23/08/2009
NEWS STORY
ART Grand Prix - Nico Hulkenberg (1st) Pastor Maldonado (8th)
ART Grand Prix left the Valencia circuit on Sunday afternoon with another pole, their 6th win of the season and two podium finishes to their credit, all courtesy of Nico Hulkenberg. After taking another scorching pole on Friday, the German driver topped it off with a second place in race one and a win in race two, his fourth race victory of the 2009 season. He also secured fastest lap in both events.
Meanwhile, teammate Pastor Maldonado didn't feel as well in qualifying as he did in practice and a problem with the floor of his car prevented him from securing a point in the first race and starting the second one in pole position. Instead he was forced to line up in last position. Street track expert Pastor was one of the fastest drivers on Sunday and his 8th position was a good achievement in itself but unfortunately insufficient to secure any points.
As a result of this weekend, Nico Hulkenberg extended his lead in the drivers' championship and he is now twenty points ahead of Vitaly Petrov. Meanwhile ART Grand Prix also extended their lead in the teams championship as the countdown to next month's season finale continues.
Nico Hulkenberg: Pole position was not that easy to grab but the car felt great thanks to the team's hard work. I felt comfortable and confident, the circuit has a good rhythm and I just went for it. It was really hot in the race and my slight mistake in the first turn cost me dearly when I was a bit too optimistic under braking because it was definitely not easy to follow another car the whole race without missing a line here and there. I got past Perez but after that basically I was stuck behind Petrov. He did not make any mistakes and I did not want to take any silly risks because it was really not easy to overtake on this circuit. At least I could do the fastest lap which allowed me, along with pole position, to get more points than Petrov in the first race. In the second race, I took the inside line and that was a good move. I was already P3 at the end of the first lap and from then on I made sure I did not makeany mistakes. This fourth win was really pleasant and I want to thank each and every member of ART Grand Prix. 20 points is a nice gap but there are still 60 points left and the championship is certainly not over. We will go to Spa with the will to win.
Pastor Maldonado: Coming to Valencia my goal was crystal clear; I had to secure some big points in order to stay in the loop for the title hunt. I like this circuit, which has some long straights and slow corners, a bit like Monaco where I feel at home and where I won several races. I was optimistic thanks to the adjustments we made in anticipation of Valencia and Spa and the practice session went really well. But I had some difficulties in qualifying and I could not reiterate my 3rd position of the morning. Still, I was confident for the rest of the weekend. I was counting on a good start and on a long and difficult race, just what I like, to progress but this floor problem ruined the races. I will have to catch up with no delay and as soon as the next weekend in Spa.
Frederic Vasseur: With pole position, the win, the 2nd place and two fastest laps in race for Nico we weren.t that far from the perfect weekend but an incident due to a collision between Pastor and another driver caused the car to be in breach of the technical regulations. It is a shame because without this incident that compromised both his races I'm sure Pastor would have been able to show he is always great on a street circuit. Having said that, the review of the weekend is positive for ART Grand Prix as our level of performance was excellent and as we widen the gap with our rivals in both championships.
DAMS - Jerome d'Ambrosio (4th) Kamui Kobayashi (11th)
This weekend, DAMS raced in the seventh round of the GP2 Series Championship on the Valencia city circuit in Spain. This very tricky track is laid out around the harbour of the 2007 Americas Cup, and provides drivers with a very different challenge to Budapest 4 weeks ago.
Jerome d'Ambrosio and Kamui Kobayashi were determined to break the team's recent run of poor performances, but the difficult track conditions and the limited running time made setting up the cars a challenging task. Friday's qualifying session was a hotly-disputed one and the drivers did not have much luck. Starting from so far back on the grid they knew they had a tough job ahead of them to try and fight their way to the front. They both drove aggressive races and finished Saturday's round in eighth and ninth places.
This result gave Kamui pole position for the second race today. Unfortunately, he was the victim of a collision at the start and had to pit for repairs. He finished 11th. Jerome drove a solid race and came home fourth scoring 3 points.
With 6 races to go till the end of the championship (Belgium, Italy, Portugal) DAMS is lying in 6th place in the championship. Jerome and Kamui are in 7 and 18 places in the drivers' ratings.
