29/05/2010
NEWS STORY
iSport International - Davide Valsecchi (2nd) Oliver Turvey (14th)
It was a mixture of highs and lows in Race 1 at Istanbul Park for iSport duo Davide Valsecchi and Oliver Turvey. Italian racer Valsecchi lined up on the grid in pole position but was passed at the start by second placed man Pastor Maldonado. Valsecchi then lost another position to Sergio Perez during the pit stops dropping Valsecchi to third. However the GP2 Asia champ kept the pressure on Perez closing him down and eventually made his move to snatch back second position on lap 26 giving Davide and iSport the first podium of the season. British racer Oliver Turvey also lost positions at the start dropping two places from his starting position of third after being boxed in going into the first corner. After a good pit stop Turvey’s charge was stopped in its tracks after he was slapped with a drive through penalty after he was adjudged to have weaved too many times defending his position. To add insult to injury, Turvey was then handed another penalty for speeding in the pit lane when serving his first drive through. Rookie Turvey ended the race in fifteenth, disappointed by the penalty which cost him a good chance at points or a podium finish.
Davide Valsecchi: We had a good race today. I did not make the best start and Maldonado had incredible pace today which I could not match. The car was fantastic and I was quicker than all the cars behind me. I lost a position to Perez but I knew I would be able to catch him as he was struggling. I hope to score some more good points tomorrow.
Oliver Turvey: I had a good start, better than Davide and Maldonado and I tried to challenge them but Davide got quite a slow getaway and I got boxed in behind him and that compromised me going into turn 1. We lost position to Perez and Bird. From there on we had quite quick pace and we were getting quicker, we were catching the guys ahead. We had a good pit stop and we almost caught Van Dr Garde but not quite but I knew I was going to have better pace later in the race. But then a couple of laps after the pit stop I got told I had a drive through penalty, didn’t know what for. I didn’t think I had done anything wrong but you can’t argue as you have to take them within three laps. So we had to take the drive though and that ruined our race. It was a real shame really because after qualifying so well we had a good chance of being on the podium and I’m quite disappointed because of that. I got told after the race the penalty was for moving more than once but in the incident involved I felt I had moved once to defend my position I then moved back to the inside to take the first corner which is a left hand corner, so I moved to take the corner and not to defend my position.
Racing Engineering - Christian Vietoris (7th) Dani Clos (8th)
Racing Engineering had a challenging feature race at Istanbul Park today, where high temperatures made tyre management the crucial point. Dani Clos, who started seventh on the grid, suffered from excessive tyre wear and struggled to eighth position, whilst Christian Vietoris, starting from eleventh position, finished seventh and scored his first points of the 2010 GP2 Series. The Racing Engineering drivers will start tomorrow's sprint race from pole position and second on the grid respectively.
The race started under sunny conditions with an air temperature of 26 degrees. Maldonado took the lead at the start, whilst Dani Clos lost a position to Razia. Christian Vietoris had a bad start, but was able to recover quickly. The round of pit stops started surprisingly early, with Dani and another three drivers coming into the pits to pick up new tyres on lap seven. Christian Vietoris made his pit stop on lap nine and by next lap, most drivers had completed their compulsory round of tyre changes.
Dani Clos set the fastest lap on lap 10 whilst he was chasing Turvey, who was given a drive through for crossing the track more than once whilst trying to defend his position from the Racing Engineering driver. As the race progressed, the medium compound tyres started to wear excessively and many drivers struggled to keep their positions. Christian Vietoris, after fighting with Ricci for several laps, had a slight collision with him, but managed to continue. Meanwhile, Dani lost a position to Herck as his tyres abandoned him. With two laps to go, Christian overtook Dani, and they finished eighth and ninth.
After the race, the car of Mexican driver Perez, who had finished fourth, was found to be underweight and was disqualified. This means that Christian moves up to seventh position and Dani to eighth. For tomorrow's sprint race, and because of the reverse grid rule, both Racing Engineering drivers will start on the front row, with Dani Clos on pole position and Christian Vietoris second. The race will take place in the morning at 9:25 CET.
Christian Vietoris: "Finally points! It was quite difficult to start scoring. The car felt really good and I had no trouble with my tyres. I was always behind other cars, but when I had a bit of space, it was clear that the speed was there. If I make a good start, I should be able to be on the podium in tomorrow's race. Today's start was a disaster. At the end of lap one I was in 14th position and although I was overtaking some cars, I was in ninth place for most of the time. I tried to overtake Ricci several times, was able to get eighth position for some meters, but then ninth again. One of these maneuvers ended in a collision without really either of us to be blamed, just a racing incident. I could continue and when Dani had problems with his tyres, I was lucky to pass him and finish the race in eighth place."
Dani Clos: "I think we started this weekend off on the wrong foot. In free practice we had an issue that made us lose some time and couldn't test everything we wanted. We have a fast car, but needed a bit more. In qualifying I was hampered by yellow flags and other drivers. The first laps of the race were fine, but I think our set up was too aggressive today and I lost my tyres quickly. It was the same after the tyre change. Right after the change, we were really fast, but towards the end of the race I was fighting to stay on the track and lost pace. Some cars overtook me, but we will work hard now on the set up for tomorrow's race."
