Marciello ends GP2 debut fastest after day one of post-season test
Reigning FIA Formula 3 Euro Series Champion Raffaele Marciello has ended the opening day of the GP2 post-season test fastest around Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit, after making his first appearance in the Series with Trident Racing. Alexander Rossi topped the morning session for Caterham, ahead of Daniel Abt and Johnny Cecotto.
With the GP2 season now at a conclusion after yet another thrilling finale around the Yas Marina Circuit, the Series retook to the tricky 5.554km circuit to carry out their traditional post-season test. As per usual a combination of returnees and debutants got behind the wheel of the numerous machines for the opening day of the test, with Pirelli nominating the medium tyre compound for the three days of track action. Johnny Cecotto set the initial pace in the morning session with a 01:50.642, ahead of former Arden International team-mate Mitch Evans.
The morning session ran relatively incident-free, apart from a brief red flag delay when rookie Denis Nagulin stopped for Venezuela GP Lazarus. Once the Russian’s car had been retrieved by the marshals, Alexander Rossi proceeded to rise to the top of the timing sheets for Caterham. The American sensation took his maiden GP2 race victory around the Yas Marina Circuit last weekend, and looked on fine form once again as he managed to produce the first timed lap of the day below the 01:50s with a 01:49.958. During the final minutes of the session Daniel Abt slotted into 2nd position for Hilmer Motorsport, with Johnny Cecotto 3rd for Venezuela GP Lazarus.
Alexander Rossi ended the morning session fastest ahead of Daniel Abt and Johnny Cecotto.
After allowing the GP3 Series to take to the Yas Marina Circuit for their opening day of track action, the evening session began under the iconic floodlights. Monegasque driver Stephane Richelmi managed to set the initial benchmark for DAMS, before former GP3 driver Carlos Sainz rose to the top for MW Arden. The Spanish sensation remained at the top of the timing sheets for the majority of the evening session, with the likes of Stoffel Vandoorne, Will Stevens, Rene Binder and Daniel Abt all gradually lowering the gap at the front.
However, with only one hour remaining in the opening day of the test, rookie Raffaele Marciello stormed to the top for Trident Racing with an impressive 01:49.811. Shortly after rising to the top for the Italian outfit, the second red flag delay of the day occurred when Alexander Rossi was forced to come to a halt out on the circuit after picking up a puncture due to a flat-spot. Despite the session being resumed for a short period before the conclusion, Raffaele Marciello managed to remain fastest ahead of Carlos Sainz and Daniel Abt with Johnny Cecotto 4th.
The GP2 fraternity will return to the Yas Marina Circuit tomorrow for the second day of track action, with numerous driver changes scheduled to ripple throughout the paddock. Jolyon Palmer will join Stephane Richelmi at DAMS, Sam Bird will return to GP2 to replace the still-injured Tom Dillmann at Russian Time whilst reigning British Formula Three Champion Jordan King will make his GP2 debut at Barwa Addax.
Morning times Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Alexander Rossi Caterham 1m49.958s 22 2. Daniel Abt Hilmer 1m50.608s 20 3. Johnny Cecotto Lazarus 1m50.643s 12 4. Mitch Evans Russian Time 1m50.722s 20 5. Raffaele Marciello Trident 1m50.812s 20 6. Daniel De Jong MP Motorsport 1m51.038s 15 7. Nico Muller Arden 1m51.144s 23 8. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m51.152s 20 9. Will Stevens MP Motorsport 1m51.210s 21 10. Rene Binder Arden 1m51.234s 25 11. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m51.515s 23 12. Carlos Sainz Carlin 1m51.536s 20 13. Jazeman Jaafar Carlin 1m51.620s 27 14. Julian Leal Trident 1m51.627s 13 15. Andre Negrao Hilmer 1m51.734s 21 16. Rio Haryanto Racing Engineering 1m51.779s 24 17. Jolyon Palmer Racing Engineering 1m51.966s 21 18. Rodolfo Gonzalez Addax 1m52.056s 13 19. Stoffel Vandoorne ART 1m52.357s 28 20. Arthur Pic ART 1m52.422s 28 21. Artem Markelov Russian Time 1m52.763s 17 22. Sandy Stuvik Rapax 1m52.772s 20 23. Nikolay Martsenko Addax 1m53.419s 18 24. Denis Magulin Lazarus 1m55.231s 20 25. Facu Regalia Caterham no time 1 Afternoon times Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Raffaele Marciello Trident 1m49.811s 17 2. Carlos Sainz Carlin 1m49.967s 28 3. Daniel Abt Hilmer 1m50.120s 25 4. Johnny Cecotto Lazarus 1m50.206s 19 5. Jolyon Palmer Racing Engineering 1m50.238s 28 6. Mitch Evans Russian Time 1m50.279s 22 7. Rene Binder Arden 1m50.291s 22 8. Will Stevens MP Motorsport 1m50.392s 26 9. Andre Negrao Hilmer 1m50.411s 26 10. Facu Regalia Caterham 1m50.525s 29 11. Stoffel Vandoorne ART 1m50.538s 23 12. Arthur Pic ART 1m50.547s 26 13. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m50.610s 27 14. Julian Leal Trident 1m50.631s 26 15. Nicol Muller Arden 1m50.634s 20 16. Rio Haryanto Racing Engineering 1m50.712s 24 17. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m50.791s 27 18. Artem Markelov Russian Time 1m50.900s 25 19. Rodolfo Gonzalez Addax 1m50.993s 25 20. Daniel De Jong MP Motorsport 1m51.106s 22 21. Jazeman Jaafar Carlin 1m51.261s 22 22. Nikolay Martsenko Addax 1m51.339s 30 23. Sandy Stuvik Rapax 1m51.343s 24 24. Alexander Rossi Caterham 1m52.006s 35 25. Denis Nagulin Lazarus 1m53.510s 24
Picture(s) Copyright © Sam Bloxham & Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Calado storms to GP2 sprint race victory, Russian Time crowned Champions
James Calado has ended his GP2 season in tremendous style with sprint race victory around the Yas Marina Circuit, after only just holding off the advancing Spaniard of Dani Clos. The duo were joined on the podium by newly-crowned Champion Fabio Leimer, as rookie outfit Russian Time secured the Team’s Championship ahead of Carlin.
