Marcus Ericsson Leads A DAMS Front-Row Lock-Out At Spain

Swedish ace Marcus Ericsson has stormed to his maiden GP2 pole around Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya for tomorrow’s sprint race, leading a DAMS front-row lock-out alongside team-mate Stephane Richelmi. The second row will consist of the Carlin of Felipe Nasr and Russian Time of Sam Bird, with Stefano Coletti 5th.

Despite dark clouds looming overhead as the qualifying session got underway, the session miraculously remained dry allowing the 26-car field to opt for Pirelli’s slick tyres. Championship leader Stefano Coletti set the first timed lap of the day with a 01:29.426 early on for Rapax, before the ART Grand Prix of James Calado set a lap a tenth quicker to dispose of the Monegasque driver. However, Marcus Ericsson was quick to assert his authority over proceedings with a 01:29.095, which remained unbeaten for the majority of the session.

Despite the majority of the field returning to the pits for a fresh set of tyres, Marcus Ericsson’s time at the top still remained unbeaten until the final minutes when his team-mate Stephane Richelmi rose to the top with a 01:28.871. However, the 23-year-old’s reign of proceedings was short-lived when Marcus Ericsson denied his team-mate pole position with a blistering 01:28.706 to secure his maiden pole position of his GP2 career.

After an uncompetitive start to the new season for Marcus Ericsson, the 22-year-old Swede will naturally be eager to kick-start his season with a victory during tomorrow’s feature race. However, it’s undeniable that he will have strong competition from the likes of Stephane Richelmi, Felipe Nasr, Sam Bird and Stefano Coletti, all of whom are likely candidates for victory. Despite DAMS’s recent success in the GP2 Series, this is their first ever front-row lock-out, and they will understandably be hoping that one of their drivers can capitalize on such a competitive qualifying performance.

Picture Copyright © Malcolm Griffiths/GP2 Series Media Service