni, Team Principal: "I am disappointed not to score more points, just the one for fastest lap, in the first weekend and it's been a tough start to the season. We had a lot of problems that were not expected, but we will now work hard for the next event. We know where we are now, qualifying was good and we had a good pace, which we saw from Adrian's fastest lap."
ART GRand Prix - Romain Grosjean (13th) Luca Filippi (DNF)
The opening round of the GP2 European season at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain on the weekend did not go as well as the ART Grand Prix team had hoped with gremlins affecting their performance from the start. In qualifying Romain Grosjean suffered engine failure while teammate Luca Filippi suffered gearbox woes as well as a water pump failure. This meant that the two drivers started 11th and 14th on the grid respectively.
In race one Romain drove brilliantly to rise from 11th to fifth, setting a pace faster than the leaders, however there was not enough time to close the gap to the leaders any further. Meanwhile, teammate Filippi was also putting in a strong performance when he was hit by Conway and forced to drop to the back of the field.
In race two Romain had a brilliant start and moved to second place very quickly before taking the lead from Kobayashi. However, with just five laps remaining the Frenchman made an error when, just before the safety car came in, he went wide and cut the chicane. Although he retained the lead, at the end of pit straight Kobayashi pushed hard and in trying to defend his position, Romain made Kobayashi go wide and as a result, the ART driver was given a drive through penalty. Meanwhile, Luca had another mechanical failure while in the hunt for points.
Luca Filippi: "The most important thing is that the Spanish weekend is over! It was a very hard season opener. Not in terms of performance but in terms of results. We had some major issues with the gearbox and I think without this we could have fought for the top 4 in qualifying. The rest of the weekend would have been very different as we were faster than the leaders at the end of race 1 where I dropped to last position after Conway sent me into a spin. The car was just fantastic in race 2 and points were in our grasp. Anyway, we'll head to Turkey with a lot of positives: pace, performance and team work are extremely good. I was on pole in Turkey in 2007 and we have what it takes to try and get the same kind of result and to do great in the race this year."
Romain Grosjean: "Even though we're disappointed tonight, there are a lot of positive aspects to this first weekend of the main series. We had our share of problems in practice and qualifying but we recovered in the race. We gained a lot of positions on Saturday and we were the fastest on Sunday. The most important thing is that we found a good basis for setting up the car which we understand better now than during the last Barcelona test. We still have some work to do in order to put everything in place, but it bodes well for the future. Everybody had an eye on us after our title in the Asia series and we proved we are right here and that we should be able to fight for very good results in the main series. Having said that I am still on a learning curve as the second race showed. I did not expect the safety car to stay on the track for just one lap and I let my brakes cool too much. This is a lesson I won't forget, you must never let the carbon disk cool down. As for the penalty, I did need to see the video yet but things looked pretty different from onboard."
Frédéric Vasseur: "We've never been that competitive at the start of a season and that's the main thing to keep in mind at the end of the weekend. Once out of traffic Romain and Luca were very fast in the first race and Romain was in a league of his own in race 2. We rarely had such homogeneity inside the team and I'm very optimistic. We'll have to get to grips right at the start of the Turkish weekend and make sure we don't suffer from reliability gremlins to secure points with our two cars in both races. Romain does not know the track but that should not be a problem for him; as for Luca he was excellent in Turkey last year."
DPR - Diego Nunes (16th) Giacomo Ricci (DNF)
David Price Racing (DPR) today completed their first weekend of racing in the 2008 GP2 Series with today's Sprint race at the Catalunya Circuit in Barcelona. Giacomo Ricci was once again in for DPR as replacement for the injured Michael Herck, and driving alongside him was team regular Brazilian driver Diego Nunes. Nunes endured another day of learning to bring his DPR car home in 16th place, while rookie driver Ricci had an early end to his race after spinning which forced him out of the race a few laps from the end.