Eric Boullier, Team Manager: "We were a bit quicker this weekend and we've added three points to our tally thanks to Jerome after several races without scoring. We're very disappointed for Kamui who could have won today as he was penalized by the fault of another driver. It's frustrating but we've now got to end the season on a high note. We've got three events left in which to shine, and we're determined to seize every opportunity."
Kamui Kobayashi: "I'm very disappointed. I thought I could save my weekend with my pole on Sunday, but another driver spun in front of me and I couldn't avoid him. My front wing was damaged. I could have continued as the car's handling wasn't altered all that much, but there was a safety risk so I came in for repairs. That was the end of my hopes. It's frustrating and the numerous safety car interventions prove that there's always a high risk of collision on city circuits. You need a little luck, which wasn't my case this weekend!"
Jerome d'Ambrosio: "We felt very frustrated after qualifying on Friday, but we decided not to throw in the towel. I pulled back eight places yesterday and five today. I pushed non-stop and bagged three points. It's better than nothing but it's not what I was hoping for. I can't wait to be at Spa-Francorchamps next weekend. I'll be racing in my own country and I'm determined to shine in front of my home crowd!"
iSport International - Diego Nunes (5th) Giedo van der Garde (DNF)
It was another hot morning in Valencia irrespective of the early race start of 10:30am. It seems the heat got to the GP2 drivers as it was an incident packed sprint race which included several penalties, two safety cars, cars racing with no wings and some great overtaking. iSport racer Diego Nunes had an eventful race making a fantastic overtaking manoeuvre on championship contender Vitaly Petrov. After a few knocks, accidents and retirements Nunes took fifth place and his first points of the season in a thrilling race. Dutch iSport racer Giedo van der Garde was not so fortunate after he was hit in the first corner by Lucas Di Grassi and forced to retire from the race.
The team will now head straight to Belgium for the next round in one week time where drivers Diego Nunes and Giedo van der Garde will be relishing the challenge of the Spa Francorchamp circuit.
Diego Nunes: "I had a good start; the beginning of the race was good. I got by Mortara and he hit me on the brakes and I hit him back and lost three positions to Petrov, Perera and D'Ambrosio. After that I had to fight again to recover the fifth place and I managed to finish fifth. It was a shame because again I could have finished on the podium if it wasn't for Mortara".
Giedo van der Garde: "My race was over in the first corner, there is not much to say. Di Grassi hit me and I had to retire".
Ocean Racing Technology - Karun Chandhok (6th) Alvaro Parente (DNF)
The temperatures in Valencia blew hot and cold for Ocean Racing Technology today for the second race of the GP2 Main Series weekend. Alvaro Parente was virtually on the podium when his race brutally ended following an error from Edoardo Mortara, who badly calculated his braking distance and caused a collision with the Portuguese racer. Meanwhile, Karun Chandhok had one of his best races of the season when he crossed the finish line in the points with a 6th position, after a brilliant run from 21st on the grid.
Ocean Racing Technology showed their initial competitiveness with Alvaro Parente, author of a spectacular start that saw him go from fifth to third. Alas, he soon became an innocent victim of Mortara's error when he locked a wheel under braking into the second turn and forced Alvaro to slow and lose several places. Falling back to 6th, the driver of car number 25 climbed back to 3rd place by the fifth lap and quickly proved that he was faster than the driver in front of him. But, at the time of a new start following a safety car period, Mortara made yet another error and nullified all of Parente's efforts. "It is one of those situations where you can't do anything about it and it is a shame because the podium was ours. Everything was perfect; I had my best start of the season and I could have taken the lead had I not had to avoid the chaos in the two first turns. This DNF is excessively frustrating because it is the consequence of an event where I was powerless. After the safety car, Mortara made an unwise manoeuvre which cost him a drive through penalty but which cost me my race and maybe the best result for the team this year," explained Parente, who leaves Valencia with the points from 4th place secured in race one yesterday.
Meanwhile, teammate Karun Chandhok also contributed to the value of Ocean Racing Technology when following a DNF in the first race due to a collision caused by Davide Valsecchi, the Indian driver was left to start from the rear of the grid in 21st place for race two. However Karun was already up to 13th by lap two and 9th six laps later, before moving up yet another three places and defending the final points position from attacks by Davide Rigon. "It was an interesting and constructive race because we've been able to show what our level of competitiveness is. On a street circuit and with so many safety car periods, it was impossible to do any better! On one hand it is a good sign but on the other it is frustrating because my race showed that I could have secured a very good result in the second race if I could have been able to take the chequered flag in the first one. We are heading into the right direction but honestly I think we had our share of misfortune and I hope the last part of the championship will allow us to translate our competitiveness into great results," he said.
