09/05/2010
NEWS STORY
Ocean Racing Technology - Fabio Leimer (1st) Max Chilton (16th)
Ocean Racing Technology started the GP2 Main Series championship on the right foot in Barcelona (Spain) this weekend by securing victory in the sprint race thanks to Fabio Leimer. The Swiss driver now sits in 2nd place in the drivers' championship, and the Portuguese team is 3rd in the teams' championship.
Fabio Leimer had an excellent start from pole position and led the race from the first to the last lap and at the half way mark was more than four seconds ahead of his nearest rival. At the end of the race Fabio had to to take it easy on his tyres, which were showing signs of wear, but it was not enough to make him lose his focus and he crossed the finish line to secure his debut win in the series, the second for Ocean Racing Technology after Spa-Francorchamps in 2009. "To finish my first GP2 weekend with a win is fabulous," Fabio Leimer said, "The car was perfect and it proves the team is doing an excellent job. Our aim is to stay among the best. It is a very special feeling for me and for all the members of the team because the GP2 Main Series is a very competitive championship and the best way to enter F1. I could not be happier."
Meanwhile, teammate Max Chilton endured a complicated weekend but the English racer adapted (well to the car and the team, his race pace getting stronger and stronger. Max Chilton finished the second race in 16th place but the fights he was involved in on Sunday showed that he has unquestionable potential. "I had a good start and the race was more or less like Saturday's. But I had some good fights and I think that some drivers found their match. I am really satisfied with my performance but it's clear it is impossible to secure a good result without a good position on the starting grid and that's what conditioned the whole weekend for me. The car keeps improving and Fabio did a great job with it. Congratulations to the team," Max Chilton said.
For the directors of the Ocean Racing Technology team, Tiago Monteiro and Jose Guedes, this victory confirms that all their hard work is starting to bear fruits.
"We could not possibly have a better start in the championship," assured Tiago Monteiro, "Fabio put on a performance worthy of a champion. He had to deal with tyre wear at the end and he proved to be very mature in spite of the experienced drivers who were chasing him. Max had an important race for his progression but we knew it was always going to be a difficult one because he was at the back of the grid. Tonight, Ocean Racing Technology is one of the most competitive teams and will keep fighting to secure good results."
ART Grand Prix - Jules Bianchi (DNF/12th) Sam Bird (9th/4th)
ART Grand Prix returns from the opening round of the 2010 GP2 Main Series, contested last weekend in Barcelona with six points and a lot of promise for the future thanks to Jules Bianchi securing the first pole position of the season and to some great come back drives from both Jules and his teammate Sam Bird, who qualified in third place on the grid for the first race.
After a difficult start for both drivers in race one Jules became the innocent victim in a first lap crash that left him spinning out of the event. Meanwhile, Sam was forced to take evasive action, going onto the kerbs and into the pits for a new nose. A series of fast laps soon followed and he drove brilliantly to work his way back to ninth place at the finish, one position shy of the top 8 and pole position for race two. However he did secure a point for his efforts after setting the fastest lap of the race.
Race two was always going to be a challenge for Jules who started in 22nd but the Frenchman got off to a storming start to move up to 12th by the end of the first lap. After that he became stuck behind experienced drivers and even had a moment when one tried to overtake him on the final lap.
Meanwhile, Sam was determined to get something more from the weekend, pulling off another brilliant display as he fought his way up to a superb fourth place by the end of the day.
ART GP now heads to Monaco for the second round of the season knowing the team and their drivers have the potential and everything it takes to secure poles and victories.
Jules Bianchi: From a mathematical point of view, it could not have been a worse start but there are a lot of positives. Firstly, the car is really fast. The team did a great job after the winter tests and both Sam and I showed we can deliver. I had my problems in practice but I worked really well with my engineer and qualifying was great; I was happy to offer ART Grand Prix this pole position for the first meeting of the season but I had a so-so start which got worse at the first turn. I was hit by several other cars and it was the end of my weekend but we'll be back in Monaco and I hope I will have a trouble free weekend this time to show what we are capable of.
Sam Bird: Qualifying went really well and we were optimistic going into the feature race. It's a shame that the first lap ruined our efforts. I tried to avoid other cars but it was just impossible and I had a damaged wing which destroyed our chances of winning the first race. The team did a superb job during the pit stop and the entire weekend. I had a winning car even though in the end we just couldn't win either race. At least we put on a good show and our level of performance is encouraging. I am totally relaxed in the team, we get along very well together and I'm a definitely a happy camper inside ART Grand Prix. I have never raced in Monaco but it should be awesome. I'm looking forward to it because I have always done well on street circuits.
Frederic Vasseur: The final outcome is not as good as we would have liked and what it could have been at the start of the first race, but our performances are more than encouraging and that is the main thing. Pole and third place in qualifying and the extraordinary fightback during the races, both races in Sam's case, shows that we have the potential to add another honour to our prize list in the GP2 Series. ART Grand Prix was cursed on the first lap in Barcelona but I am completely satisfied with the performance of both Jules and Sam and I am relying on their qualities as men and drivers. They are perfectly integrated into the team where the atmosphere is studious but warm. With two rookies you can't expect to make a storming start in the championship but that's what Jules and Sam did intrinsically even though it was not translated into a large points haul.
Racing Engineering - Dani Clos (6th) Christian Vietoris (18th)
Racing Engineering had a tricky day in the sprint race at Barcelona, on the first weekend of the 2010 GP2 season. Local hero Dani Clos, who started sixth, scored a point after an intelligent race, whilst rookie Christian Vietoris, who started on the last row, finished in 18th position, after a complicated race.