The green flag fell for the Sprint race this morning with Nunes lining in 15th place and Ricci in 16th spot, however both drivers dropped back at the start. Nunes was caught out when the car of Alberto Valerio ahead of him stalled on the grid and while braking hard to avoid hitting him, the Brazilian driver also stalled. The marshals pushed the DPR car to the pitlane from where Nunes was restarted, but he was already a lap down when he joined the track. Ricci had a better start, but in his attempt to avoid a spinning Karun Chandhok, he was forced to run across the gravel, dropping him to the back of the field.
Both drivers put their heads down and pushed hard in the 26 lap sprint distance. Nunes was running on a strong pace, but being a lap down he struggled to make any inroads into the cars ahead. He preserved while others fell out of the race, to finish in 16th at the chequered flag.
Ricci was turning consistent laps and continuing with his steep learning curve in GP2, but with only six laps left to run, Ricci clipped the kerbing as he exited the final corner, sending the DPR car into a spin. Unable to keep the car running Ricci was left stranded in the middle of the track, bringing out the safety car as the marshals gave him a push start. Ricci then pulled into the pits and ended his race
David Price, Team Principal: "Overall it has been a tough race weekend for us, it's a weekend to leave behind but we can certainly take consolation from Nunes' pace and Ricci's ability to cope in difficult circumstances. Nunes was running well and his pace was similar to those running within the top ten, but starting so far down the grid really put him on the back foot. Ricci has also done a solid job; he was really thrown in at the deep end with no previous experience of GP2 because this is a tough series. The results on paper today don't really reflect our capabilities, so now we look ahead to Turkey, and target improved qualifying and from that, better finish positions."
Piquet Sports - Andreas Zuber (DNF)
The first weekend of the new GP2 Series season went well for Andreas Zuber, the Austrian driver who races under a UAE license for Piquet Sports for a third year in GP2 main series. "Everything is new for me this season: the team, my teammate Pastor Maldonado and the car. But so far, everything has worked well. I was fastest in the first practice session and ended up third in qualifying which, although it's not pole, is a good place to start from." Andreas Zuber was second on the time sheets for much of the qualifying session while his teammate was fastest, but at the very last moment Alvaro Parente went second fastest and nudged Andreas down to third.
"In qualifying I was right on the pace when I started the session," added Andreas. "But I was a bit unlucky with the traffic today. I hope it will work well tomorrow for the race and sometimes it is best to be third than second for a good race after a good start. I was thinking that all we needed on Saturday was a good start for the long 38 lap race. For a fraction of second, I felt as if I was going to stall but in the end I had a good start and jumped to second behind Alvaro Parente with Bruno Senna behind us while my team-mate stalled from pole position. I locked my wheels under braking for the first corner and then was plague by that for the rest of the race."
"The safety car was deployed as Ho-Ping Tung stopped at turn one blocking the way and later, a number of other drivers like Mike Conway also stopped for various reasons. I was able to take advantage and go back to the pits to complete the compulsory pit stop and rejoin behind Parente and Bruno Senna as the pace car was still on the track and the race had 34 laps to go. But with more collisions in the pack, the pace car stayed on till lap 31."
"At the restart, the leaders in front of me started fighting for the lead. I could only follow them really close trying to find a way past, while making sure I was also defending my position. Unfortunately I couldn't find a way past and had to settle for third, which is still a good start to the season."
"The second race was not a point maker. My teammate, Maldonado, did not let me through when I tried to pass him the first time, although I was stuck behind him, and he was really much slower than me. Then I passed him and we touched side by side. My car was not very damaged so I continued. After the second safety car period, my teammate drove into my side. This time, I had to slow down because my car was really damaged. I tried to maintain the pace but from sixth position, but I had to drop out of the race in the very last laps and neither of us in the team finished the race. Nevertheless six points for the driver's championship for the season's start is a good tally and the team scored eight points over the weekend, which is promising for the rest of the year."