Trident Racing - Davide Rigon (7th) Ricardo Teixeira (14th)
Trident Racing ended its weekend at Valencia by coming close to a points finish with Davide Rigon, who ended up in 7th on Race 2 at the city's Street Circuit. The driver based in Vicenza showed good speed and aggression, climbing up several spots and highlighting his car's great performance level. Despite the race was marred by many incidents, and three safety-car periods, both the team's Dallaras made it to the finish as Ricardo Teixeira improved up to the 14th spot after starting from the 12th row. There won't be many days of rest for Trident Racing, as the whole team is now headed towards Spa-Francorchamps for the 8th round of the 2009 season. Good laptimes will be expected from the very beginn ing: this time, Rigon and Teixeira won't have to learn a completely unknown circuit.
Davide Rigon: "It's been a good race. The car's handling kept improving, and it was even better than in Race 1. At the start, I had to avoid a stalled car, and then I feared to be involved in the first-lap melee. Luckily enough, I cleared T1, and started looking for the ideal braking balance, which I successfully found. "The only problem came from a fading engine, which prevented me from attacking the cars I had in front. While exiting from the corners I kept losing ground, an it was impossible to get a shot at my rivals' slipstream. "I wish I could have climbed up one spot more. A points finish would have been a good reward for all the gread job done by the team."
Ricardo Teixeira: "The start has been an high-risk one! A car turned just after takeoff, and several drivers tangled at the first corner. I had to brake really hard to avoid the backup, and obviously tires didn't like it. "The car's handling was good, but the Safety-Car periods made things more complicated, as I had to work hard to keep my tires warm. "We're now heading to Spa, a race I've been expecting because I already raced there in Formula 3. I hope for a troublefree weekend, with maybe the addition of the good luck we missed so far."
Super Nova Racing - Javier Villa (9th) Luca Filippi (DNF)
After a 7th place finish in yesterdays feature race, Super Nova's Luca Filippi began the 23 lap sprint race here at Valencia Street Circuit this morning 2nd on the grid.
Luca made a fantastic start and got ahead of Kobayashi, who began the race on pole. Unfortunately though as they entered turn two, the front wing of the Dams drivers' car collided with Luca's rear right wheel, leaving his car damaged, which caused the Italian to spin and forced him to retire from the race.
Javier Villa however, despite starting the race in 18th, managed to avoid any accidents ahead of him and proceeded to drive a steady race. He was able to gain several positions and finished the race in 9th place, just shy of any points.
The team are looking forward to the next round of the championship, which takes place in Spa in less than one weeks time.
Javier Villa: "It was a difficult race because of starting 18th, in a short race it is not easy. There were a lot of cars and safety cars but then we finished P9, its not too bad. We improved the car from yesterday. Now we need all the data from this weekend for preparing good car for spa, we can do it."
Luca Filippi: "I had a really good start and on entrance to turn two, I was in front of Kobayashi, but in braking he touched my rear right wheel with his front wing, the car was damaged and the race was over. It's a big shame because I really wanted to win and I'm sure I had a car with the right set up for this. We lost a good result. The guys did a great job, the car is fast and we look forward to Spa."
David Sears - Team Principal: "Luca Filippi made an absolute flyer of a start to get the jump on pole man kobayashi into the first corner. Unluckily for him Kobayashi hit his rear wing and spun him into immediate retirement. It's such a shame as Luca would have won the race.
Javier villa had many battles during the race, having started in 18th place, he managed to get up to 9th at flag, after nearly half the field retired due to accident damage.
The team have only three days before they have to be at Spa, where they will hope get better results, a track where Super Nova traditionally excels. Super Nova still retain 3rd place in the Teams Championship, with drivers currently in 6th and 9th in the Drivers Championship."
