13/03/2010
NEWS STORY
Scuderia Coloni - Alvaro Parente (4th) Will Bratt (15th)
The first race of the GP2 Asia Series last event, in Bahrain, was really good for Scuderia Coloni and Alvaro Parente. The Portuguese driver, starting from the 5th spot on the grid, drove a perfect race indeed, finishing fourth just 1"8 adrift of the podium. At the start, Parente took advantage of the empty spot in front of him (Turvey started from the pit-lane) and drove aggressively, putting pressure on 3rd placed Charles Pic. From then on, Alvaro kept the same pace of the leader, Filippi, maintaining the gap from the drivers in front of him and easily keeping an eye on those behind him. Only after the mandatory pit-stop, at lap 9, Jules Bianchi started gaining some ground, and then managed to close the gap. Parente, anyway, managed the pressure from the Frenchman in the best possible way, building back a reassuring gap as soon as Bianchi had to cope with tyre degradation woes, while Alvaro's tyres where still ok thanks to the perfect set-up chosen by the team.
Emotions came back in the race when, with 8 laps to go, the Safety-Car was deployed for an accident between Vietoris and Kralev, but Parente was again perfect at the restart, while behind him Bianchi, Ricci and Villa lost ground while fighting each other.
Also Will Bratt did a really good race. Again, he was able to recover and finished 15th starting from row eleven. The British driver had a good start, but then had to cope with a group of cars who came really close to an accident at turn 1. Will managed to pass unscathed, and then did a consistent race, overtaking Supernova's Josef Kral on last lap.
Ocean Racing Technology - Yelmer Buurman (13th) Fabio Leimer (DNF)
Ocean Racing Technology's two singleseaters had a distinct opposite fate for the final feature race of the GP2 Asia Series on the Sakhir circuit here today. After having lost more than 25 seconds when his engine almost stalled on the grid, Yelmer Buurman stormed back up through the pack with a stunning race pace that allowed him to climb up into 13th position and despite the handicap of having to fight for positions, Yelmer clocked the fastest lap of the race.
The flying Dutchman's achievement demonstrated that the technical choices made by Ocean Racing Technology since their last visit in Bahrain a fortnight ago were indeed correct and that their cars are on the right track. On the last few laps, Yelmer perfectly handled the race under safety car conditions and as such secured further places for both himself and the team in the closing stages. "It was a crazy race. It seemed to me I was stuck on the grid for an eternity. After that, my race was always going to be more complicated but the good thing was that the track was clear in front of me and I could push hard, secure good lap times and move through the pack. I gained a few seconds when the safety car came out on track and then, in the last laps, I gained several positions. The race won't be easy on Sunday but I think we can keep up the good work and be competitive, and why not finish into the top 10?" said Buurman.
For his part teammate Fabio Leimer made an excellent start from 11th place on the grid, however he was hot by another driver in the first turn. With a damaged radiator, the number 23 car had no choice other than to retire. After a promising start, the Swiss driver was unable to benefit from the new found competitiveness of his single-seater. "I had a good start but the contact in the first corner was fatal as the radiator was badly damaged. I am expecting my last GP2 Asia Series race to be different! I will start from last but I hope I will find a good pace, gain some places and reward the team for all its hard work. I will need a bit of luck but up till now I ahve had all the possible misfortunes I could have so I hope my luck will change," said Leimer.
Trident Racing - Dani Clos (14th) Plamen Kralev (DNF)
Race 1 of the final GP2 Asia Series round of 2010 went underway today at Al Sakhir, Bahrain. Dani Clos ended Race 14th place, while Plamen Kralev was forced to retire due to a contact with Christian Vietoris. Thanks to today's results, Clos will take off today from row 7, while Kralev will move from the 21st place. The final race of the season is set for 10:50 AM local time, and will be broadcasted by Italy's RAI 2 at 9:50 (Italian time).
Plamen Kralev: "For the second time this season I was hit from behind by Vietoris. I always tried not to block the faster cars coming from behind, and I was ready to give him way right after turn 18. Then I got a big hit while cornering. I don't feel responsible for that, because Vietoris was far behind me while going into the corner, as TV shows. I'm disappointed because my goal to end a trublefree race was really close.
Dani Clos: "I made a pretty decent start, as I climbed up two spots. Then I couldn't just keep the pace of the cars I had in front. The pit-stop was great, and I managed to get one spot back, though I haven't been able to push as much as I wanted..."
Super Nova - Josef Kral (16th) Jake Rosenzweig (17th)
The feature race in Bahrain today saw spirited drives from both Josef and Jake, finishing in 16th and 17th respectively. A late safety car resulted in an exciting final few laps with both Super Nova drivers unfortunately losing ground, after gaining places in the first half of the race.
Josef made up some positions in the opening laps but then came under attack from faster cars that had dropped to the back of the field on the first lap. An excellent pit stop from the team saw him jump Sam Bird but Josef could not hold onto this position for very long after getting some tape stuck to his front tyre. After the safety car he was caught up in a four way battle for 13th place but ultimately lost out when trying to protect his position. Jake drove a steady race and picked up his pace as the race went on, eventually finishing right behind Josef on the track.
Josef Kral: "I had a pretty good start and attacked as much as possible in the first few laps. We came in for the pit stop when the window opened and the guys did a fantastic job, allowing us to get past the ART car.
Unfortunately I picked up tape from the pit box on my tyre, causing huge understeer which lost me time and places. After the safety car I had an average restart then got caught up fighting with three other drivers when I tried to overtake Max Chilton, losing me two more positions."
Jake Rosenzweig: "I've still got a lot to learn in GP2 but I am gaining experience every time I am on the track. I wasn't very happy with the first set of tyres then we had a fairly slow pit stop after stopping short in the box. The car felt a lot better after the stop and I could push harder."
David Sears - Team Principal: "I think it's fair to say that both Super Nova drivers have not really managed to get on with the circuit here in Bahrain. After a safety car period there was a frantic four lap dash to the flag but sadly both Josef and Jake ended up in 16th and 17th places at the finish.
I think that if there had been two days testing here, as there was in Abu Dhabi where Josef ended up with a 3rd and 5th place, the outcome may well have been different. However both drivers have still achieved more mileage and gained in GP2 experience."