12/09/2010
NEWS STORY
Racing Engineering - Christian Vietoris (1st) Dani Clos (12th)
Christian Vietoris finally shook off all the bad luck from the first half of the 2010 GP2 season to score an impressive win in today's sprint race at Monza. Starting from fifth on the grid and with an amazing start where he passed the four cars in front of him, was the key to securing his first victory of the 2010 GP2 season. Dani Clos, who was starting from the back after yesterday's early retirement, had a very good race where he finished in twelfth position.
Sunshine and timidly warm temperatures welcomed the GP2 field this morning at the high-speed Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. When the lights went off and Sunday's sprint race started, Christian Vietoris made a risky, but clever move. Taking advantage of his rivals wheelspin, the Racing Engineering driver moved towards the right side of the track, passing all four cars in front of him and reaching first turn one. Dani Clos, fully recovered from his back injuries, was starting from the back and had a race permanently on the charge in order to gain positions. While he was losing a bit of ground for being stuck behind van der Garde, who had a broken rear wing, the Spaniard was immediately pushing again once the Dutch driver retired to the pits.
Towards the end of the race, Christian, like the other drivers in the field, started to suffer from tyre wear in the rear, so d'Ambrosio and Bird were reducing their distance. With just seven laps to go, the gap between the three of them was just over a second. The Racing Engineering rookie knew that the slightest mistake he could make would keep him from winning his first GP2 race.
Having confidence in himself and the car, at no point did Christian allow pressure affect him. In the end, Christian was safe as d'Ambrosio had to focus on defending his position from Bird. This allowed christian to celebrate his first ever win in the GP2 Main Series. Dani, for his part, continued to gain positions and drove a courageous race from 21st to 12th position.
Next and last round of the 2010 GP2 Series will take place at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi in two month's time, from the 12th to the 14th of November.
Christian Vietoris: "I was actually thinking, when I arrived at Monza, that I didn't have a race win so far this season, so I was extra motivated. We were a bit unlucky with the yellow flags in qualifying, but yesterday I had a good race, allowing me a decent starting position for today. The start of today's race was definitely the key for the win and I already had a really good feeling during the warm-up lap. It was an easy start for me. Obviously, a bit lucky as well. Towards the end of the race I lost my rear tyres a bit, but then again it was the same for everyone. Although I was quite sure that I could bring home this win."
Dani Clos: "It's a pity I started from so far back, but everything has a reason. I made up several positions and went overall from 21st to 12th, which is not bad. It was a positive race and I am physically 100% well. It was a bit messy at one point when I was behind van der Garde who had a broken rear wing. I tried to pass him, but he jumped the chicane several times, so it was not possible. I lost quite some time behind him, so I was not able to catch the cars in front of me as quickly as I should have. In the coming weeks I will center all my energy in preparing for the races in Abu Dhabi."
Alfonso de Orleans - Borbon, President of Racing Engineering: "Fantastic win from Christian. He had the best start I've ever seen in GP2 and then drove a very intelligent race. Well done to all the boys in the team for the great work this weekend. This victory is dedicated to them."
DAMS - Jerome d'Ambrosio (2nd) Romain Grosjean (17th)
This weekend DAMS raced in the ninth and second-last round of the 2010 GP2 Series Championship on the Monza circuit in Italy. The team brought in Romain Grosjean to replace the injured Ho-Pin Tung alongside Jerome d'Ambrosio.
The objective of the weekend was to build on the excellent showing at Spa-Francorchamps, and continue the team's push to the front. D'Ambrosio and Grosjean met with varying fortunes, but they confirmed the resurgence in performance seen in the last few weeks.
In qualifying, the Belgian and the Frenchman set the third and sixth-quickest times respectively. They both made a great start to the long race, but were unlucky enough to be caught up in incidents in the opening laps. D'Ambrosio lost time, but was able to rejoin and stormed his way back up the field to finish fifth. Grosjean suffered a heavier impact, and after a pit stop to have his car repared and checked, he went back out with no hope of scoring points.
Today, d'Ambrosio started from fourth on the grid, and after another great getaway he was in second place in the first corner, which he held to the finish fending off the attacks of his rivals, giving him a place on the podium. Grosjean was again out of luck, and suffered a slow puncture before being harpooned by another car causing his retirement.
Thanks to these good results, d'Ambrosio has moved up to tenth place in the drivers' standings, and DAMS is lying seventh in the teams' championship. The final round will take place in Abu Dhabi on 12th-14th November.
Loïc David, General Manager: "Overall, we're satisfied with the way the weekend's turned out as scoring a podium finish is always good for the morale. This being said, given our positions on the grid yesterday, we could have scored far more points. The two collisions that hit our drivers were especially costly for Romain. Without these incidents he'd have finished much higher up yesterday, would have started from a better position and scored points on two occasions."
Jerome d'Ambrosio: "I was very disappointed yesterday after the race, which is normal when you start from third place on, the grid. This morning I was determined to take my chance and I made a really great start, which gave me second place in the first chicane. I pushed hard, controlled my lead over my pursuers and I finished on the podium. We're going in the right direction and I'm highly motivated for the last round of the championship."