At the start James Calado produced a sensational getaway off of the line, storming from 3rd to 1st into Turn 1. Behind the Briton utter mayhem ensued, as Felipe Nasr collided with initial poleman Johnny Cecotto and tipped the Venezuelan into a spin. Luckily the remainder of the field managed to avoid the stricken car, as Rio Haryanto and Alexander Rossi made light contact in the process. This damaged the Indonesian ace’s front-wing, and gave the Caterham a puncture which saw him spiral into retirement at the second corner.
After the freneticism of the first two corners, the field managed to avoid further mayhem through Turns 5 and 6, as James Calado enjoyed a huge lead at the front ahead of Dani Clos and Champion Fabio Leimer. Despite starting from a positive 2nd on the grid, Felipe Nasr’s chances of a competitive result were dashed after the opening lap, as the Brazilian driver limped back to the pits for a new front-wing. Meanwhile Sam Bird was up to 5th position behind the ART Grand Prix of Daniel Abt, with the Briton still striving to secure Russian Time the Teams’ Championship from Carlin.
With the marshals clearing both Johnny Cecotto and Alexander Rossi’s stricken machines, the safety car was deployed for just one lap. This saw James Calado’s dominant lead reduced to nothing as the field bunched up behind the safety car, before the race was resumed on Lap 3. Despite the resumption of the race, marshals were still sweeping the run-off area at Turn 2, creating a perilous few seconds as the field sprinted through the first few corners with yellow flags still flying. Eventually the marshals returned to their posts behind the barriers, allowing the yellow flags to be withdrawn and the race to well and truly be resumed.
With the Teams’ Championship still wide open between both Carlin and Russian Time, Sam Bird’s result would be pivotal in deciding the eventual Champions with team-mate Tom Dillmann not competing due to minor injuries sustained during the feature race. With Felipe Nasr struggling at the back of the pack after his first lap altercation with Johnny Cecotto, Carin’s hopes of Championship success lied heavily on the shoulders of Jolyon Palmer. The Briton had unfortunately endured a far from competitive start, and had slipped from 7th to 11th during the restart.
Russian Time managed to clinch the Teams’ Championship.
Sam Bird, on the other hand, had managed to gain a position over Daniel Abt for 4th position at Turns 11 and 12. The Briton now had his sights firmly set on former Championship rival Fabio Leimer for 3rd, with the Championship pendulum currently swinging in favour of Russian Time. Meanwhile James Calado was continuing to dominate at the front of the pack, producing the fastest lap of the race leaving Dani Clos a distant 2nd. After already enduring a tough start to his sprint race, Felipe Nasr was then struck with a drive-thru penalty for causing the incident. This fully ended any hopes he had of mounting a resurgence.
On Lap 9 a second safety car period was caused when the Hilmer Motorsport of Jon Lancaster misjudged an overtaking maneuver on the DAMS of Stephane Richelmi at Turns 8 and 9. Instead of taking to the extensive run-off areas, the Briton elected to run alongside the Monegasque driver which resulted in a race ending collision and subsequent spin. Luckily for Stephane Richelmi he managed to remain circulating, after sustaining hardly any damage in the process. Once again James Calado’s lead was reduced to nothing, with Dani Clos still 2nd ahead of Fabio Leimer.
At the restart James Calado simply catapulted himself back into a commanding lead at the front, as Julian Leal and Jolyon Palmer began battling hard for 10th position. At Turn 14 the duo made light contact after running side-by-side, resulting in minor front-wing damage for the Colombian driver. At first Jolyon Palmer seemed to have escaped unscathed, however the Briton’s race and his team’s Championship hopes were brought to a sudden conclusion when a left-rear puncture materialized. Although the Briton managed to limp back to the pits, he later retired from proceedings.
This meant Sam Bird needed to only remain in 4th position to clinch the Teams’ Championship for Russian Time, with Daniel Abt still clinging on the rear of his car in hope of retaking the 4th position from the Briton. With only several laps remaining, Adrian Quaife-Hobbs became the latest retirement for Hilmer Motorsport after suffering from rear-suspension failure on his car.
During the final laps Dani Clos began to gradually reel in the ART Grand Prix of James Calado, but to no avail as the Briton crossed the line to secure his fourth race victory of the season to cement his 3rd position in the Drivers’ Championship. Meanwhile Sam Bird managed to cling on to 4th position to clinch Russian Time the Teams’ Championship, after a superlative debut season for the outfit who will venture into GP3 as well next season.
Once again the GP2 Series season managed to fully entertain and enthrall many throughout the year, with a staggering 11 different drivers taking race victories including the likes of Fabio Leimer, Sam Bird, Robin Frijns and Nathaniel Berthon. The GP2 season will return next year for what will surely be another extremely entertaining affair, as the next generation of Formula 1 drivers prove their worth.
Results - 22 laps:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. James Calado ART 44m04.124s
2. Dani Clos MP +0.787s
3. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering +4.965s
4. Sam Bird Russian Time +9.440s
5. Daniel Abt ART +9.957s
6. Marcus Ericsson DAMS +11.981s
7. Simon Trummer Rapax +13.188s
8. Sergio Canamasas Caterham +16.432s
9. Stefano Coletti Rapax +18.117s
10. Julian Leal Racing Engineering +18.487s
11. Jake Rosenzweig Addax +24.753s
12. Rio Haryanto Addax +33.689s
13. Nathanael Berthon Trident +34.153s
14. Mitch Evans Arden +34.485s
15. Gianmarco Raimondo Trident +36.123s
16. Rene Binder Lazarus +36.884s
17. Daniel de Jong MP +37.471s
18. Felipe Nasr Carlin +40.271s
19. Vittorio Ghirelli Lazarus +41.869s
20. Stephane Richelmi DAMS +1m19.122s
21. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Hilmer +3 laps*
*Not running at finish
Retirements:
Jolyon Palmer Carlin 17 laps
Jon Lancaster Hilmer 9 laps
Johnny Cecotto Jr Arden 0 laps
Alexander Rossi Caterham 0 laps
Picture(s) Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Rossi takes maiden GP2 victory as Leimer is crowned Champion
Alexander Rossi has made GP2 history around the Yas Marina Circuit by becoming the first driver from America to win a race in the Series, whilst Fabio Leimer made history of his own by becoming the first Swiss driver to clinch the coveted Drivers’ Championship. Fellow rival Sam Bird suffered a disastrous race, after stalling on the grid.
