14/02/2009
NEWS STORY
ART Grand Prix - Nico Hulkenberg (3rd) Sakon Yamamoto (14th)
ART Grand Prix and Nico Hulkenberg had a fantastic weekend in Qatar where the German driver dominated the inaugural night event, taking pole, his second consecutive start from top spot, fastest lap and the victory in Friday's feature race, becoming the only other driver besides series leader, Kamui Kobayashi, to take the hat trick. To make it an even better weekend all round for Nico, race two, where he started eighth on the grid and moved to fourth by turn two, resulted in a second podium finish when he crossed the line in third place after a fierce battle with Edoardo Mortara.
However, despite Nico's maiden win in just two races contested, it wasn't an easy weekend for the team because as Nico impressed, teammate Sakon Yamamoto was involved in a horrifying accident when he stalled on the grid of race one before being rear ended by another driver. Thankfully both men were uninjured but the team was forced to stay up all night repairing the damage to ensure his participation in race two. Starting P24 on the grid, the Japanese driver raced to fourteenth place by the time the chequered flag emerged, proving what could have been by clocking the sixth fastest time.
Sakon's performances should be rewarded by points in the next event, while Nico will step out of the car and allow, Pastor Maldonado, to contest the final two rounds of the Asia series and become accustomed to the team before kicking off the new GP2 main championship.
Sakon Yamamoto: "The most important thing is that none of the drivers involved in the horrendous car crash were injured. I stalled on the starting grid, this time it was entirely my fault as I just tried to make a good start a bit too hard. I was afraid I would not make the start of the second race but thankfully the mechanics and all the team worked incredibly hard all night long and I am really thankful for this. Better still, the car was perfectly balanced; they are the best team, no question! Starting from P24 I was always going to have a tough race but I must say it was enjoyable. I overtook cars every 2 or 3 laps and even 2 at the same time in turn 1. I can't say I'm satisfied by the result and I will do my best to give the team the results it deserves next time in Sepang."
Nico Hulkenberg: "To do better would have been difficult. When you have the power to convert a pole position in victory, the feeling is just amazing. Things were not easy though because my radio was not working properly and I could not clearly hear what the team was telling me. But the strategy was awesome and that's down to the team and my tyre wear management. I pushed hard when I needed to and came out of the pits in front. First win in my second GP2 meeting, the feeling is good. It was difficult in race 2 because there was more dust and sand on the track and I struggled with my left front tyre when I was behind Mortara. I did not want to overuse it so I could keep my chances alive and when I get through, the Campos drivers were too far away. I am satisfied with my results in the GP2 Series because I did what was expected from me and it gives me confidence for the Main Series."
Frédéric Vasseur : "With 17 points we're close to perfection and it is motivating for ART Grand Prix to secure its first win of the year. Nico was perfect with a hat trick and 2 pole positions in 2 races while still a rookie in the championship. We did not get it right in terms of tyre wear in Bahrain but we were very good in Qatar on a dirty and slippery track. It was not easy to overtake in Losail, yet Nico offered us another podium on Saturday. Race 2 could have been different had he overtaken Mortara on the second lap, but we can't have any regrets. The fact that Nico is 3rd in the championship, just 2 points shy of second, shows how big his talent really is."
DAMS - Jerome d'Ambrosio (7th) Kamui Kobayashi (18th)
This weekend the DAMS team took part in the 2 rounds of the Asian GP2 Series on the Losail circuit in Qatar, the 4th round of the championship.
Kamui Kobayashi and Jerome d'Ambrosio who were in 4th and 5th places on the grid had a very good Feature race yesterday. Despite a car that was damaged in a collision the Japanese driver managed to hold on to his starting place until the finish and added another 5 points to his tally. Jerome made the best comeback in the race. Thanks to an aggressive strategy, a very good piece of driving on his part and a perfectly executed pit stop, he pulled back several places and finished fifth.
Today, in the Short race the team did not enjoy the same success. Jerome finished the 1st lap in 7th place where he stayed until the end, as he was unable to move any further up the classification. Lady Luck did not smile on Kamui. He missed his start and was in 8th position after the 1st turn but his car's handling went off aft er a collision. He made a couple of mistakes and saw the flag in 18th position.
After the 4th round Kamui has held on to his lead in the drivers' classification (Jerome is fifth) and DAMS is still in 1st place in the teams' ratings, 16 points ahead of its nearest challenger.