Party Poker Racing.com SC - Luiz Razia (13th) Andreas Zuber (DNF)
The seventh round of the 2009 GP2 Series took place this weekend at the Valencia street circuit in Spain, as the main support event for the European Formula 1 Grand Prix. Party Poker Racing.com Scuderia Coloni (formerly Fisichella Motor Sport International) were in action for races 13 and 14 of the season with regulars Andreas Zuber and Luiz Razia out for the team.
Paolo Coloni, Team Principal: "Yet again we have had a very unlucky weekend. We had some problems in qualifying but when it came to race pace, we were extremely competitive. Andreas was unfortunate yesterday to be held up by an accident in front of him but after that he held the fastest lap of the race for three quarters of the time. We ended up with the third fastest lap, which was encouraging. Today Luiz suffered a puncture so he had to make an unscheduled tyre stop. It's a shame that obviously if you have a problem in the first race then it compromises the second one. Hopefully for the next event in Spa we can have a normal run."
Durango - Nelson Panciatici (15th) Stefano Coletti (DNF)
Valencia race 2 went completely wrong for Durango. At the moment of the formation lap both cars remained blocked for some seconds, then Stefano and Nelson were able to move but, once got back on the starting grid, instead of take the start as last, they replaced themselves on the original rows. Which is not permitted by the rules, so they have been sanctioned by the race director. After this, Stefano Coletti had to retire because of a bent steering arm.
Nelson Panciatici has been good in taking the final fifteenth place. Beyond these unlucky circumstances, both driver showed once more their very strong determination. Ivone Pinton commented with a smile: "Here in Valencia we experienced so much troubles that I think we finished them all for the remainder of the season. So for the next races everything will have to go for good absolutely".
Fat Burner Racing Engineering - Dani Clos (DNF) Lucas Di Grassi (DNF)
When things are not meant to be, there is nothing one can do. And this is precisely what happened to the Fat Burner Racing Engineering Team this weekend at the Valencia Street Circuit.
The weekend in Valencia will be one to forget as soon as possible for the Fat Burner Racing Engineering Team after suffering the worst possible outcome of both races. After the great performance by Lucas Di Grassi and Dani Clos on Friday's qualifying session, the races did not go according to plan for either of them. After their retirements during Saturday's race, Lucas and Dani were involved in accidents during Sunday's race and were not able to cross the finish line.
On Sunday's sprint race, Lucas had to say goodbye to any chance of getting closer to the first place in the driver standings when approaching the second corner, as he missed his braking point and crashed into Van der Garde. Although the Brazilian shortly before avoided a spinning Zuber just in front of him, his race was over only one corner later, where his heavily damaged car came to a halt. Lucas got out of his car and had to watch the race, which was rich in incidents resulting in three interventions from the safety car, as a spectator.
Teammate Dani Clos was able to keep himself out of trouble during the opening laps and pushed hard to move up to 11th position by lap 5. Having started second to last, the young Spaniard saw his chance to pass Chandhok and move up to 10th, but he drove over the dirty side of the track and went wide, dropping back to 13th place. When another driver crashed into the back of Dani's car in lap 11, the rear wing came loose and it became too dangerous to continue the race. Dani had to retire to the pits on lap 13.
Lucas Di Grassi: Yesterday's gearbox and hydraulic pump problem was discovered and I would first of all like to thank the entire team for having fixed it. They worked all night, didn't get any sleep, repairing this mechanical failure out of the team's control. The guys did an awesome job. As for the race, I had a good start passing several cars, but at the braking point of the second turn, I lost my reference point when Zuber spun in front of me. I braked too late and am sorry about the result but couldn't avoid it. We will be back in Spa in a week, and although the championship is getting difficult, we will fight to win every race from now to the end of the season.
Dani Clos: I had an amazing start and everything went really well during the fist laps. I moved up to 11th, which is fantastic, if you keep in mind that I started from the back. When I tried to pass Chandhok, I came onto the dirty side of the track and it was just like driving on ice. I went wide and lost some positions. I rejoined and wanted to recuperate positions, but another driver drove into the back of my car. It wasn't possible to continue due to security reasons and I had to stop. It was actually not changing the performance of the car so much, but it was simply not safe. The weekend started really well with qualifying, and we will attack in Spa. We now have to only bring the good qualifying and race performance together.
Alfonso de Orleans-Borbon, Team Principal: Good work from our boys, who put two fast cars on track after working all night. But what started well on Friday ended up as a black weekend. Nothing else to say.