06/08/2006
NEWS STORY
Piquet Sports - Nelson Piquet Jr 1st
Nelson Piquet Jr put himself in the record books today by becoming the first driver in GP2 history to take a maximum point haul from a race weekend by taking pole position, fastest lap in each race and two absolutely stunning race wins. After an absolutely dominant performance in yesterday's race, he won today's 23-lap sprint race in the pouring rain after starting eighth on the grid. He crossed the line 13 seconds ahead of his championship rival Lewis Hamilton. With four races remaining the gap in the standings is down to just 11 points.
Today's race begun under a rolling start after torrential rain began to pour an hour before the start. With Giorgio Pantano starting from the pitlane after an accident, Nelson was promoted to seventh. The safety car was in use for the first three laps and then on lap 4 Nelson moved up to fourth after Jose Maria Lopez spun off and he passed two cars. On lap three he was up to third after Xandi Negrao crashed and when Alex Premat went wide, he was up to second. On lap six leader Adam Carroll went into the barriers and Nelson took the lead, where he stayed comfortably until the chequered flag, where he took his third race win of the season.
At the start of the weekend Nelson was 26 points adrift of championship leader Hamilton, but after an absolutely flawless weekend, the deficit is down to 11. The next two races will take place in three weeks time at the Istanbul circuit in Turkey, with the season's final two races taking place at Monza in Italy a fortnight later.
Nelson Piquet Jr: "I'm the first driver to do a perfect weekend, and I hope it's the first of many. It was really dangerous out there today and I was pleased when I heard it was a rolling start. So I started safely then I overtook a couple of cars safely then when I was ahead I just got my head down and focused. Everything worked well for the race and now I just hope to do the same thing in Turkey."
ART Grand Prix - Lewis Hamilton 2nd Alexandre Prémat 3rd
ART Grand Prix had a difficult start to their weekend in Hungary, where the cool and wet conditions were opposite to what they expected, however they were quick to react on all levels over the Magyar weekend and managed to secure two podiums – one for each of their drivers - which allowed Lewis Hamilton to limit the potential damage to his championship hopes, as Nelson Piquet Jnr had the perfect weekend, and to keep Alexandre Prémat in his solid 3rd place. In regard to the team championship, ART GP left Hungary with a lead of 50 points over iSport International.
Frédéric Vasseur: Alex suffered from the penalty he's been given in Hockenheim, 15th on the grid, so we had to change his pit stop schedule, which is too bad as with a good race pace he could have climbed onto the podium. However, he ended the weekend very well and took back some points from Glock on Sunday. Lewis had a very difficult weekend but finished it with class in a beautiful race in the rain. The best way to keep our lead in the two championships, to avoid asking us questions, is to attack and think of finishing the remaining races.
Alexandre Prémat: We did not really run in the practice session, because the track was very slippery and wet. After Lewis' crash we decided not to take too many risks. Therefore we did not really know where we were in terms of car balance for the qualifying session. I made two small mistakes which cost me the 2nd best time, but I could secure the 5th one but this soon transformed into 15th position on the grid, because of the penalty I was handed in Germany. I made a great start in race 1 but the car was rather difficult to handle and the visibility was very low which did not help. On Sunday I was at the maximum of the car's potential and I secured a podium. It is not our best weekend but I scored 7 points, which was not too bad. Nelson Piquet and his team obviously found something on the car and we have to make sure that we work hard to get back up high on the starting grid and secure two strong finishes in a race weekend. The ART Grand Prix team is excellent and there's no reason it can't get back on top.
Lewis Hamilton: Obviously the beginning of the weekend did not go too well. A big thank to the whole team for having worked so hard to repair my car in time for the qualifying session but unfortunately I could not clock a lap time in this session, and that's a lesson that I won't forget. I could not do any better in race 1, but it was a springboard for the second race. Securing a 2nd place after starting from 10th is a good achievement for me and the team, and as Alex also scored some points it is good for the team standings. The weekend ended well but we have to stay focused, work hard and get two strong results in Turkey.
Trident Racing - Gimmi Bruni 8th Andrea Zuber 9th
The Hungarian event ended under quite an heavy rain. During race 2 The Trident Racing drivers recovered the gap finishing in P8, Gimmi, and P9, Andreas. Their drive under the rain has been excellent, especially considering that the counts of the drivers out of track or crashing the barriers has been lost. Gimmi and Andreas drove at the same level of the championship leaders. Without the problems of yesterday, they could have gained important championship points. But at the end of the day the overall performance an be considered as positive.