Initially the start of the race was delayed after both Gianmarco Raimondo, Nathaniel Berthon and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs stalled on the grid as the five red lights came on. This saw the rest of the field once again circulate the Yas Marina Circuit on a second formation lap, as the three cars in question where wheeled into the pit-lane to start the race. With tensions running high, the five red flights once again illuminated over the grid as pole man Alexander Rossi prepared to sprint into action.
At the start utter mayhem ensued as Championship contender Sam Bird stalled on the grid, with the rest of the field including his main Championship rival Fabio Leimer miraculously avoiding the stranded Russian Time machine. As Sam Bird was wheeled back into the pits to restart his car and take to the track, carnage ensued at Turns 5 and 6 as Jon Lancaster was perilously launched into the air and onto the top of Tom Dillmann’s car. Luckily the front of the Briton’s machine only just missed the head of Tom Dillmann, as the rest of the field strove to avoid the melee.
Sam Bird is disconsolately wheeled back into the pits after stalling at the start.
This incident understandably saw the safety car deployed, which greatly assisted Sam Bird who managed to return to the action after stalling on the grid and not fall a lap down. At the front Jolyon Palmer managed to take the lead ahead of the Caterham of Alexander Rossi, with Championship leader Fabio Leimer a strong 3rd. As the marshals cleared away the stricken cars’ of Jon Lancaster and Tom Dillmann, Stephane Richelmi became the next retirement in his DAMS after returning to the pits. A replay of the Turn 5 incident showed the Monegasque driver also bouncing over the sharp kerbs behind the Lancaster and Dillmann incident, which could well have been a factor in his retirement.
After only a short period of time behind the safety car, the race was resumed with Jolyon Palmer in a dominant lead ahead of Alexander Rossi and Fabio Leimer. Further down the order saw Sam Bird scything his way through the order in a bid to redeem himself after his torrid start. At Turns 8 and 9, the British sensation managed to pass both Nathaniel Berthon and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs, before the first few scheduled pit-stops ensued. After enduring a tough qualifying session in his Rapax, Stefano Coletti’s race failed to improve, as the Monegasque driver lightly collided with the ART Grand Prix of James Calado before pitting a lap later.
On Lap 7 yellow flags began appearing in the first few corners, after bollard was knocked loose and onto the circuit. Luckily it was residing off of the racing line, allowing it to be retrieved without the necessity for a safety car intervention. A lap later Sam Bird returned to the pits for a new set of tyres along with Indonesian star Rio Haryanto, whilst race leader Jolyon Palmer continued to produce fastest laps in the lead of the race. Several laps later the other Championship contender of Fabio Leimer pitted along with Felipe Nasr, Sergio Canamasas and Dani Clos, whilst James Calado’s miserable weekend continued as was heard complaining of no power. A replay indicated that the Briton’s bargeboard had worked its way loose and had become stuck in his air intake.
After making his mandatory pit-stop, Championship leader Fabio Leimer began scything his way through the field with half of the drivers ahead of him still yet to stop. This saw the Swiss sensation breeze around Gianmarco Raimondo, who strove to make his car as wide as possible in his defense. Meanwhile further freneticism ensued further back, as Simon Trummer and Jake Rosenzweig collided at Turns 8 and 9. This saw both drivers come under investigation, with Simon Trummer eventually struck with a drive-thru penalty.
As the final feature race of the season continued, Vittorio Ghirelli became the latest retirement after returning to the pits. Meanwhile out on track Stefano Coletti continued to make minor mistakes, as the 24-year-old lightly tapped the rear of Gianmarco Raimondo’s Trident Racing. After loosing the lead at the start to Jolyon Palmer, Alexander Rossi eventually made his stop on Lap 18. In a bid to overtake the Briton when he made his pit-stop, the Caterham mechanics elected to only change the rear tyres.
Alexander Rossi made GP2 history for America.
This tactic proved sensational, as Jolyon Palmer pitted for his stop a lap later and returned to the track frustratingly behind the bright green Caterham of Alexander Rossi. However, the British driver had super-soft tyres bolted to his Carlin, which would give him a slight advantage for several laps before tyre wear intervened. Although Alexander Rossi was now in a net 1st place after rising ahead of Jolyon Palmer, Marcus Ericsson had in fact assumed the lead as he had yet to make his mandatory stop. Eventually the top three of Marcus Ericsson, Mitch Evans and James Calado all peeled off into the pits several laps later, thus allowing Daniel Abt to lead his first laps of the season.
Eventually the final two drivers of Daniel de Jong and Daniel Abt pitted on Lap 22, which released Alexander Rossi into the lead of the race ahead of the hard-charging Jolyon Palmer. With the race drawing to a climactic conclusion with Fabio Leimer on course to securing the Drivers’ Championship, the safety car was deployed for a second time after Mitch Evans collided with the Caterham of Sergio Canamasas at Turn 21. This saw the reigning GP3 Champion forced into retirement, as the field bunched up with Alexander Rossi still at the front.
As absolute confusion ensued in the Rapax pits as both Stefano Coletti and Simon Trummer pitted together without informing the team, Sam Bird had managed to rise up to 10th and a points-paying position. With Fabio Leimer running in 3rd position, all Bird required was a 7th place finish or higher to keep his Championship hopes alive. At the restart Alexander Rossi catapulted himself into a commanding lead, as Marcus Ericsson brought the Championship tension to breaking-point by overtaking Fabio Leimer for 3rd.
Now all Sam Bird required was a 9th place finish, as he lay in 10th position stuck behind the ART Grand Prix of Daniel Abt. As Nathaniel Berthon retired in a plume of smoke after his engine expired, Alexander Rossi crossed the line to take his and America’s maiden victory in the GP2 Series. Despite his jubilation, all eyes were focused on the Racing Engineering of Fabio Leimer and Russian Time of Sam Bird, whose positions remained unchanged as they crossed the line. This meant Fabio Leimer had secured the coveted GP2 title in nail-biting fashion, with Sam Bird 10th and only just unable to make the move for 9th.
On the last lap Stefano Coletti’s incident-filled race continued after he collided with the MP Motorsport of Daniel de Jong, which forced both drivers into retirement. Despite the Championship celebrations down in the Racing Engineering garages, tomorrow’s final sprint race still awaits the GP2 fraternity. Johnny Cecotto has managed to secure the reverse grid pole for Arden International, and will start the race alongside Felipe Nasr.
