05/04/2009
NEWS STORY
DAMS - Kamui Kobayashi (7th) Jerome d'Ambrosio (DNF)
This weekend DAMS competed in the two races of the fifth round of the GP2 Asian Series Championship on the Sepang circuit that were curtain raisers to the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
With Jerome d'Ambrosio's pole and Kamui Kobayashi's fourth place on the grid, the team was hoping for an excellent result in race 1, which would have been decisive for the attribution of the 2009 titles. Unfortunately, fate struck DAMS a blow before the event even got under way, as d'Ambrosio was unable to start. The Belgian's car stopped for good after the formation lap due to a transmission problem. The GP2 Series engineers examined it and found the cause - a defective part that was almost new! This left Kamui as the only driver able to defend the team's colours, and thanks to an out-of-sequence strategy he finished second.
Today, a heavy shower hit the circuit a few minutes before the start of race 2, which was put back 20 minutes and was finally given behind the safety c ar. Kobayashi was able to get up to sixth place in these very difficult grip conditions allied to poor visibility. He held on to this until the final corner, and was passed at the finish line seeing the flag in seventh place. Jerome drove his heart out but as he was starting from the back of the field a good result was out of the question.
After the second-last round DAMS still leads the teams' classification with 70 points, while Kobayashi is still on top in the drivers' ratings with 13 points in hand over his nearest challenger. The next round is in Bahrain as part of the F1 grand prix meeting in 3 weeks time where the team hopes to clinch both titles.
Eric Boullier, team manager: "We've got mixed feelings after the fifth round. On the one hand, we're very happy to have bagged a lot of points thanks to Kamui, which helps us to close in on both 2009 titles. Despite that, we're gutted for Jerome who deserved to win yesterday and have a much better wee kend. At this level of competition being let down by a new mechanical component is very difficult to accept. He's proved his talent, and he'll certainly be one of the men to watch in the final round of the championship."
Kamui Kobayashi: "In the context of the championship which I'm still leading it hasn't been too bad a weekend. I scored several points and I'm well placed to win the title in Bahrain. I think it would have been possible to go for victory, but my bad position on the grid prevented me from doing so. Also, I'm frustrated not to have hung on to sixth place today. I lost it by a few centimetres. I'd like to thank the team for giving me an excellent car this weekend, and I hope to finish the season on a high note at the next event."
Jerome d'Ambrosio: "A stupid mechanical failure transformed what should have been a perfect weekend into a nightmare! I was unable to d efend my chances yesterday, as I didn't even start. Today, it was impossible for me to score points in normal conditions. I'm very disappointed but my aim is to bounce back at the next event. I'll show that my performance on Friday wasn't just a flash in the pan!"
Fisichella Motor Sport - Rodolfo Gonzalez (8th) Kevin Chen (DNF)
The fifth and penultimate round of the 2008/09 GP2 Asia Series took place this weekend in Malaysia as GP2 took to the Sepang Circuit as a support to the Formula One World Championship. Fisichella Motor Sport International fielded Rodolfo Gonzalez and Kevin Chen to face the challenge of the awesome 5.543km track, one hour from Kuala Lumpur.
Dams' Kamui Kobayashi set the pace in Friday morning's 30-minute free practice session, which was problem-free but held in stifling heat and humid weather conditions. Rodolfo competed 16 laps during the half hour, setting a fastest lap of 1:48.374s, which was 1.942s off the best lap of the morning. Kevin got 10 laps under his belt, setting a best time of 1:50.413. As qualifying loomed, rainfall overcame the circuit, making the beginning of the session a wet affair. Most cars therefore headed out later on in the session when the circuit was at its fastest and most dry. Rodolfo set a time of 1:46.053 to secure a seventh row starting spot from 14th. Kevin will begin from 25th after recording a lap of 1:49.642.
Saturday's 33 lap feature race was thankfully held in dry conditions which allowed the GP2 field to race cleanly. Rodolfo made steady progress throughout and crossed the line in tenth position, just two places outside of the points and an improvement of four positions from his starting slot. Kevin also made good progress, crossing the line in 20th, gaining five positions over the 33 laps.
Sunday's sprint race was a very different affair, held under heavy rainfall and in typical Malaysian stormy conditions. Starting from tenth position, Rodolfo was able to stay out of trouble on the treacherous track and cross the line after 22 laps in eighth position, again just outside of the points. Unfortunately Kevin was forced to retire on lap five.
The season finale will take place from 24-26 April at the Bahrain International Circuit, when GP2 Asia once again supports the F1 race.
Paolo Coloni, Team Principal: I'm very happy with the team's performance over the weekend and especially with Rodolfo today. He performed very well in difficult conditions, running in the top six for most of the time. It's a shame that we didn't come out of the race with a point. Nevertheless I am encouraged by the continual improvement and look forward to Bahrain now.
My Qi-Meritus.Mahara - Alvaro Parente (9th) Marco Bonanomi (14th)
Portugal's Alvaro Parente and Italy's Marco Bonanomi finished in ninth and 14th places in this afternoon's 22-lap race in the GP2 Asia Series. Parente earned the My Qi-Meritus.Mahara team a point after setting the fastest lap.
The two cars began the race in 11th and 21st places respectively on a wet track after the start of the race had been delayed by 30 minutes because of torrential rain that fell just as the cars were lining up on the grid at the Sepang International Circuit. After the four first laps were run behind the safety car in a flood of surface water, Parente was running seventh and Bonanomi 19th, but lap-by-lap the track began to dry out.
Alvaro Parente said: "I am very pleased to have scored a point for the team at their home Grand Prix. I was a bit careful behind the safety car because there was so much water on the track at the start. I tried to pass Yelmer Buurman, but we lost a bit of time as Kobayashi and Gonzalez went by, and as we touched wheels and I lost pace and fell back to ninth. It seemed such a short race! It felt as if the engine was not running cleanly until the last laps, due to all the water. There was not much we could do to improve, but I did set fastest lap with 2.03.693."
