11/09/2010
NEWS STORY
Racing Engineering - Christian Vietoris (4th) Dani Clos (DNF)
Starting today's feature race from 9th and 10th positions respectively, Dani Clos and Christian Vietoris knew that points were well within reach at the Autodromo di Monza. While Christian was the luckier of the two Racing Engineering drivers, finishing the race in an excellent 4th place, Dani Clos' race came to an early end on the opening lap when he spun in turn 4 after being hit by van der Garde.
Saturday's GP2 feature race at Monza was not an easy one for both Racing Engineering drivers. While red and yellow flags affected their qualifying results and keeping them from finishing flying laps, Dani and Christian started the race from the challenging starting positions of 9th and 10th on the grid. Although both Racing Engineering drivers had a safe getaway, Dani's luck changed in turn 4. Entering the second chicane, Dani, who was so optimistic and eager to score points after his great recovery after the accident in Spa, was lucky to not be directly affected by a dangerous maneuver from Filippi. However, the Italian hit the car of van der Garde quite hard and the Dutch driver touched the back of Dani's car, sending the Racing Engineering driver into a spin. Dani's race was over as his engine stalled and the young Spaniard was left without any chance to fight for points and therefore defend his third position in the championship standings.
With three cars stopped in the chicane, the safety car was deployed and the race neutralized. Christian Vietoris was lucky to escape the accident scene without any damage to his car. Seeing Dani kicked out of the race right in front of him, the German had little time to react and chose to take the normal race line through the chicane. Several other drivers cut the chicane at that moment and Christian dropped back to 12th position. When the race restarted at the end of the following lap, an accident involving several cars in the first chicane was the next breathtaking moment for the Racing Engineering driver. With several cars stopped in the middle of the chicane, Christian was once more lucky to avoid an accident putting him in 9th position when the safety car deployed again. The second restart went well for all drivers and the Racing Engineering crew opted for an early pit stop for the young German on lap 7. A very fast tyre change allowed Christian to rejoin the race in 11th position and take advantage of his track position to set several fastest lap times. This meant that Christian would jump several drivers in front of him as soon as they went into the pits for their obligatory pit stops. The Racing Engineering driver gained positions until he running in 4th by lap 18. Christian was held this position until the end of the race, finishing in a fantastic fourth place after having started from 10th.
Christian Vietoris: "The start was good, but then chaos broke out during the opening lap. I was behind Dani when he spun. While many drivers cut the chicane, I kept the line and lost some positions. When there was the other big accident in turn 1, it was a similar situation. I didn't know where to go to avoid impact and stayed on the outside, lucky to not be affected by the other cars which were struggling. After that, we had a really good strategy and fast pit stop. Our pace was really good with the new tyres and I was able to overtake some drivers. In the end it wasn't
enough to catch and pass Turvey, but from 10th to 4th is not bad and a good base for tomorrow's race."
Dani Clos: "I had a normal start and was able to maintain my position through the first chicane. Then Filippi made a strange maneuver overtaking me, but this dangerous move had him crash into the car of van der Garde. I was still able to avoid both cars, but lost control when van der Garde hit the back of my car. It's a shame as the points lost from these races are very important for the championship."
Andrew Ferguson, Chief Engineer of Racing Engineering: "Unfortunately, contact with another car sent Dani into a spin and he stalled his engine. That was the end of his race. Then, due to a number of incidents on the circuit, we switched Christian's strategy to an early pit stop, which gave him a good track position and proved to be the optimal decision for the race. The driver had a race without any issues, to finish in a strong 4th position after having started from 10th. The pit stop was perfect and our guys have done a really good job today."
Trident Racing - Adrian Zaugg (6th) Edoardo Piscopo (7th)
The penultimate round of the 2010 GP2 Main Series at Monza ended up in a really positive way at home for Trident Racing. Despite the issues suffered in qualifying, drivers Adrian Zaugg and Edoardo Piscopo proved fast and consistent, managing to avoid the race's carnage and taming the subsequent safety-car neutralizations.
Both cars performed well and proved steady also in the closing stages, enabling drivers to climb back to the points zone. Pit-stops have been key too, with the Trident Racing crew performing flawlessly. Thanks to today's results, Piscopo will take off from the front row on race 2, just one spot in front of team-mate Zaugg.