Stefano Alessi – Race engineer car No 26: "Without the broken wishbone, yesterday we could have finished on the podium and today race 2 could have been different . Surely we are not satisfied but we are not disappointed. Our drivers has been very good and technically we set up a fast car. We could came back home with a trophy, of course, and we did not. But we have two more chances to get it so we will not lack our effort. We strongly want to do it and we want Andi to gain a cup as well".
DPR - Vitaly Petrov 10th Clivio Piccione DNF
To be honest I don't really know what to say," said David Price as he left the Hungaroring today. "Vitaly did a pretty good job, all things being equal, but Clivio – like a good many other drivers – had a miserable time. I suppose a 10th place just about saves it from being a right "goulash" of a weekend."
Qualifying hadn't gone exactly to plan and 13th (Piccione) and 23rd (Petrov) places on the grid were the outcome. In yesterday's race, Piccione's hopes for a fight through to a points-scoring position were thwarted when a water leak - which led to engine failure - brought his race to a premature end after just seven laps. Starting today from the back, in the appallingly wet and slippery conditions, he only had two laps of green flag racing before contact with Tahinci forced him off the track and out of the race.
The very disconsolate Monégasque driver said, "I was quick in untimed practice, and although we didn't do as well as we'd hoped in qualifying, the car was really good and I really think I would have easily been able to finish in the top six. I don't know what I have done to deserve such a long run of bad luck, but it's certainly not going well for me at the moment. I can only hope that Istanbul will be very much different to the last two rounds as I want to finish the season with more points and good memories."
Russian Vitaly Petrov had a trouble free run yesterday – including two pit stops (the purpose of the second being to give the GP2 newcomer an opportunity to run more laps on newer tyres) – to come home in 15th . The DPR team were becoming a little worried that he might never be able to break out of the 15th place "habit" (three out of three races) but he proved himself masterful in today's first wet race of the season by not stalling, avoiding all incidents, not going off the track, causing no damage and coming home in 10th!
Arden International - Michael Ammermueller 11th Nicolas Lapierre DNF
Arden came away from a frustrating Hungarian weekend with no points, after Michael Ammermueller had provided some encouragement with a great third place in qualifying.
Both drivers were the innocent victims of assaults from rival drivers as the team endured a difficult Saturday. From third Michael Ammermueller got ahead of second placed Jose Maria Lopez at the start. However on the exit of the first corner the Argentine driver clipped Michael's rear wheel and sent him into a spin. The engine stalled and he had no option but to climb out and walk away. Nicolas didn't have any better luck. After making a great start and gaining ground he ran wide on the first lap and had a spin. He had recovered well when he was hit by Yoshimoto and eliminated from the race.
Heavy rain on Sunday morning in Budapest made the sprint race a real challenge for all the drivers. Michael started from the very back of the grid after being punted into a spin at the first corner on Saturday. He made a good start and kept his nose clean despite the difficult conditions, apart from one quick harmless spin. He eventually brought the car home in 11th place. In the middle of the pack Nicolas tried hard to progress towards the points but had a couple of spins. After the second one he was unable to continue.
There is now a two-week break until Turkey.
Michael Ammermueller
Saturday: 'I couldn't do anything. I was on the outside and I was second and in the exit of the corner Lopez hit me on the right rear. I wasn't expecting it so I didn't catch the clutch when I spun. I didn't even see him.'
Sunday: 'Starting last was the best thing that could happen to me in a wet race. In the dry it was impossible to get to the front. I spun because I was behind a car and you can't see a lot. I pushed to try to overtake him and then I spun. In the end I didn't lose anything. The car is good and we did quite good times. It's the first time I raced in the rain with this car. I've tested a Formula Renault car in Turkey so I know the track a little bit. It's very quick and it will be nice in the GP2 car.'
Nicolas Lapierre
Saturday: 'The start was good, and we were P9 after the first corner. Then I was side-by-side with someone in the entry of Turn 5. I pushed a little bit too much and went wide and spun. The track was very dirty. Then I came back. We had good pace but stopped on lap 8. We had quite a good car but we were in the middle of the traffic. I passed Yoshimoto, who hit me just after the corner . He said he had some gearbox problems and he apologised. It's a shame because we want to have a good weekend with everything together.'
