30/05/2010
NEWS STORY
Racing Engineering - Dani Clos (1st) Christian Vietoris (DNF)
Racing Engineering achieved the team's first win of the season in today's sprint race at Istanbul Park. Dani Clos climbed onto the top spot of the podium for the first time in GP2. The Spanish driver, who started from pole, had a trouble free race to achieve this fantastic race victory. On the other side, Christian Vietoris had to retire with an engine problem when he was running in a comfortable second position.
Despite the morning schedule, sunny conditions and temperatures of 25 degrees welcomed the GP2 field today at Istanbul Park. Both Racing Engineering drivers were starting from the front row, with Dani Clos in pole position and Christian Vietoris just behind him in second place. After a tidy start, Dani kept the lead, with Christian second and Razia in third. Both Racing Engineering drivers were faster than their rivals and soon opened a comfortable gap. On lap 3, Dani Clos set the race's fastest lap allowing him to secure yet another point in the championship. Dani and Christian seemed headed for the first one-two-finish for Racing Engineering in GP2, but on lap 10, Christian slowed down dramatically and had to park his car next to the track the following lap. Christian's retirement from the race was caused by an engine failure.
Dani Clos, now followed by Razia, continued to show his maturity and determination at the wheel, maintaining control of his rivals and increasing the gap over Razia and van der Garde.
In the end, the Spanish driver crossed the line almost 9 seconds head of his first rival, thus achieving his first ever win in GP2, scoring Racing Engineering's first victory of the season, as well as getting an extra point for setting the fastest lap of the race. After the Turkish round, Maldonado leads the championship standings with 27 points, with Racing Engineering's Dani Clos in second with 23. In the teams' championship standings, Racing Engineering has passed ART Grand Prix, and are currently in third position.
Dani Clos: This was a good race. I made a good start and was able to quickly create a gap. We had a good pace and I was able to keep up my rhythm. The tyres worked fine and I had a good distance to my followers throughout the race. This allowed me to feel comfortable. The team did an excellent job and we worked hard to have a good car and be able to take advantage of this opportunity. Thanks a lot to all the team and Alfonso.
Christian Vietoris: It's a real pity. We suffered from engine problems during the most part of the weekend. In free practice the results were not too bad given the troubles we faced, but qualifying was disappointing as more was possible than just 11th position as I had a really good car. Race 1 was tough, but I was able to finish in 7th. And today, the car was really very good again. I think the lap times I set showed this. But from lap three on, I could already feel a loss of power from the engine and I finally had to retire when the engine failed. I am very disappointed and there is little more to say.
Alfonso De Orleans - Borbon, President of Racing Engineering: A fantastic first win from Dani! But in the end, it's a sweet and sour weekend. Christian did a fantastic job and he deserved so much to join Dani on the podium. But once again he suffered from a problem with the engine and had to retire from a race, which would have seen him on the podium. It's a real shame. Dani, on the other hand, dominated today's race. He was able to quickly pull away and increase the gap, which allowed him to celebrate a fantastic first victory in GP2. Our drivers, engineers and mechanics have done a great job this weekend, although their hard work has not always been rewarded accordingly.
iSport International - Davide Valsecchi (4th) Oliver Turvey (DNF)
iSport and Davide Valsecchi have been back on form this weekend in Istanbul, but lady luck has not been on the side of British rookie Oliver Turvey.
After a second place in Race 1, iSport racer Davide Valsecchi meant business in Race 2 and quickly jumped from seventh to fifth on the first lap, dispatching the unsuspecting Michael Herck in the process.
With a retirement ahead from Christian Vietoris, Valsecchi was up to fourth when he came under some sustained pressure from behind. Showing his experience Valsecchi kept his cool and almost snatched the third podium spot from Giedo van der Garde in the later stages of race. With another three points, Valsecchi has collected a much needed thirteen points from Istanbul Park. Oliver Turvey suffered some more hardship in Race 2 as he stalled on the grid. After eventually getting started, Turvey was then awarded another penalty for speeding in the pit lane, demoting him to the back of the field. The results may have eluded the young British driver, but Turvey can take some consolation from his pace this weekend which has been very impressive.