Results - 29 laps:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Alexander Rossi Caterham 1h00m16.414s
2. Jolyon Palmer Carlin +2.130s
3. Marcus Ericsson DAMS +3.075s
4. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering +4.687s
5. Dani Clos MP +5.218s
6. James Calado ART +6.370s
7. Felipe Nasr Carlin +8.873s
8. Johnny Cecotto Jr Arden +12.142s
9. Daniel Abt ART +13.102s
10. Sam Bird Russian Time +13.568s
11. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Hilmer +14.852s
12. Sergio Canamasas Caterham +15.896s
13. Simon Trummer Rapax +15.919s
14. Rio Haryanto Addax +19.021s
15. Rene Binder Lazarus +19.229s
16. Julian Leal Racing Engineering +21.039s
17. Gianmarco Raimondo Trident +23.308s
18. Nathanael Berthon Trident +1 lap*
19. Stefano Coletti Rapax +1 lap*
20. Daniel de Jong MP +1 lap*
21. Jake Rosenzweig Addax +3 laps*
*Not running at finish
Retirements:
Mitch Evans Arden 22 laps
Vittorio Ghirelli Lazarus 9 laps
Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1 lap
Tom Dillmann Russian Time 0 laps
Jon Lancaster Hilmer 0 laps
Picture(s) Copyright © Sam Bloxham & Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Palmer heads a Carlin 1-2 after thrilling GP2 feature race at Singapore
Jolyon Palmer has continued his dominance around the streets of Singapore, after storming to a sensational victory during the GP2 feature race ahead of team-mate Felipe Nasr, despite enduring a torrid start off of the line. The Carlin duo were followed by the ART Grand Prix of James Calado, who just managed to remain ahead of Stephane Richelmi.
At the start poleman Jolyon Palmer endured a slow getaway off of the line, as team-mate Felipe Nasr and Championship leader Fabio Leimer stormed around the Briton on the run down to Turns 1 and 2. Despite the tight and twisty confines of the Marina Bay Street Circuit the 26-car field negotiated the opening lap without major incident, as various drivers jostled for position. After his poor start Palmer found himself down in 4th, however the Carlin driver soon managed to begin his resurgence with a passing maneuver around James Calado for 3rd.
Whilst Fabio Leimer set his sights on race leader Felipe Nasr, fellow Championship rival Sam Bird found himself way down in 13th position after starting only 10th. After the opening lap of the race, Felipe Nasr managed to open up a strong lead ahead of Fabio Leimer and team-mate Jolyon Palmer which consisted of a continuous string of fastest laps at the front. Despite the Brazilian ace’s strong pace at the front, Jolyon Palmer was soon up to 2nd position after overtaking Fabio Leimer, with his sights firmly set on catching his Carlin team-mate.
As the 22-year-old Briton began producing fastest laps of the race, fellow countryman and Championship contender Sam Bird gradually started his rise through the order after an overtaking maneuver on the Caterham of Sergio Canamasas and then Stefano Coletti soon afterwards at Turn 7. As soon as the pit-stop window opened on Lap 6, many drivers immediately stormed into the pits to switch from the super-soft to the soft tyre compound, including Stefano Coletti, Sergio Canamasas, Julian Leal, Adrian Quaife-Hobbs, Rio Haryanto and Nathaniel Berthon.
A lap later further drivers elected to pit, including Fabio Leimer and Stephane Richelmi. Marcus Ericsson, Dani Clos and Sam Bird pitted on Lap 8, with the latter struggling with a slow rear-right tyre change which only added to his miserable feature race. Julian Leal and Nathaniel Berthon became the first retirements of the race on Lap 8, as the duo collided on the run down to Turn 13. Berthon failed to offer the Columbian sufficient room on the inside of the hairpin, which resulted in their race-ending collision.
Whilst the Singapore marshals immediately began clearing away the stricken Racing Engineering and Trident Racing machines, race leader Felipe Nasr pitted for Carlin along with James Calado and Alexander Rossi. This allowed Jolyon Palmer to assume the lead of the race, as Nasr endured a frustratingly slow stop due to a delay on the rear-left tyre. As Jolyon Palmer opened up a considerable lead at the front, Vittorio Ghirelli became the next retirement after returning to the pits. On Lap 11 Jolyon Palmer finally pitted from the lead of the race, changing only his rear tyres in a slick pit-stop from the Carlin mechanics as Tom Dillmann took the lead of the race for Russian Time. The Frenchman had yet to pit for fresh tyres, and was therefore an easy target for Felipe Nasr who quickly retook the lead at Turn 7.
As Felipe Nasr strove to open up yet another gap at the front, Tom Dillmann eventually made his mandatory pit-stop on Lap 15 and therefore released the now hard-charging Jolyon Palmer into 2nd position. Further down the order Johnny Cecotto was once again at the centre of attention, with the Venezuelan driver proving a to be a tricky target to overtake. Eventually James Calado managed to do so, however his German team-mate Daniel Abt struggled and lost part of his front-wing during the nail-biting process. Eventually both Daniel Abt and Fabio Leimer managed to muscle their way around Johnny Cecotto, although the Championship leader in particular had already lost valuable time to James Calado in 3rd.
After enduring a tough start to the race, Jolyon Palmer’s true pace became apparent as the Briton began reeling in team-mate and race leader Felipe Nasr at a phenomenal rate, over a second faster than the Brazilian. Under the pressure of his charging team-mate, Felipe Nasr began making several errors under braking around the circuit, only allowing Jolyon Palmer the luxury of closing the gap even more. Whilst the Carlin duo became locked in a grueling battle for the lead of the race, Alexander Rossi’s feature race drew to a miserable conclusion as the American star ran straight on at Turn 18. Although the Caterham driver was able to continue circulating he soon returned to the pits, and eventually into retirement.
On Lap 24 Jolyon Palmer finally mastered an overtaking maneuver on Felipe Nasr for the lead of the feature race at Turn 7, as the 21-year-old Brazilian suffered a massive lock-up in his desperate attempt at keeping his team-mate at bay. As the last laps ticked away, Felipe Nasr’s front-right tyre continued to prove troublesome, as Jolyon Palmer simply scampered into the distance. Further down the order Sam Bird managed to produce an important overtaking maneuver on Dani Clos for 8th and the reverse grid pole for Sunday’s sprint race, as James Calado, Fabio Leimer and Stephane Richelmi all battled for the final podium position.