Sunday: 'It was very slippery and the car was not very good on the exit of the corners and very difficult to control. I went wide a few times and then I spun on the exit of the corner and stalled it. There was no way we were going to score any points. It was a pretty disappointing weekend but we have to keep our heads up and look in front of us. Turkey was quite good last year, and it's a nice track. It's definitely different than here!'
Racing Engineering - Javier Villa DNF Adam Carroll DNF
A torrential downpour in race two at the Hungaroring was the difference between success and failure today for Racing Engineering, with Adam Carroll losing an almost certain win because of standing water on the track and Javier Villa also losing his car in the treacherous conditions on the last lap of the race.
The heavy rain meant that the race was started behind the safety car, and the field circulated for a few laps before being let loose. Adam was immediately on the pace, pressuring polesitter Jose Maria Lopez into a spin into turn two before steaming off to set a number of fastest laps as he built up his lead. Unfortunately the rain meant that the rain mixed with the oil in the track, and after running slightly wide his car was pitched into a spin and the wall, knocking off his front wing and forcing the Ulsterman into the pits and retirement.
Javi was able to continue on, taking advantage of the other spinning cars in front of him as he pushed his way through the field. Unfortunately on the last lap he was caught out on the white line as well, spinning into the wall to also losing his front wing and put the seal on a weekend to forget for Racing Engineering.
Team principal Alfonso de Orleans Borbon, sheltering from the rain, noted: "It was a very wet race, and it was a real pity: I think Adam leading the race was the highlight of the weekend and he did an absolutely fabulous job, but that one spin sadly washed away all our hopes of getting the first win of the season. I think he did a good job in the conditions, because so many people went off, so all things considered he did a good job. Javi was holding in there until the last lap, so it's a bit of a pity that he went off as that meant both cars didn't finish. But on the bright side both drivers said the car felt fabulous, so at least we know we have a good set up if it rains again!"
After the race Adam Carroll sadly stated: Obviously I'm very disappointed because the race was going well until I went off and hit the barrier. I was pushing as hard as I could but unfortunately I just went a little wide and hit the white line, it spun me around, and that was it really. We did everything we could do for the wet with the set up and so on, but the conditions were just so tricky; I was trying to be smooth and make no mistakes, but that's just the way it went. I was pretty annoyed and just massively disappointed for everybody."
Back in the paddock Javier Villa said: It was a very difficult race with all the water, and it's only my second time in this car in the rain, but I could push okay even if the times were slow because of the rain. Unfortunately on my last lap I spun and broke the nose, but I could still bring the car back. This weekend in general was not so good, and I'm not so happy because of the spin in practice and then the problems in the race, so I will just have to look forward to Turkey."
Supernova - Jose Maria Lopez DNF Fairuz Fauzy DNF
Rain had set in & was laying on the track this morning as the GP2 Sprint race in Budapest started behind a safety car. Jose Maria Lopez set off from an encouraging pole position but this was quickly snatched from him when he spun off in the wet on his opening lap, damaging the front and rear wing & suspension. Unfortunately this was just the beginning of Super Nova's disastrous day, as team mate Fairuz Fauzy followed suit and after 8 laps, slipped off the track and caused damage to the #6 Super Nova car. A disappointing end this weekend. Hopefully it can only improve for the next event in Istanbul in a few weeks time.
Nelson Piquet Jnr. stole the show again today winning with Team Principal - David Sears: "What can I say two more accidents, two more broken cars, no points and whole team fed up and disillusioned. For Jose Maria Lopez to throw away two out of three races whilst in the lead is not acceptable. And Fairuz Fauzy joining on him the breakdown truck, as team principal I do not have one word to either of them today. No further comment. "
Jose Maria Lopez: "After finishing yesterday with problems in the car, I started from front row, so we had a good chance. The weather conditions didn't help, but I really wanted to finish at the top today, so I drove steady, but unfortunately the car was very, very slippery & I came off. I want to look forward to Turkey now, a circuit I like. We definitely deserve a win and to get points."
Fairuz Fauzy: "It was a real tough race today. It's rare to rain here, usually its very hot and dry. A lot of people fell off, I just tried to keep up with the others, remaining steady, but unfortunately I lost it just after chicane. Turkey could be another wet race…I hope we can do better there."