Davide Valsecchi: It was another good race for me today. I wanted to score some more good points which I did. I ran out of time to catch third but I am really happy with fourth and more points. We were quick all weekend which is a really good feeling. I came under some pressure from Herck but it always felt ok and I was not too worried, then I caught Van Der Garde at the end but I could not pass him before the end of the race. Now we will look to the next race and try to be just as quick in Valencia as well. It's a good feeling to be at the front fighting.
Oliver Turvey: It's been a tough weekend. After qualifying so well I had high hopes of a good result but after the penalties in Race 1 and starting so far back it was always going to be difficult today. Unfortunately I stalled at the start and then also got handed another penalty which put any chance of a good result out of the window. It just wasn't my weekend this time around and sometimes that's how it goes. We can be encouraged as the car was really quick here and we definitely had the pace to be at the front so I will put this race weekend down to experience and look ahead to Valencia where hopefully we can get back to some good results.
DAMS - Jerome d'Ambrosio (8th) Ho-Pin Tung (9th)
This weekend, DAMS raced in the third round of the 2010 GP2 Series in Turkey on the Istanbul Park circuit, a curtain-raiser to the F1 grand prix. Due to a difficult qualifying session, the team was unable to fight for victory in the two races on Saturday and Sunday.
Jerome d'Ambrosio was sixteenth on the grid for the long race. He fought his way up through the mid-fielders and saw the flag in tenth place from which he started the short event. He pulled back another two places, and when he was seventh he made a last-gasp attempt to snatch sixth to score a point. Unfortunately, he went wide and fell back to eighth. Ho-Pin Tung started from twenty-fourth place in race 1. He fought like a lion and finished just behind the Belgian on Saturday. He drove another attacking race today passing several cars and was very competitive. He finished ninth, thus no points for the team in Turkey.
Loïc David, General Manager: "We're disappointed with our weekend. We were back on a more conventional circuit after Monaco, and we thought we'd be as quick as we were in winter testing. We don't really understand why the driver/car combination didn't work in qualifying in Istanbul. If we manage to unleash our potential in the next race, we know we've got the speed to fight at the front. My thanks to the team, the drivers, engineers and mechanics who all did their best this weekend. We're going to redouble our efforts to get back on the right track in Valencia next month."
Jerome d'Ambrosio: "I was very disappointed after qualifying as I thought we could do better on this circuit. The negative aspect of my weekend was my place on the grid. The positive one is my pace in the races. Today, I almost finished in the points and my lap times were quite good. We're going to analyze all the data collected this weekend and define how we'll tackle the first day in Valencia, as that will determine the rest of the weekend."
Ho-Pin Tung: "I suffered from a general lack of grip all weekend and that upset my qualifying. The track was dirty and the car was sliding around a lot. My poor performance on Friday handicapped me in the races. By starting from so far back there wasn't much to hope for if things went off without incident. Nonetheless, I pulled back thirteen places on Saturday and two more today. My reason for feeling satisfied is that my race pace was good, especially in the short event. We now have to find the right recipe for qualifying!"
Trident Racing - Johnny Cecotto (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 (14th) Marcus Ericsson (DNF)
Super Nova's luck didn't get better in the Sprint race in Istanbul today, with a 14th place finish for Josef Kral and another retirement from Marcus Ericsson. Josef drove a good race and fought hard throughout and with his car coming good towards the end of the race, was one of the fastest cars on track. Marcus had an excellent start and had got passed a number of cars in the opening lap, before unfortunately making contact with another car. This caused terminal damage and was the end of a frustrating weekend for the Swede. Both drivers have demonstrated their talent at various points during the season so far and the team is confident that it's first points of the season will arrive soon.
Josef Kral: "I had a really, really, good start and the car felt good but I had under-steer, mainly in the first corner, so we were unable to challenge the cars in front. Then when the tyres started to go off on the rear we had a better balance and consistent pace for the second half of the race. I nearly overtook Bianchi on the last lap but it was too risky. We definitely have some speed; we just need everything to go well for the whole weekend."
Marcus Ericsson: "I made a very good start and first corner and was up quite a lot in the field. Then on the run towards turn three I was side by side with Perez. I managed to out-brake him but unfortunately made contact with another car in front. After that I got quite a bit of damage and had to retire. It was a real shame as it felt like the car was very quick! Really all weekend the speed has been there in both me and the car, but I feel we have been very unlucky. Anyway we keep pushing for Valencia now."