The GP2 field faced today's sprint race with cool temperatures after the rain which fell over Montmelo during the night. During the formation lap, Sergio Perez's engine blew up after a couple of meters, leaving a trail of oil on the circuit, which caused the start process to be aborted so the marshalls could clear the track. With the race now shortened to 25 laps, there was a clean start and a tidy pass through the first corners, with Dani Clos losing one position at the start, as Fabio Leimer led the pack.
But quickly Dani Clos overtook Charles Pic and recovered the position lost at the start. Whilst the leaders established a comfortable gap, Dani was having a close battle with Bird and Turvey. On lap 10, Bird overtook Dani, who was running in 6th now. Meanwhile, Christian Vietoris was in a close fight with Zaugg, Chilton, Cecotto, and Kral.
During the closing stages of the race, Dani managed to come very close to Oliver Turvey and challenge him for fifth position. However, not taking any unnecessary risks, Dani settled for sixth place, scoring one more point for Racing Engineering in front of his home audience. Christian, which started at the back of the grid, tried to avoid a crash at the beginning and was forced to go over the curbs. This damaged his car significantly, but the German did a good job and finished the race in 18th position.
Dani Clos: "I am happy with today's result as I was able to take another point. I was very calm and didn't want to take unnecessary risks. I had a good start and put some pressure on Turvey, who was holding up some cars behind. I think our set up was a bit too aggressive for today's race. But I am really happy as I scored in both races and this is how we have to continue."
Christian Vietoris: "I had a good start overtaking d'Ambrosio and Van Der Garde. First corner went well until one driver missed his braking point. To avoid a crash, I went over the kerbs, which damaged my car quite a bit. The rest of the race was hard work as my car was unbalanced after this impact and I couldn't keep up with the car in front in the corners. Overtaking was impossible, but I was able to keep my position."
Alfonso de Orleans - Borbon:"It was a good race from Dani, as he brought in another point. All adds up. Once again, also our technical have done a great job. Now let's get ready for Monaco and have Christian finally start where he deserves to be."
DAMS - Ho-Pin Tung (10th) Jerome d'Ambrosio (13th)
This weekend, DAMS raced in the first round of the 2010 GP2 Series, which was part of the F1 Grand Prix meeting on the Montmelo circuit near Barcelona. After a difficult qualifying session, the team was never in a position to fight for points in the two races on Saturday and Sunday.
Jerome d'Ambrosio started from sixteenth place on the grid in race 1. He set off with the bit between his teeth and fought his way up to eighth place. He looked on target for a points-scoring finish until a defective wheel nut caused his retirement just after his pit stop. Ho-Pin Tung made a good comeback. The Chinese driver pulled back 9 places yesterday and four today. Despite two faultless drives he did not score any points.
Loic David: General Manager: "We would have liked to start our 2010 campaign in another fashion. We'll have to consider this round as a learning exercise, and not draw negative conclusions from our experience. We have to work in such a way as to be competitive in all the weekend sessions. In fact, our two cars' times in the second race were pretty good, which is encouraging. Monaco, next weekend, will be an atypical race on the calendar. It's the one every driver wants to win, and Jerome's and Ho Pin's experience could make the difference on this circuit. We're feeling pretty optimistic for the rest of the season."
Jerome d'Ambrosio: "I was very disappointed after qualifying as I had set the quickest time overall in the Barcelona winter test, so I was aiming for pole. I was slowed by a lack of overall grip when the quickest times were set with the first set of tyres. I started from sixteenth yesterday and pushed hard to try and score points, but my race was spoilt by a mechanical problem. It's frustrating but that's racing. Starting so far back this morning meant that a points finish was out of the question. I seized the slightest overtaking opportunity, and also used the race as a test session for the coming events. I'm disappointed but not downhearted, and I'm determined to shine in the Principality next weekend."
Ho-Pin Tung: "The first meeting's been a difficult one for the whole team, but we've learned some positive lessons from it. We made progress all weekend and we were on the pace in both races. Personally speaking, my comeback in the two events is also something to be pleased about. If we'd started a bit higher up the grid, we'd have been able to mix it with the front-runners. The aim for Monaco will be to improve our qualifying. I think we've got what it takes to do so."
Scuderia Coloni - Vladimir Arabadzhiev (20th) Alberto Valerio (DNF)
Bad luck kept hampering Scuderia Coloni’s performance in Barcelona. After the good pace showed by the drivers in yesterday’s feature race, and considering the great drive by Alberto Valerio despite a closed exhaust, the team was hoping for a strong comeback, but things went differently. At the start, delayed by some minutes due to an oil leak from Sergio Perez’s car in the warm-up lap, Vladimir Arabadzhiev’s race took immediately a bat path: the Bulgarian driver, starting on the 10th row, had to avoid the stalled car of Michael Herck, losing time and some positions. Then, fighting in the back of the field, he didn’t manage to find the right pace and finished the race in P19, which was exactly his starting position.
Meanwhile Alberto Valerio made a good start from the 14th spot on the grid, gaining one place on Ho-Pin Tung despite being forced on the grass. Unfortunately, the brazilian driver was hit by Jules Bianchi in the last chicane: the car spun and the engine stalled, meaning race over. Anyway, Scuderia Coloni will immediately have the chance to forget the Spanish event and concentrate on a new challenge, because the GP2 Main Series will get back on track next weekend in Monte Carlo.