Romain Grosjean: "As at Hockenheim good results were on the cards given our positions in free practice and qualifying. I was hit at the start of the first race, which ruined my weekend. By finishing thirteenth yesterday, I knew it would be difficult for me to score points today. It's a pity."
ART Grand Prix - Sam Bird (3rd) Jules Bianchi (4th)
A one two finish in qualifying was followed by a one two finish in the first race of the GP2 Main Series for ART Grand Prix, who realized their strongest weekend of the season at the Monza circuit in Italy.
Jules Bianchi and Sam Bird dominated the opening performances over this unique and uncharacteristic circuit and their success was heightened by two fastest race laps. On Saturday, Sam Bird gave ART Grand Prix their first victory of the season and followed it up with a fourth podium finish the following day, moving him up to 5th place in the championship.
Meanwhile, with his two points finishes, (2nd and 4th) his 3rd pole position and a 4th podium finish, Jules Bianchi made it possible to still be in the fight for second place in the general classification. This ambitious objective for a rookie will hopefully be realized for him and ART Grand Prix in the next round in Abu Dhabi.
Jules Bianchi: My 3rd pole position of the season gave me great pleasure, partly because nobody has done any better this year, and partly because it was a great reward after the past few weeks which were difficult following my accident at the Hungaroring. Saturday I got off to a good start but Sam reacted better than I did and got past me at the first turn. I was determined to return the favour, but things can be complicated after a safety car. I found myself locking up in the first turn and my car went off losing me a place as well as time. I attacked in order to recover 2nd place and although I could pass the two iSport drivers, Sam was already far ahead and it was important that we secured the double for ART Grand Prix from the two championships’ point of view. On Sunday, my start was not that fantastic; but I aimed for the points and I did not want to take too many risks because the balance of my car was not perfect to me. I went from 7th to 4th and it was a good performance before the final round at Abu Dhabi where I am hoping to finish the championship in 2nd place, which was only a dream after the Hungaroring.
Sam Bird: Finally a weekend that smiles on us from A to Z! The GP2 Series is a championship of a very high level where the smallest mistake compromises the integrity of your performance and I was in a hurry to be able to have a perfect weekend for the first time this year. This was the case at Monza and when the car goes, it goes! Saturday, I had a very good start which enabled me to take the lead. I extended the gap gradually and the team gave me a great pit stop. The victory may appear easy under these conditions but it was necessary to stay focused and I am glad to have been able to give ART Grand Prix their first victory of the season. The following day, I had another good start and I overtook a lot of cars. I ended up in the wake of d'Ambrosio but despite my ambitions I was in the turbulence and I was unable to find a way past. Two podiums, one a victory, with two fastest race laps, it was one perfect weekend, but it was well deserved and I hope that we will repeat the same form in Abu Dhabi.
Frederic Vasseur: We have had our share of difficult weekends this year but the Monza one was perfect. A one two in qualifying and race one, with two best laps, one cannot be too upset if we didn’t secure victory in the second race… we were not far off but race circumstances decided a different outcome. Sam and Jules were perfect throughout the entire weekend and I am proud of the work completed by ART Grand Prix, which still has a mathematical chance of taking the teams championship and finishing the drivers’ championship in 2nd place. It will be our goal in Abu Dhabi.
Ocean Racing Technology - Max Chilton (5th) Fabio Leimer (DNS)
For the first time in a while in the GP2 Main Series championship, Ocean Racing Technology succeeded in showing their potential on the Monza circuit, the fastest on the calendar, by seeing one of their single-seaters into the points in both Italian races. Max Chilton finished the second race in 5th position one day after having crossed the finish line of the first round in eighth place.
However Monza qualifying didn't go too well with both Fabio Leimer and Max Chilton unable to make it into the top ten on the starting grid. The two drivers from the Portuguese team then gained many positions in the first race thanks to a consistent race pace. Despite starting 18th on the grid for race one Fabio Leimer was up into 6th place before a hydraulic problem forced him to retire. Max Chilton then carried the torch and not only secured a point for 8th place, but as a result secured pole position for race two.
Finishing fifth on Sunday, Max Chilton is satisfied with his weekend. "It was the best weekend of the year for me," he said. "The start did not go well and we know that this determines the rest. But we succeeded in finding a good pace and it was only in the last five laps that things got complicated because the tyres started to suffer. All the same, I succeeded in defending my place. In the first race, the opening laps were crucial to gain places, and then it was essential not to be involved in a mishap. Overall, I am very satisfied with this weekend."
Overpowered by bad luck, Fabio Leimer was unable to take the start of the second race because of a new problem with the hydraulic system which was discovered on the installation lap on his way to the grid. Nevertheless the Swiss driver showed that his race pace was among the best on the grid, something his temporary 6th place testifies to. This also means that he more than likely would have been able to make it into the top three of the starting grid for race two if he had not been stopped by a mechanical problem.