Eric Boullier, team manager: "The team's recent performances led us to believe that we'd reap a rich harvest of points this weekend. We had to make do with a fourth and a fifth place, but these results enable us to keep the lead in both championships. We never really got into the groove on this rather special circuit, and we reckon we'll be back at our best in the next round."
Kamui Kobayashi: "Yesterday was very positive. Despite the fact that my car was slightly damaged, and very difficult to drive, I managed to finish in the same position as I started. Today, I honestly don't really understand what happened. My tyres were completely shot after only a few laps and it was all I could do to keep the car on the track. My lead in the championship means I can afford a mistake, but I want to get back on top at the next round."
Jerome d'Ambrosio: "I'm very happy with my race yesterday. Tenth at the start and fifth at the finish, it would have been difficult to do better. This evening the car's handling was very inconsistent. I think this is a very special circuit, and we didn't really managed to get to grips with it. It hasn't compromised my level of performance and our motivation is still bullet-proof!"
GFH Team iSport - Giedo van der Garde (8th) Hamad Al Fardan (DNF)
GFH team iSport failed to score points in the first ever GP2 night races in Qatar despite Dutch driver Giedo van der Garde's solid drive in this evening's sprint race at the Losail International Circuit.
Van der Garde fought hard in an intense battle for the points paying positions overtaking and finishing ahead of experienced GP2 racers in a race dominated by the rookies of the GP2 Asia Series. He eventually finished a close 8th just short of the points.
Unfortunately Bahraini GFH team iSport driver Hamad Al Fardan retired from this evenings sprint race after struggling with graining on his Bridgestone slick tyres due to his lack of track time at the tricky Losail International Circuit.
Paul Jackson: "Giedo has driven really well in Qatar but his job was made very difficult after having his best lap compromised by the red flag in qualifying. Had he started higher I believe he could have taken another good handful of points this weekend".
"Hamad's limited experience really hurt him this weekend and retiring from race 1 with a gearbox problem gave him limited knowledge of the tyres on this track which meant that it was more difficult for him to deal with the tyre management. I am sure Malaysia will suit him much better and we look forward to seeing him return to the promising form he showed in the first three races.".
MY Qi-Meritus Mahara - Marco Bonanomi (11th) Alvaro Parente (16th)
Italian driver Marco Bonanomi and Portuguese Alvaro Parente started sixteenth and seventeenth respectively under the bright lights of the Losail International Circuit in the 23-lap second race at Doha and finished in 11th and 16th positions respectively.
Both drivers progressed steadily through the course of the race, showing a very strong pace and pulling off a number of impressive overtaking moves as they fought past a number of rivals. They both made it to the chequered flag, but unfortunately needed more laps to continue their strong pace into points-scoring positions.
Alvaro Parente commented, I was a bit too careful at the start and four cars passed me. By the end of lap 1 I had caught back up to fifteenth, although I had to run wide later to avoid a collision when I passed Rigon. Luckily there was no damage but it was the end of my chances of scoring point. It took me a few laps to pass Rigon again but I managed to do so seven laps before the end of the race. After that a small excursion out of the track that pushed me back to nineteenth, I was able to catch up again and passed three other drivers before the end. However, a race without points is not good."
Marco Bonanomi commented, The track is not easy for overtaking here and it was a tough race. Every time we have started from further down the field, like in Bahrain and here, nothing dramatic has happened ahead of us, so it has been difficult to get into a serious points-scoring position. This race was hard work and I had to do a lot of overtaking in the first part of the race. I am pleased with my performance. I gave a lot, starting 16th and finishing eleventh, but scoring no points does not reflect the potential of the team. We can fight for the podium, if we can only qualify higher on the grid."
Peter Thompson, team founder commented, I am disappointed that we did not score points this weekend as we have the potential to do so. The drivers have done a good job finishing both races in our first ever GP2 Asia night race at the Losail International Circuit in Doha. Nevertheless, the team keeps its motivation high thanks to the incredible support of 5,000 fans at the circuit invited by Questnet and the wonderful welcome extended to the team by Mr Nasser Al Kalifa and his team at QMMF.
Raad S. Abduljawad, team chairman, My Qi-Meritus.Mahara commented, The team has been improving today and I am happy that the team made progress on the tyre front since yesterday and solved some of the problems. Were now looking to the future and a good race in Malaysia, a track that both drivers like to race on."