Eventually it was ART Grand Prix’s James Calado who joined the Carlin duo on the podium as the checkered flag was unfurled, with Jolyon Palmer victorious 13 seconds ahead of Felipe Nasr. Despite only finishing 4th, Fabio Leimer has managed to extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship, with only three races remaining in what has become a highly unpredictable GP2 season.
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Jolyon Palmer wins nail-biting Hungarian Grand Prix feature race
Jolyon Palmer has stormed to a sensational victory after a nail-biting GP2 feature race around Budapest’s Hungaroring, with the Briton being followed home by the DAMS of Marcus Ericsson and Carlin team-mate of Felipe Nasr. The race was relatively incident-free, with frenetic track action from the moment the five red lights went out.
Initially the start of the race was aborted, after Ricardo Teixeira stalled on the formation lap. This saw the field complete yet another formation lap, as the MP Motorsport duo of Daniel de Jong and Dani Clos both stalled and were forced to start from the pit-lane along with Ricardo Teixeira. Eventually the race got underway, with pole-man Tom Dillmann suffering from an abysmal getaway. This enabled Felipe Nasr to storm into the lead, with Fabio Leimer 2nd in the Racing Engineering machine.
By the end of the opening lap Tom Dillmann found himself way down in 6th position and battling with team-mate Sam Bird, whereas further down the order Rene Binder also stalled on the grid but eventually managed to get restarted. In traditional GP2 fashion utter mayhem ensued throughout the order during the opening lap, with Jon Lancaster and Daniel Abt coming together as Julian Leal lost his front-wing the ensuring carnage. Stefano Coletti was one of the many drivers who returned to the pits after the opening lap to fix damage sustained during the frenetic opening lap.
At Turn 1, Marcus Ericsson stormed up the inside of Jolyon Palmer for 3rd position, with the Swede’s team-mate Stephane Richelmi also eager to make a move. Already Felipe Nasr had opened up a two second lead, as Tom Dillmann became one of the first drivers to make a scheduled pit-stop along with James Calado, Adrian Quaife-Hobbs and Sergio Canamasas. Marcus Ericsson pitted a lap later along with Alexander Rossi, Sam Bird and Nathaniel Berthon. After making their mandatory pit-stops, James Calado managed to barge his way around Alexander Rossi for 18th after a superb overtaking maneuver.
On Lap 9, Felipe Nasr and Fabio Leimer pitted from the lead of the race, handing the lead down to Jolyon Palmer. As Nasr and Leimer exited the pit-lane, Marcus Ericsson wasted no time in overtaking the duo to rise up to 2nd position, with an excellent maneuver at Turn 2 on Felipe Nasr. Further down the order Jon Lancaster and Sergio Canamasas collide at Turn 12, with both suffering damage which ultimately saw the Caterham driver forced into retirement.
By Lap 17, Jolyon Palmer carried out his mandatory pit-stop. The Carlin mechanics mastered a sensationally quick stop, however Marcus Ericsson still managed to overtake the Briton upon exiting the pit-lane as Johnny Cecotto assumed the lead of the race for Arden International. The Venezuelan driver’s lead was short-lived, as team-mate Mitch Evans soon overtook him at Turn 1. On Lap 19 Jolyon Palmer momentarily overtook Marcus Ericsson around the outside of Turn 2, however the Carlin driver ran extensively wide at Turn 3 and therefore lost his position.
Johnny Cecotto eventually pitted on Lap 20, leaving only Vittorio Ghirelli, Simon Trummer and Mitch Evans out in front without making their mandatory pit-stops. Once again Jolyon Palmer lunged up the inside of Marcus Ericsson, failing to make the move stick after out-braking himself and running wide. The Briton continued to struggle to make the move stick at Turn 1 for several laps, as Ghirelli pitted from 3rd. Simon Trummer assumed the lead of the race a lap later when Mitch Evans pitted, before Jolyon Palmer finally perfected an overtaking maneuver on Marcus Ericsson for 2nd.
Further down the order utter mayhem continued, as Johnny Cecotto slammed into the rear of Tom Dillmann as the Frenchman slowed whilst battling for position. This saw Dillmann plummet through the order, as Cecotto continued to circulate despite a ruined front-wing. This eventually saw the Venezuelan driver struck with a black and orange flag, forcing him to pit for a new nose before being issued with a drive-thru penalty for causing the collision. Meanwhile Simon Trummer finally became the last driver to complete his mandatory pit-stop, allowing Jolyon Palmer to assume a well deserved lead in his Carlin.
After a lengthy battle for position with Jolyon Palmer, Marcus Ericsson now became locked in a grueling battle for 2nd with the other Carlin of Felipe Nasr. The duo banged wheels into Turn 13, before Johnny Cecotto threw the spanner in the works by un-lapping himself on Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson and completely diluting a sensational battle for position. Amid all of the confusion up and down the order, Jake Rosenzweig and Daniel Abt had retired during the closing stages of the race, as Jolyon Palmer secured his second victory in the GP2 Series ahead of Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr. Championship leader Stefano Coletti could only manage 16th, after a tough feature race.
Frenchman Nathaniel Berthon managed to secure the reverse grid pole for Trident Racing, and will start alongside reigning GP3 Champion Mitch Evans in what will surely be a terrific sprint race tomorrow morning.
Results - 36 laps:
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 57m14.477s
2. Marcus Ericsson DAMS +15.407s
3. Felipe Nasr Carlin +15.794s
4. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering +19.433s
5. Stephane Richelmi DAMS +19.740s
6. Simon Trummer Rapax +21.499s
7. Mitch Evans Arden +22.584s
8. Nathanel Berthon Trident +36.439s
9. James Calado ART +38.203s
10. Sam Bird Russian Time +44.671s
11. Rio Haryanto Addax +51.951s
12. Daniel de Jong MP +52.520s
13. Alexander Rossi Caterham +54.815s
14. Dani Clos MP +55.990s
15. Julian Leal Racing Engineering +56.302s
16. Stefano Coletti Rapax +57.202s
17. Vittorio Ghirelli Lazarus +58.621s
18. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Hilmer +1m05.995s
19. Ricardo Teixeira Trident +1m16.133s
20. Tom Dillmann Russian Time +1m33.788s
21. Johnny Cecotto Jr Arden +1 lap
22. Rene Binder Lazarus +1 lap
23. Jon Lancaster Hilmer +1 lap
Retirements:
Daniel Abt ART 34 laps
Jake Rosenzweig Addax 32 laps
Sergio Canamasas Caterham 17 laps
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Robin Frijns Secures Maiden Victory In Thrilling GP2 Feature Race
Robin Frijns has secured his maiden victory in the GP2 Series after an utterly thrilling feature race around Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, finishing ahead of the charging Carlin of Felipe Nasr with Jolyon Palmer 3rd. The race featured many spills and thrills, in yet another excellent display of entertainment from the GP2 Series.