Thomas Couyotopoulo, Sporting Director of Racing Engineering: "This was a tough race for both our drivers. Christian's start to the race was not good and he lost quite a few positions which were hard to recuperate afterwards. He was fighting against Ricci for several laps and put the Italian under a lot of pressure, but one of his overtaking attempts ended with their cars touching. He dropped back again, but was able to overtake his teammate to finish in eighth. Dani finished the race in ninth, which is not what we expected. He suffered from some oversteer at the beginning of the race, which was better after the tyre change, when he set the fastest lap times of the field. However, his lap times increased towards the end of the race and he dropped from 7th to 9th. In the end it looks like we are having both our boys in the points and an all Racing Engineering front row tomorrow, which I think is a nice reward for the whole team, who have worked hard so far this weekend."
Trident Racing - Johnny Cecotto Jr (12th) Adrian Zaugg (DNF)
Johnny Cecotto Jr. ended up the first race of the weekend at Istanbul in 12th position for Trident Racing. The young Venezuelan will take off from the 6th row in the upcoming Race 2 of the GP2 Main Series Turkish round.
On the other hand, Adrian Zaugg experienced a tough day as a technical issue made his engine stall both on-grid and right after the pit-stop. The South African, who lapped on fast and consistent laptimes in the opening stages, was also hit by a misfire issue and forced to retire with 5 to go.
The weekend's program will be closing tomorrow with Race 2, set to take off at 10:35 CET, and to benefit from live coverage by Italian National TV RAI2.
Johnny Cecotto Jr: "Considering what happened during the race, 13th is okay! At the start, Adrian's car got stuck in front of me and I had to lose time in avoidance. At the first corner i climbed back but at T3 I opted for a wide line and ended up at the margin of the track. I rejoined last, but thanks to a good pace, I passed several cars and stayed in the midpack. At the pit-stop, I lost 6 seconds, and when I was back on-track positions were more stable, so I haven't had a true chance to make a move".
Adrian Zaugg: "I suffered from a technical problem at the start that eventually compromised my race. At the start, the engine died, as the anti-stall system didn't work. I rejoined in last, but my overall pace was great, even if confronted with the leading guys. Then, at the pit-stop, the same issue reappeared, making me lose some 30 seconds more. I'm sorry to see that once again we haven't expressed our true potential".
Super Nova - Josef Kral (15th) Marcus Ericsson (DNF)
Another unfortunate race for Super Nova today saw Josef Kral finish in sixteenth position and Marcus Ericsson retire in a cloud of smoke with a gearbox problem.
Both drivers got off the line well and gained positions on the first lap. Josef then tangled with another car after fierce fighting for positions throughout the field in the opening stages. This resulted in some damage to the car which would prevent Josef from being able to match the strong pace he had showed early on, eventually losing positions whilst struggling with the handling for the remainder of the race.
Marcus was having a good race, moving up through the field when disaster struck and he was forced to retire due to mechanical failure. At the time he was looking good for his, and the team's, first points of the season.
Josef Kral: "I definitely had a really good start from the grid to about 100 metres before the first corner, up to that point it was really good. I was behind Herck but I was really close to him and there was probably some contact, he braked a bit and I realised if I go straight I would hit him so I had to pull to the side, I just couldn't bring the car into the corner, I was trying but there was no chance so I went really wide. Then when I got back on the track I was behind Marcus and then Ambrosio overtook me, we did half a lap and then in the last three corners to the main straight, we were side by side again through the corner and he turned to me really offensively, it was quite a big shunt. I let the steering wheel go, I grabbed it again and continued to race but the front was damaged. I was doing laps as quick as I could but every lap was the same time, I couldn't go faster. I was trying to be on the edge of the car but there was no chance to go any quicker. Thanks to the guys, they did a really good pit stop. It was good experience but a shame again because of the result."
Marcus Ericsson: "It was a very good start, very good first lap, I think we overtook a couple of cars so we were running quite well. The car was feeling very good and after that, after a couple of laps we got held up by Valerio and Herck. I think we were running quite good, I don't know which position but quite high up. The team called me in late on the lap, which was a very good call because we went into the pits, had a very good stop, the team did a good job and I went out and did a good first two laps out of the pits. We were in-front of Valerio and Herck before their stops so it was looking very good. Then unfortunately after that I started struggling with the gear changes and I got a warning on the dash, so I knew something was not right but I tried to keep going. Then after two or three laps it stopped completely and I had to retire, which is a big shame because the car felt very, very good and I did a very good job on the first couple of laps of the whole race. I think when we look at it, Herck finished seventh and we were in-front of Herck theoretically after the stops so we could have had a really good race from nineteenth, but, it's how it is in motorsport sometimes, it's very unlucky, but we just have to come back tomorrow and do a good job again."