Trident Racing - Adrian Zaugg (7th) Edoardo Piscopo (DNF)
Adrian Zaugg ended up in 7th today for Trident Racing, as the Italian squad rounded out the Italian Grand Prix weekend at Monza. Lining-up alongside the South African in the penultimate round of the 2010 GP2 Main Series, Edoardo Piscopo was forced to retire early, after starting from the front row at his championship debut. Piscopo was hit after just two laps by another car while approaching the first chicane, while running in 4th place.
Race 2 proved quite linear, unlike the wreck-filled first heat of the weekend. Zaugg confirmed the great progression made by the team through the weekend. Unfortunately for Edoardo Piscopo it didn't end up the best possible way.
Trident Racing can draw a positive balance on the seres' home weekend, and thanks all the fans, sponsors, friends that supported the team during the Monza event.
Adrian Zaugg: "I was off to a great start, but Chilton, who was in front of me, did a bad start, and I was forced to lift the throttle. As a consequence, I lost several positions, but I've been able to recover thanks to a great-performing racecar, especially in the second half of the race. I had a pretty nice fight with Grosjean, and after a chicane cut the team told me to yield back the position. I believe that our overall pace has been great, and looking forward to the final round at Abu Dhabi, I think we need to focus on being competitive on new tires too."
Edoardo Piscopo: "I wasn't expecting to make a great start, as I'm still not used to the GP2 Series car's clutch, and I knew I would have lost some spots at the start. After the first corner I was running in fourth. While approaching the first chicane I was hit from behind hard by the car of Valsecchi. It's a shame because I was eager to do as more kilometers as possible and looking forward to another points spot. The weekend's balance is still positive though. After the end of the Auto GP season I'll focus all efforts to be back in the GP2 Series."
Scuderia Coloni - Alvaro Parente (9th) Brendon Hartley (DNF)
It was an hard fought Sprint Race for Scuderia Coloni in Monza, with Alvaro Parente finishing 9th after starting from P12 and Brendon Hartley boasting a strong performance, unfortunately halted by an injection problem.
The Portuguese driver had a good start and then chose the right line for the first chicane, getting out from it without any problem and keeping his position.
From then on, his race was an hard fight with Fabrizio Crestani: the duo battled for a lot of laps, until Parente was able to pass on lap 14 with a very hard braking in the second chicane.
As soon as he passed the Italian driver, Parente improved his laptimes, posting a sequence of 1'32"6, the same pace of the leaders. This allowed him to reduce the gap from Pic, but he didn't have the time to get close enough to try a move, ending the race in P9.
Also Brendon Hartley raced well: the kiwi driver main objective was getting as much kilometres as possible under his belt, and so he opted for a cautious start. Anyway, his confidence with the car got better lap after lap and before half distance his laptimes were already as good as those of the rest of the field. Brendon had climbed until P17 when an injection problem ended his race.
Paolo Coloni: "When you start from behind in Race 2 in Monza, passing becomes very difficult because you simply lose downforce at the front when you are behind other drivers and the car understeers. So, we still feel sorry for yesterday, that hit from Perez is what really ruined Parente's weekend. Anyway the performance was good again and the car was consistent, Alvaro did his best time on last lap.
Hartley was very very unlucky, but he already showed us how good he is, getting on the same pace of the others with just one hour time in the car".
Alvaro Parente: "Starting from P12 it was very difficult to get something better than this, also because when we were behind other cars we obviously had understeer, and getting closer was difficult. It's a pity for yesterday, that hit really compromised our weekend".
Brendon Hartley: "I knew that debuting in GP2 was going to be tough, but bad luck decided to make it ever tougher! Anyway I had some very good laps in Race 2, and I feel already at ease with the car, so I'm confident for Abu Dhabi, even if the series level is really high".
Super Nova - Marcus Ericsson (11th) Luca Filippi (14th)
After all of the excitement of the feature race yesterday, the GP2 race today was fairly uneventful. The Super Nova team's objective was to move up the field from their starting positions and get both cars to the finish - this was exactly what Marcus and Luca achieved, gaining 15 places between them in the race. The team will now have a long wait for the final race in Abu Dhabi, where it hopes that it can realise the potential shown all season and avoid any bad luck.
Marcus Ericsson: "It was quite a good race today, even from the starting position we had. The opening lap was very good and we managed to overtake Maldonado who is now the champion, which was a good boost for me. From then on the car felt better than it did on Friday, so for sure we made some steps forward. I also managed to overtake Crestani in the middle of the race but unfortunately we couldn't make it in to the points but still I am pleased with the result taking the weekend into consideration."
Luca Filippi: "Starting from P22 was difficult, I had quite a good start but in turn one everybody slowed down so much and it was impossible to find room to overtake and I couldn't do the a super first lap as I wanted and I only passed a couple of cars. From there I tried to build up some positions and the pace was ok but by then the field was so spread out and it was difficult to come through and overtake so many people. For sure though I felt the set-up was good enough to fight for the top positions had we started higher."
David Sears - Team Principal: "Marcus and Luca both had good races today and I don't think we could ask too much more of them considering their grid positions. Again, we have shown that a poor qualifying session makes the whole weekend much more difficult."