At the start pole-man Marcus Ericsson stormed into a commanding lead, ahead of Championship leader Stefano Coletti who rose through the order as Fabio Leimer, Sam Bird and James Calado all touched. This resulted in a premature retirement for Calado after the first lap, with Fabio Leimer also forced to pit for a new front-wing. Further back a melee ensued through Turns 1 and 2, as James Calado and Fabio Leimer ran wide with many drivers skipping through the gravel.
As James Calado and Fabio Leimer pitted, many battles for position ensued throughout the order, with Jake Rosenzweig in particular forcing Sergio Canamasas off of the road down the start/finish straight as he strove to defend his position. Further up the order, Felipe Nasr wasted no time in storming up the inside of Stephane Richelmi, barging around the Monegasque driver.
On Lap 4 Nathaniel Berthon violently crashed out of the race at Turn 10, after slamming into the rear of Sergio Canamasas and Tom Dillmann. The Frenchman flew over the rear of Canamasas, destroying his car and forcing both into retirement. Luckily Tom Dillmann managed to continue circulating unscathed, as Robin Frijns, Jolyon Palmer and Alexander Rossi became the first drivers to carry out a scheduled pit stop.
Race leader Marcus Ericsson pitted from the lead on Lap 7, gifting the lead to Championship leader Stefano Coletti. Whilst the leaders pitted, Tom Dillmann was forced off of the track by Johnny Cecotto jr., in what was turning out to be a frenetic feature race. Eventually Stefano Coletti also elected to pit, handing the lead down to Kevin Ceccon. However, the Italian’s tyres soon began to wear off, which enabled Johnny Cecotto jr. to take the lead ahead of Tom Dillmann.
After securing his maiden pole position in the GP2 Series, Marcus Ericsson’s race was brought to a frustrating and premature conclusion on Lap 10 after a collision between himself, Kevin Giovesi and Sam Bird. This also forced Kevin Giovesi into retirement, as Sam Bird managed to continue racing. As the race wore on, Johnny Cecotto jr., Tom Dillmann and Mitch Evans remained at the front despite electing not to pit. Eventually on Lap 19, Tom Dillmann pitted from 2nd for Russian Time. The Frenchman rejoined way down the order, before Johnny Cecotto jr. did likewise and handed the lead down to Mitch Evans.
Whilst the leaders made their mandatory pit stop, Tom Dillmann’s surge back through the order was hampered after a collision with the DAMS of Stephane Richelmi. The duo were miraculously able to continue circulating, however the Monegasque driver was eventually issued with a penalty for causing the incident. When Mitch Evans finally pitted on Lap 28, Robin Frijns assumed the lead for Hilmer Motorsport ahead of Jolyon Palmer and Sam Bird.
As the race entered its closing stages, Felipe Nasr began to scythe through the order for Carlin, overtaking Stefano Coletti for 4th and then Sam Bird for 3rd. The Brazilian sensation didn’t stop there, as he caught team-mate Jolyon Palmer for 3rd. Through Turn 2, Nasr tapped the rear of Palmer and barged his way around his team-mate. The loss of momentum for Jolyon Palmer saw him come under immediate threat from Sam Bird, as Palmer forced his fellow countryman off of the track and into retirement on the exit of Turn 4.
This crazy turn of events saw Jon Lancaster rise up through the order to 4th, before Tom Dillmann pulled off several expert maneuvers around Turn 3 to continue his rise through the order. However, the Frenchman came unstuck on Lap 36, as he ran frustratingly wide at Turn 3 and dropped back to 5th. Whilst the mayhem ensued throughout the order, Robin Frijns simply glided to his maiden GP2 Series victory ahead of Felipe Nasr with Jolyon Palmer a close 3rd despite an impending stewards review for his incident with Sam Bird.
After finishing in 8th, Kevin Ceccon will start tomorrow’s sprint race from the reverse grid pole, alongside the Caterham of Alexander Rossi. Expect further fireworks throughout the 26-lap race, which will have to go some way to match the excitement witnessed during the feature race.
Results - 37 laps:
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Robin Frijns Hilmer 1hr00m38.896s
2. Felipe Nasr Carlin + 3.316s
3. Jolyon Palmer Carlin + 12.290s
4. Jon Lancaster Hilmer + 12.609s
5. Stefano Coletti Rapax + 13.329s
6. Tom Dillmann Russian Time + 14.325s
7. Alexander Rossi Caterham + 17.160s
8. Kevin Ceccon Trident + 17.504s
9. Johnny Cecotto Jr Arden + 24.013s
10. Rio Haryanto Addax + 32.024s
11. Daniel Abt ART + 32.823s
12. Mitch Evans Arden + 35.748s
13. Julian Leal Racing Engineering + 39.922s
14. Jake Rosenzweig Addax + 40.999s
15. Stefano Richelmi DAMS + 42.690s
16. Daniel de Jong MP Motorsport + 43.102s
17. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP Motorsport + 54.532s
18. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering + 56.946s
19. Simon Trummer Rapax + 57.935s
20. Rene Binder Lazarus + 1 lap
21. Sam Bird Russian Time + 4 laps
Retirements:
Driver Team Laps
Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 11
Marcus Ericsson DAMS 10
Sergio Canamasas Caterham 5
Nathanael Berthon Trident 4
James Calado ART 1
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Stefano Coletti Holds Off Felipe Nasr To Secure Sprint Race Victory At Malaysia
Stefano Coletti held off the charging Carlin of Felipe Nasr to secure a sensational sprint race victory at Malaysia, after the Monegasque driver stormed through from 7th to dominate the thrilling 22-lap event. Reigning GP3 Champion Mitch Evans managed to finish an excellent 3rd, ahead of poleman Stephane Richelmi in 4th.