Marco Bonanomi said: "In the first laps, my car felt almost undriveable in the terrible conditions, but it felt better as the track dried and I had none of the problems I encountered yesterday. Even though this is a wide track, it was not easy to overtake here in the wet, and it was a tough race. By the end of lap 12 I had climbed up to 15th, and then 14th by lap 17. That's where I finished."
Peter Thompson, team founder, said: "I am very pleased that the team scored a point in their home race. It is good to have Alvaro do the fastest lap Alvaro, and Marco climbed from 21st to finish 14th. All this shows the potential of the team for the last race in Bahrain in a few weeks time. The team maintains its high level of motivation thanks to the incredible support of 7,000 fans at the circuit who were invited by sponsor QuestNet."
Firhat Mokzani, My Qi-Meritus.Mahara said: "The team improved today, and I am happy that we made progress that produced us a point. Were are now looking forward to the future and a good race in Bahrain, a track that both drivers like to race on."
Ocean Racing Team - Yelmer Buurman (11th) Fabrizio Crestani (16th)
After having secured the first points of their very short GP2 existence on Saturday here at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, Ocean Racing Technology did their best in the extremely difficult weather conditions for race two on Sunday. Torrential rain forced the organizers to delay the start of the second race by almost an hour and left the drivers to face a flooded track.
With their two single-seaters stationary on the starting grid, Ocean Racing Technology tried to remedy a problem with the electronic system which had compromised the team's performance. Yelmer Buurman and Fabrizio Crestani had problems keeping their cars on the circuit, mainly in the second half of the race when the Sepang circuit started to dry and their wet tires quickly lost their effectiveness. Buurman finished the race in 11th position and explains why with each lap the car was a little harder to control. "The car was really hard to handle and the engine had some on and off. Under difficult conditions it was just impossible to keep my position and each time I had a power loss I had no other choice than wait until the problem went away. They were unpredictable conditions and they compromised our performance. Nonetheless, I leave Malaysia with the satisfaction of having done a good job because we secured our first points and it proves that hard work pays off," he said.
Meanwhile, Fabrizio Crestani experienced the same problems as his Dutch teammate. Engineers decided to stick with the same set-up from the day before because in the morning the sky was blue and the temperature was at a warm 35°C. However, in Malaysia the weather can change in the blink of an eye and under these conditions, adjusting the set-up can be a bit of a lottery. After several laps behind the safety car, Crestani struggled to bring the car home and explained how it was difficult to make good use of the full power of the car. "It was tough. I was satisfied before the start because with a damp track and a good set-up it is easier to find a way to overtake. But it never happened. Our set-up was not the best for the conditions and the tyres did not work the way we expected. The aim was then to minimize the time loss and to stay on track. The car efficiency was far better in the first race when we ran on a dry track and under these particular conditions we showed what kind of progress we have made" explained the Italian driver.
Ocean Racing Technology secured its maiden points in Malaysia, courtesy of Yelmer Buurman who took the chequered flag in 5th position in race 1. The Portuguese team continues its learning phase and evolution, already giving tangible signs of progress. José Guedes and Tiago Monteiro have now given their next aim, which will be to secure more points in the finale of the GP2 Asia Series championship, in three weeks time in Bahrain.
Trident Racing - Davide Rigon (13th) Ricardo Teixeira (19th)
Trident Racing ended up the 5th race of the 2009 GP2 Asia Series at Sepang with encouraging results. After a great qualifying performance, that propelled him to row 6, Davide Rigon experienced a terrible break as he failed to line-up for Race 1 due to a faulty gearbox sensor. After such a strong qualifying pace, he could have definitely showed a great potential. Davide bounced back on Race 2 though, climbing up the orderd with several great moves and taking advantage from the rain that fell in the morning to end up in 13th. On the team's second car, Ricardo Teixeria enjoyed a good debut, as he matched his goal of avoiding mistakes and log clean laps to increase his experience level despite the tough environmental conditions.
Davide Rigon: After a good qualifying performance I was unfortunately forced to see Race 1 from TV. It's a shame because we were just 5 tenths off the pole, and I'm sure we could have scored some points. The second race was an extremely difficult one due to the bad starting spot, but it has been quite satisfying. The team made a great job in preparing the car for a wet racetrack, but an engine issue prevented me from using all the available revs. Luckily enough, that lasted for just the first half of the race, and when everything started to work properly, I managed to start climbing up, passing many cars and ending up in 13th. We definitely made a further step with the team at Sepang. We get to know each other better, and I also improved my feeling with the car. I think we have to work hard, and continue on the same path to climb up further more. I think we can definitely make it to the top at Al Sakhir...
Ricardo Teixeira: It hasn't been a really relaxing weekend for me. I tried the track for the first time on the Asia Series car, which I hadn't tested before, and I even had a taste of rain! The balance is really positive toough. It wasn't easy: these cars are much more powerful than what I drove before, especially on wet, where you have to be gentle on power. The next weekend will also be a bit of a test for me, with the goal of being prepared for the 2009 Main Series.
Riccardo Corbari, Managing Director: We came here at Sepang with two rookie drivers and with some tough weather. Ricardo surpassed expectations: he proved to have great physical strength, which it was one of our biggest concerns. On the other hand, the biggest problem was the technical issue that stopped Davide before the start of Race 1, involving a gearbox sensor that was replaced recently. I'm sure that he coul have run great without that problem. Rigon shown great pace on Race 2, as well as his talent on wet track. He ended up in 13th. We're now focusing on the final race of the GP2 Asia Series in Bahrain.