Adrian Zaugg: "Today's race has been a true demolition derby! I saw crashes everywhere, but despite that I'm proud to say that finally nobody hit me! Apart from the lengthy safety-car periods, has been pretty cool, and my car performed well. We're still lacking some speed to go and fight at the top, but we've been consistent from flag to flag. I opted for a late pit-stop because the car kept improving, but late in the race it became dangerous in case another full-course yellow came out. I hope to round the weekend out with a good result on race 2."
Edoardo Piscopo: "I'm incredibly happy to have ended up my very first race in the GP2 Main Series into the points zone. It's not only for the 7th place scored, but also for the laptimes we clocked and for the lack of mistakes. I was helped by a "relaxed" start. I didn't want to stall the engine at my first time on the car, and I've been really careful. By doing so I've been able to avoid all the lap 1 mess. It's been my first one-hour race too, and I'm quite satisfied with how I performed physically. I hope for a good start tomorrow, and to feel how it's like to lead a GP2 race in T1."
Scuderia Coloni - Alvaro Parente (12th) Brendon Hartley (DNF)
Everything was in place for a great Feature Race for Scuderia Coloni in Monza, but bad luck ruined the race of both Alvaro Parente and Brendon Hartley.
The Portuguese driver didn't have the best possible start, and Perez hit his right front tyre while passing him. Alvaro's front suspension was damaged and the steering was twisted: in this conditions, Parente could not brake correctly for the first chicane, and had no other choice apart from cutting it, forcing the Race Direction to issue a drive through penalty for him. That was a real pity because, even with the damaged steering, Alvaro managed to pass Grosjean in the second chicane and then climbed to third place. The drive through made him fall to 13th place, and he then finished in P12 thanks to Leimer retiring.
Also Brendon Hartley was very unlucky: the kiwi driver, who was at his first start in GP2, was caught in a first chicane mayhem caused by Maldonado and Grosjean crashing into each other. The whole field nearly stopped, and Brendon found himself stuck behind the stalled car of Ericsson, ending his race there.
Paolo Coloni: "We had the chance to clinch a podium finish in our home race and seeing it fade away leaves a really bitter feeling. Anyway we must look at the positive things: our cars were competitive, and Alvaro managed to lap steadily in the low 33s, even with a damaged steering! I feel very sorry for Brendon because he just needed time in the car, and with such an eventful race he could have finished well. Anyway he could really do nothing to avoid the mess in front of him at the first chicane".
Super Nova - Marcus Ericsson (DNF) Luca Filippi (DNF)
A disastrous race for the Super Nova team today saw both Luca Filippi and Marcus Ericsson retire during the first three laps of the race. Luca struggled with wheel-spin at the start and lost some positions which he subsequently regained at the first corner, then later in the opening lap he lost control of his car under braking and collided with the car in front, instantly putting an end to his race. This resulted in a safety car period and, having made a very good start, Marcus was running in 11th position. He then came across a multi-car accident at the first corner and, with no-where to go, ran over the detached front wing of one of the damaged cars and he was also forced to retire. The race was won by Sam Bird and, due to the retirement of Sergio Perez, Pastor Maldonado has won the 2010 GP2 Main Series Championship with one race to spare.
Marcus Ericsson: "We knew it was going to be a difficult race because of the starting position but I felt initially that the changes we made to the car were positive. I made a reasonable start then I did a very, very good first lap and overtook a lot of cars before the safety car came out. After the restart I got caught up in an accident in front of me and got stuck on a front wing and had to retire, which was a big shame because at the time I was p11 and in front of Vietoris, who finished fourth. Hopefully tomorrow we will have an even better car and be able to improve as much as possible."
Luca Filippi: "The race today was very short for us, having thought that we would be fighting for a podium. The start was ok but then at the second chicane I was far away from the cars in front, so I tried to get closer but everyone almost came to a stop and when I realised this I braked harder but I couldn't find the space and lost control of the car. I was just looking at the data and I think at the time what I did felt like the right thing but now all I can say is that I am very, very sorry for the team and I still think that we can have a strong race tomorrow."
David Sears - Team Principal: "Having expected to collect some points today, the whole Super Nova team were bitterly disappointed when both cars crashed. Luca Filippi lost his car under braking and took out both Giedo Van Der Garde and himself. Marcus Ericsson got up to tenth place and then unfortunately ran over the front wing from a damaged car and had to retire on the spot. Hopefully we may be able to have an accident free race tomorrow morning."