Prior to the start of the sprint race it was officially confirmed that Caterham’s Ma Qing Hua would not participate in the race after suffering from gastroenteritis throughout the weekend. This therefore only saw 25 cars take to the grid, however only 24 lined up after the formation lap after Jolyon Palmer stalled on the grid and was forced to start from the pits. At the start, Stefano Coletti enjoyed a sensational getaway and stormed into the lead around the outside of Stephane Richelmi at Turn 2. Further back down the order Kevin Ceccon stalled on the grid, however the Italian driver was able to return to the track a lap down a little later.
As the pack jostled for position on the run down to Turn 4, James Calado struck the rear of Fabio Leimer’s car, thus damaging his front wing. The Briton then ran straight across the grass and T-boned Leimer’s Racing Engineering team-mate of Julian Leal and the Russian Time of Sam Bird. Naturally all three cars were forced into retirement, with Sam Bird eventually coming to a frustrating halt towards the end of the opening lap.
For the majority of the early stages of the race, Stefano Coletti controlled proceedings at the front roughly two seconds ahead of Felipe Nasr in the Carlin with Stephane Richelmi in 3rd. As the race began to draw to a conclusion, Pirelli’s tyres began to fade on all of the cars, therefore creating the usual excitement throughout the final laps. Nathaniel Berthon was forced to pit on Lap 14 due to extreme wear on his tyres, however the Frenchman then proceeded to set the fastest lap of the race on his new set of tyres. Further up the order saw Stephane Richelmi heavily out-brake himself into Turn 15, allowing Mitch Evans storm up the inside and into 3rd position.
After storming to a sensational victory during the feature race, Fabio Leimer’s sprint race went from bad to worse on Lap 17 when Swiss driver ran extensively wide at Turn 11. This saw him return back onto the track right into a battle between Jolyon Palmer and Tom Dillmann. As the trio jostled for position throughout the remainder of the lap, Marcus Ericsson, Adrian Quaife-Hobbs and Sergio Canamasas all fought relentlessly behind them as the laps continued to tick away.
As the leading duo began Lap 19, Felipe Nasr gradually began to reel in Stefano Coletti, despite the Monegasque ace having led the entire race. Further behind the leading duo, Fabio Leimer and Tom Dillmann made minor contact through Turn 2, as they continued to jostle for 11th position. Despite his late surge for the lead, Felipe Nasr was unable to catch and overtake Stefano Coletti for the lead, as the Rapax driver crossed the line to take his third race victory in GP2. Felipe Nasr was forced to settle for 2nd position, as Mitch Evans finished an amazing 3rd in only his second outing in the Series.
This victory for Stefano Coletti has seen him take the lead in the Drivers’ Championship, after a weekend a mature driving from the 23-year-old Rapax driver. The GP2 paddock will reconvene in several weeks time for the second round of the season at Sakhir for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Picture Copyright © Glenn Dunbar/GP2 Series Media Service
Tom Dillmann Fastest After Opening Day Of Jerez GP2 Test
Tom Dillmann has ended the opening day of the Jerez GP2 test fastest overall, after a productive first day for newcomers Hilmer Motorsport. The Frenchman set the time in the afternoon period, whereas Britain’s Jolyon Palmer set the pace in the morning session for Carlin.
The opening day of the test began in cold yet clear conditions at the Jerez circuit, as the majority of the drivers immediately took to the track to carry out their respective installation laps. Once the track temperature had improved, Venezuela GP Lazarus’s Rene Binder became the first driver to set a timed lap. The first red flag delay of the day followed, by returning Norwegian driver Pau Varhaug who spun and stopped on the track. Once the session was resumed, Tom Dillmann proceeded to set the pace before the Arden of Johnny Cecotto jr. rose to the top.
Sweden’s Marcus Ericsson set the pace for DAMS as the morning session progressed, before a second red flag delay was caused when Sergio Canamasas spun into the barrier at Turn 4. The session was quickly resumed, however, allowing the Carlin of Jolyon Palmer to assert his authority over proceedings with a 01:25.330. A third red flag delay only three minutes before the end of the session caused by reigning GP3 Champion Mitch Evans saw the morning session end under red flag conditions, thus allowing Jolyon Palmer to remain in command at the top ahead of Marcus Ericsson and Rene Binder.
After the two hour lunch break, Swiss driver Fabio Leimer set the benchmark for Racing Engineering, whilst the majority of the field elected to run race simulations. However, Monegasque driver Stephane Richelmi rose to the top for DAMS as the time at the top continued to tumble throughout the afternoon session. James Calado momentarily set the fastest time for ART Grand Prix, before Fabio Leimer returned to the top. Another red flag delay was caused by Daniel de Jong for newcomers MP Motorsport, which saw the Dutchman stop on the track at Turn 7.
With only 20 minutes remaining in the session, Tom Dillmann shot to the top with a 01:25.059, just under three tenths faster than the benchmark from the morning period set by the Carlin of Jolyon Palmer. Tom Dillmann remained fastest as the opening day drew to a close, with Fabio Leimer and Felipe Nasr rounding out the top three. The GP2 fraternity will return tomorrow for the second day of the Jerez test, with proceedings set to get underway at 9am local time.
