25/02/2010
NEWS STORY
iSport - Davide Valsecchi (2nd) Oliver Turvey (6th)
iSport will line up second and sixth for tomorrow's feature race at the Bahrain International Circuit after the tightest qualifying session GP2 has seen in some time.
It was a tight from the off with pole changing hands several times. It was only when the track cleared that Championship leader and iSport racer Davide Valsecchi staked his claim by going quickest by 0.365secs. With just one minute to go Valsecchi was pipped to pole by Frenchman Jules Bianchi but with only 0.004secs separating the two the iSport racer is in a prime position in which to challenge in tomorrow's feature race. British racer Oliver Turvey, yet to drive a GP2 car at the Bahrain International Circuit until this morning, featured throughout qualifying in the top five. With traffic building in the final minutes Turvey was unable to improve but will certainly be in contention starting sixth in tomorrow's feature race.
Oliver Turvey: "We had a good free practice this morning. I was pleased as it was my first time on this circuit and we were quick, we were third in free practice and only a few hundredths off, so I hoped to be a bit further up this afternoon. The first run was good, we were second quickest on the first set of the tyres but then on the second set of tyres we didn't really improve enough. I had quite a lot of understeer in the car which affected us. Also on the second set of tyres there was quite a lot of traffic, I only got one clear lap which I don't think really helped. We should still be able to get a podium tomorrow and have a good race. The first corner is very tricky so I hope to stay out of trouble there and aim for the podium".
Davide Valsecchi: "We are P2. Really good and we were always competitive. My car was really strong and really competitive and really fast. We just missed the pole position by less than one tenth so it was extremely competitive. I hope tomorrow to make a good start and to fight for the win. If we can stay out of trouble in the first corner, because here it's a bit tricky, I hope to make a good race".
MalaysiaQI-MeritusMahara.com - Luca Filippi (4th) Alexander Rossi (15th)
MalaysiaQI-MeritusMahara.com drivers Luca Filippi and Alexander Rossi qualified fourth and fifteenth respectively for the first race in Bahrain. Filippi was just four hundredths of a second off pole-position in a very competitive session.
It was a good qualifying round overall equaling the team's best qualifying performance in Abu Dhabi GP2 Asia's event. It came after a positive morning first free practice with Filippi and Rossi finishing fourth (1.45.046) and ninth (1.45.424) respectively.
Luca Filippi: "I arrived last minute and unusually very late this weekend in Bahrain and I am quite tired from the overseas flight. But getting back behind the wheel on this track where I have won before made me feel good again. I had a good morning work and I was very motivated for qualifying. Everything looked good. I tried to get the pole but my tyres were dead after my best lap on my second set and I could not push more even if the track was getting better. Nevertheless I'll start from the second row which is a good result as tomorrow will be a long race and the pace here is more important than the positions."
Alexander Rossi: "Overall, I know I am a rookie and do not know the track and it was my first time in Bahrain today. I feel like iI had a bad day as I was not very pleased in the free practice session even if I was ninth. The track is quite dirty. A bit like I expected, but I thought we could get better out of qualifying. However, the team managed to find a solution to our morning brake problems. What is important tomorrow is to get into the rhythm of the race and to have a good race strategy."
Peter Thompson: "I am impressed with Luca Filippi's qualifying today. This result equals our best team qualifying result which we scored in Abu Dhabi. The team is only 0.049 from the pole man. This is very tight and we proved today that we have the pace to have a strong race starting from second row."
Chairman Raad S. Abduljawad: "The drivers and the team have done a good job today on our home track and set good times. A fourth place when everyone is so tight is excellent for Luca Filippi. There were no other problems than the traffic encountered with Alexander's car. So let's see how the performance goes for our team's home race tomorrow."