FMS International - Rodolfo Gonzalez (19th) Kevin Chen (23rd)
The GP2 Asia Series heralded in a new era for the category this weekend by holding its first ever night race at the 5.38km Losail International Circuit near Doha in Qatar. Fisichella Motor Sport International was in attendance for the fourth round of the 2008/09 championship with Rodolfo Gonzalez and Kevin Chen once again in action for the team.
Free Practice got underway on Thursday in tricky conditions as a twenty-four hour sandstorm beforehand led to drivers heading out onto an extremely dirty track in very breezy conditions. Beginning his second GP2 event, Rodolfo was able to get 15 laps of practice under his belt, recording a fastest lap of 1:42.052. Unfortunately Kevin was unable to participate in practice due to technical issues with the car, putting him firmly on the back-foot as teams approached the afternoon's qualifying. Suffering due to his lack of practice, Kevin qualified at the back of the grid after the 30-minute session with a lap of 1:43.139. Rodolfo's fastest time of 1:38.384 was 22nd on the timing sheets, setting him up on the 11th row of the grid for Friday's race.
The fortunes of the drivers were somewhat reversed in Friday's 34-lap feature race. Rodolfo was a victim of an incident involving Yelmer Buurman and a stalling Sakon Yamamoto, getting caught up in their startline accident, which put a premature end to his race after he hit the wall trying to avoid the crash. Kevin had a consistent race, performing well and eventually crossing the line in 18th place, an improvement of eight positions to his starting spot.
In Saturday's 23-lap sprint race, Kevin began from 18th and Rodolfo from 25th on the grid. Kevin had a solid race, crossing the line in 23rd. Rodolfo got crucial experience over the 23 laps and was setting impressive times towards the end of the race. He finished in 19th position, six places above his starting position.
The penultimate round of this GP2 Asia campaign will take place 4-5 April at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia as a supporting event to the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Paolo Coloni, Team Principal: "We have been encouraged by the team's performance in Qatar. It was unfortunate for Kevin to miss practice and so he had to go straight out and qualify. We were impressed with Rodolfo in qualifying as he was 14th until the last minute of the session. In Friday's race Rodolfo hit the wall trying to avoid the crash, which caused damaged suspension and Kevin also ran over debris from the same crash. In a way we were actually fortunate not to sustain worse damage. In the second race, Kevin put in a solid performance while Rodolfo was setting lap times at the end equal to the front runners. From the next race I would welcome a bit of luck for both drivers from the start of the weekend."
Ocean Racing Team - Fabrizio Crestani (21st) Yelmer Buurman (DNS)
Ocean Racing Technology conquered the weekend in the top ten thanks to Fabrizio Crestani, who went from 15th to 10th in the Feature race. The Italian driver was also very competitive in the Sprint race where he was actually the fastest driver on several occasions between the 13th and 16th lap.
Crestani was determined to enter the points however he then suffered from sudden tyre wear that prevented him from maintaining the same pace. Despite this, Fabrizio has drawn a positive assessment from the weekend. "It was an incredible race! I couldn't believe it when my tyres let me down. Up to this point, the car was very well balanced and I was the fastest guy on track from time to time. It shows the team and I are right up there. I liked racing at night. The visibility was like the track, just excellent. We now have to look forward to the next race. In Malaysia, I know that if we don't have any mishaps we will be able to secure some points," assures Crestani.
Meanwhile, teammate Yelmer Buurman was the unhappy hero of the most dramatic moment of the weekend when he violently ran into the single-seater of Sakon Yamamoto that had stalled on the grid. Buurman had a good start from 23rd on the grid (after having fuel problems in qualifying) passing several cars on his way to arriving at full speed on the stalled ART contender and was unable to avoid the collision. The accident caused the Dutchman's car to catch fire and the damage was too extensive to allow him to take part in the Sprint race. Fortunately both drivers were unharmed in the incident.
"Everything happened so fast. The car was great at the start and I gained several positions. I did not see Yamamoto and the next thing I know I had a heavy crash without knowing what happened to me. The consequences could have been much worse. It is frustrating not to have been able to do a single lap in Qatar because I know we were competitive."
Tiago Monteiro was very relieved that the Dutchman's accident looked much worse than it was and underlined Crestani's very strong race performance: "Crestani was the fastest driver on track for several laps and it is encouraging for the team. This is not down to luck as he was improving his lap times all the time. The tyre problem? It's hard to explain but it has nothing to do with the driver and the team efforts. Above all, we have to be happy Yelmer was not hurt in the accident. It was a tough one and the TV pictures were scary. We will fix the car in order to be on top for the next race."