Morning times: Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 1m25.330s 19 2. Marcus Ericsson DAMS 1m25.426s + 0.096s 11 3. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m25.541s + 0.211s 23 4. Johnny Cecotto Arden 1m25.574s + 0.244s 20 5. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m25.574s + 0.244s 15 6. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m25.842s + 0.512s 25 7. James Calado ART 1m25.911s + 0.581s 18 8. Tom Dillmann Hilmer 1m25.922s + 0.592s 12 9. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m25.998s + 0.668s 17 10. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m26.019s + 0.689s 22 11. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m26.066s + 0.736s 8 12. Mitch Evans Arden 1m26.070s + 0.740s 14 13. Julian Leal Racing Engineering 1m26.209s + 0.879s 17 14. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m26.244s + 0.914s 16 15. Rio Haryanto Addax 1m26.398s + 1.068s 20 16. Robin Frijns Trident 1m26.438s + 1.108s 17 17. Daniel de Jong MP 1m26.443s + 1.113s 9 18. Daniel Abt ART 1m26.565s + 1.235s 15 19. Nathanael Berthon Trident 1m26.732s + 1.402s 15 20. Ma Qing Hua Caterham 1m26.990s + 1.660s 11 21. Pal Varhaug Hilmer 1m27.926s + 2.596s 17 22. Sergio Canamasas Caterham 1m31.642s + 6.312s 5 23. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP - 1 24. Stefano Coletti Rapax - 1 Afternoon times: Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Tom Dillmann Hilmer 1m25.059 23 2. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m25.248 + 0.189s 27 3. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m25.262 + 0.203s 34 4. James Calado ART 1m25.403 + 0.344s 31 5. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m25.405 + 0.346s 16 6. Marcus Ericsson DAMS 1m25.480 + 0.421s 33 7. Daniel de Jong MP 1m25.506 + 0.447s 30 8. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m25.585 + 0.526s 28 9. Robin Frijns Trident 1m25.602 + 0.543s 24 10. Johnny Cecotto Arden 1m25.656 + 0.597s 29 11. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m25.718 + 0.659s 40 12. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m25.819 + 0.760s 35 13. Daniel Abt ART 1m25.933 + 0.874s 34 14. Mitch Evans Arden 1m26.116 + 1.057s 32 15. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m26.200 + 1.141s 31 16. Julian Leal Racing Engineering 1m26.222 + 1.163s 33 17. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP 1m26.405 + 1.346s 39 18. Sergio Canamasas Caterham 1m26.610 + 1.551s 22 19. Nathanael Berthon Trident 1m26.682 + 1.623s 25 20. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 1m27.005 + 1.946s 23 21. Pal Varhaug Hilmer 1m27.595 + 2.536s 22 22. Rio Haryanto Addax 1m27.855 + 2.796s 23 23. Ma Qing Hua Caterham 1m28.002 + 2.943s 31 24. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m29.492 + 4.433s 25
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Jolyon Palmer Switches To Carlin For 2013
Jolyon Palmer has joined Carlin for the 2013 GP2 Series season, and will team-mate rising Brazilian ace Felipe Nasr at the British outfit. Jolyon Palmer picked up his first GP2 victory throughout the 2012 season with iSport International, and is targeting the Championship crown next season.
After finishing as runner-up in the 2010 Formula Two season, Jolyon Palmer made the switch to GP2 with Arden International. Despite a rather mediocre debut season in the series, which saw the Briton finish no higher than 9th, Palmer was able to progress to a drive in 2012 with former Champions iSport International. This led to the 21-year-old’s maiden GP2 victory at Monaco, and has instilled confidence within Palmer that Championship glory is possible next season.
“I’m very happy to be racing for Carlin in 2013.” Explained Jolyon Palmer, “The team showed good pace this year in their second season in GP2 and they are hungry to build on that next year. My aim is to be fighting for the Championship and I’m confident we are in a position to do that.”
Jolyon Palmer’s team-mate for the 2013 season will be Brazilian driver Felipe Nasr, who impressed greatly during his first season with DAMS alongside eventual Champion Davide Valsecchi. Both drivers are aiming for the Championship crown in 2013, and Carlin’s Racing Director Trevor Carlin is hopeful of a competitive season.
“Jolyon is a very promising young British driver and we’re delighted to be able to welcome him into our GP2 team.” Enthused Trevor Carlin, “He put in some fantastic performances last season and I believe he will be a regular race winner and title contender next year. With Jolyon and Felipe we have an exceptionally talented team, and preparations are already underway for a strong start to the 2013 season.”
Both Jolyon Palmer and Felipe Nasr will have strong competition for Championship supremacy next season, with the likes of James Calado and Marcus Ericsson, amongst others, with their sights firmly set on the Championship crown. Whoever comes out on top next year, the 2013 season already has all of the ingredients to be yet another sensational chapter in the sport’s history.
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Mark Webber Laments “Mediocre” Start At Korea
Although Mark Webber started the Korean Grand Prix from pole position, the Australian driver endured yet another frustratingly slow getaway off of the line. This saw team-mate Sebastian Vettel storm up the inside in the lead at turn one, and set the tone for another Vettel-dominated 55-lap race.
Down the tremendously long straight after turn two, Mark Webber immediately piled pressure on Sebastian Vettel. After slipstreaming the German driver, Webber was able to draw his Red Bull alongside his team-mate into turn three, but to no avail. Sebastian Vettel remained in the lead, and proceeded to lead every lap of race once again in dominant style. Although Mark Webber was disappointed with his own performance at the start, which has basically seen his Championship challenge come to an end, the 36-year-old was happy with the overall result for his team.
“The start wasn’t sensational.” Admitted Mark Webber, after his third podium finish of the season. “I’ll have to look into it but yeah, probably the initial getaway wasn’t too great. It’s not the best corner to lead off so I thought, ok, we won’t risk too much in the first corner, and then we got a good slipstream off Sebastian but it was just neck-and-neck for us along the back straight. After that I just tried to hang in there as best I could. Of course I’m disappointed but I’m happy to get a good result in the other side as well.”
The main reason behind Mark Webber’s poor start was mainly due to clutch issues, which started as early as the formation lap. This saw the Australian driver suffer from lots of wheel-spin once the five red lights went out, allowing Sebastian Vettel to benefit greatly and storm into the lead despite starting from the dirtier side of the grid.
“I think we were chasing the clutch quite a bit after the first launch on the formation lap, and also coming to the back of the grid the boys were asking me to move the clutch ring quite a bit so the initial launch wasn’t good.” Continued Mark Webber, who lost the lead at turn one. “The first bite just kicked to wheel spin and from then on I knew I could have some issues. It was just a very… mediocre let’s say… run to the first corner. Seb got a good one. All wasn’t lost, obviously, second corner, getting the slipstream on the back straight I thought it was still possible to do something there.”
Ultimately Mark Webber was unable to retake the lead into turn three, after Sebastian Vettel defended well against his team-mate’s onslaught. From there on, it was a simple case of hanging on for 2nd, dealing with tyre management and keeping the Ferrari duo of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa at bay. Mark Webber currently sits 5th in the Drivers’ Championship, with 152 points scored and only one point behind the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton.
However, Mark Webber has admitted that his chances of clinching the Drivers’ Championship are now very slim indeed, with the Australian driver requiring some bizarre results in the remaining four races. Regardless of this fact, Mark Webber still remains hopeful of picking up another victory before the season comes to a conclusion.
Picture Copyright © Getty Images
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