Scuderia Coloni - Alvaro Parente (5th) Will Bratt (20th)
Alvaro Parente needed just two sessions to get acquainted with Scuderia Coloni. The Portuguese driver, in his debut race with the Italian outfit, clinched an excellent fifth place in qualifying after a great fight with Bianchi, Valsecchi, Villa, Filippi and Turvey. Alvaro was even third at half session and slipped to fifth in the last minutes but his laptime, 1'43"714, is just two tenths adrift from the pole position, giving him and the team big hopes for tomorrow.
This great qualifying was the reward for a perfect weekend start, with the Portuguese driver already tenth in the free practice session after a very cautious approach, concentrated more on getting in tune with the team than on raw performance.
Qualifying was less lucky for Will Bratt, 20th with 1'45"320. The brit had showed a good pace in the morning practice, something that should be the key for a good recovery in tomorrow's first race.
Paolo Coloni: "I'm very happy about Alvaro's performance. For him it was the first time with the team, but he was immediately consistent, and the laptime he did in qualifying is really close to the pole position, we couldn't ask for more. I'm sorry for Bratt, who had a really good pace in the practice. Anyway, tomorrow's race will be long, anything can happen".
Trident Racing - Adrian Zaugg (18th) Plamen Kralev (24th)
The Al Sakhir track hosted the first day of the third GP2 Asia Series round of the season. In Bahrain, Trident Racing brought back on-track Adrian Zaugg, who took 18th, while Plamen Kralev ended his day in 24th.
Zaugg was back on a GP2 Series car after 2 years. He tried to get back in touch with the car, helped by the team's technical staff, building a great relationship with the whole squad.
Kralev was less lucky, as he stalled his engine at the beginning of practice and could not complete the session. The Bulgarian had to focus on learning during Qualifying.
The first race of the weekend in Bahrain will take off tomorrow at 12:00 (GMT+3), on a 34-lap distance, while the final race is planned for 13:10. Both races will be broadcasted live by RaiSport Pił.
Adrian Zaugg. "Being back at the wheel of a GP2 Series car has been great! Free practice hasn't been bad, the approach has been the one I expected, as I got the feeling back lap after lap. In Qualifying, I felt like I would've been able to fight for the top-10, but I was stuck in traffic in the two laps in which new rubber can make a difference. I don't know if it was good luck, but I clocked my best laptime at the last lap, when the benefit from new tires was gone. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's Race 1. I hope to get a good start, and make it to the top-10."
Plamen Kralev. "My day has been influenced by a mistake I made on my third lap of practice, that eventually ended my session. All considered, as I had never turn a lap on this track before, it proved to be a particularly bad situation. I entered Qualifying virtually blind, trying to get some reference points and avoiding to block other drivers. I'm disappointed but I feel that I'm improving all the time, each lap. I'd need to lower my limit, but there's a few time available. I hope to drive a good race tomorrow, and to bring my car to checkered on really tough venue."
Super Nova - Josef Kral (22nd) Jake Rosenzweig (23rd)
Super Nova have endured a difficult qualifying session in Bahrain this afternoon.
It was the first time on the track for both drivers today and after the practice session earlier the team worked hard to improve for qualifying but unfortunately will start tomorrow's race from the back of the grid.
Josef Kral: "From Free Practice this morning we made changes to improve the car for me in qualifying. On the first run it felt like we had gone in the right direction, the car felt quick but unfortunately the times weren't there. I hoped then to be much faster on the second set of tyres and we made some small changes to help me, but I still couldn't produce faster times. There are a few corners where we are losing a lot of time, so we need to focus on this and make the most of the race tomorrow."
Jake Rosenzweig: "It's been very difficult to get on top of everything in such a limited time today, especially since I haven't driven competitively for three months. I am looking to gain experience from the races this weekend so that we can be in a much stronger position for the final round of the Championship."
David Sears - Team Principal: "This is the first time that both of our drivers have been to the Bahrain circuit and unfortunately it shows in our Qualifying performance. With much time spent on learning the track and working from last years data, when incidentally we were one of the fastest cars on track, today has shown what a steep learning curve GP2 can be. Hopefully we will have a more productive race tomorrow."