Simon Trummer to remain with Rapax in GP2 for 2014
Swiss driver Simon Trummer has been confirmed with Rapax for next season, as the GP2 Series gears up for it’s final race weekend at Abu Dhabi. The 24-year-old will compete in his third season with the Italian outfit in 2014, after previously competing with Arden International and also Jenzer Motorsport in the GP3 Series.
After graduating from the GP3 Series in 2012 to Arden International, Simon Trummer soon switched to Rapax to partner Stefano Coletti. Although the Monegasque ace has stormed to an impressive string of results this season, Simon Trummer has unquestionably impressed with two personal best results of 6th at both the Malaysian and Hungarian Grands Prix. The Frutigen-born driver began his open-wheel career in the Formula Lista Junior category in 2006, before then moving up to the Formula Renault 2.0 Suisse Championship in 2007. From there he has gradually risen through the junior categories to the GP2 Series, where he is understandably excited with the prospect of remaining with Rapax in 2014.
“Continuing my motor racing career in the GP2 Series is such a great thing, and doing it with Rapax, a team that feels like home to me, makes it even greater!” Enthused the Swiss driver, “We had a good start this season, and after that we had to work and fight a lot. I know that together with the them [Rapax], thanks to hard work and commitment during the winter, we can put together a really good season next year.”
So far Simon Trummer has yet to finish on the podium in the GP2 Series, unlike experienced team-mate Stefano Coletti who has taken numerous race victories so far this season which has enabled him to remain a Championship contender throughout the year. However, with his future in the feeder category confirmed for 2014, Simon Trummer will undoubtedly be aiming for a competitive season next year in what will be his third year in Formula 1’s main support category.
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
James Calado Fastest After GP2 Practice At Malaysia
James Calado has ended practice for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix fastest in GP2 for ART Grand Prix, as the new season got officially underway around the Sepang International Circuit. The Briton, who is a strong favorite for the Championship, ended the session ahead of Simon Trummer and Tom Dillmann.
The majority of the GP2 field instantly elected to take to the circuit once the session got underway, with the searing heat making conditions extremely tough for the 26-car field. Unlike Formula 1, the field continued to complete their first timed laps straight away, instead of completing installation laps which have become a tradition in Formula 1 at the start of a Grand Prix weekend.
Stefano Coletti set the initial pace for Rapax with a 01:45.846, before the Monegasque’s team-mate of Simon Trummer rose to the top with a 01:45.422. Stefano Coletti ran slightly wide at Turn 9 as he strove to return to the top, however the ART Grand Prix of James Calado was quick to assert his authority over proceedings with a 01:45.403, a time which would remain unbeaten as the 30 minute session wore on. The Caterham of Sergio Canamasas had a slight altercation with GP3 graduate Kevin Ceccon through Turn 4, as the Spaniard almost collided with Ceccon and gesticulated his frustration from his cockpit.
As the opening practice session of the season drew to a conclusion, various drivers pushed beyond the limit as they continued to quickly gather imperative knowledge of the Sepang International Circuit. Colombian driver Julian Leal ran extensively wide at Turn 4, after out-braking himself and running straight into the retaining gravel trap. Luckily Julian Leal was able to return to the track, as Kevin Ceccon also ran wide on the exit of Turn 2.
The checkered flag soon emerged signaling the end of the practice session, as James Calado remained at the top ahead of Simon Trummer and Tom Dillmann. Reigning GP3 Champion Mitch Evans ended the session as the highest rookie in a sensational 4th for Arden International, as he continues to rise through the motorsport ladder. The GP2 drivers will return to the Sepang International Circuit later in the day for the all-important qualifying session for the feature race, which will be held tomorrow afternoon prior to Formula 1’s third and final practice session.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. James Calado ART 1m45.403s 2. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m45.422s + 0.019s 3. Tom Dillmann Russian Time 1m45.589s + 0.186s 4. Mitch Evans Arden 1m45.668s + 0.265s 5. Marcus Ericsson DAMS 1m45.750s + 0.347s 6. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m45.784s + 0.381s 7. Johnny Cecotto Jr Arden 1m45.796s + 0.393s 8. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m45.846s + 0.443s 9. Rio Haryanto Addax 1m45.850s + 0.447s 10. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m45.865s + 0.462s 11. Daniel de Jong MP 1m46.000s + 0.597s 12. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m46.140s + 0.737s 13. Julian Leal Racing Engineering 1m46.193s + 0.790s 14. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 1m46.357s + 0.954s 15. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m46.374s + 0.971s 16. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m46.590s + 1.187s 17. Sergio Canamasas Caterham 1m46.595s + 1.192s 18. Daniel Abt ART 1m46.635s + 1.232s 19. Sam Bird Russian Time 1m46.694s + 1.291s 20. Nathanael Berthon Trident 1m46.695s + 1.292s 21. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m46.737s + 1.334s 22. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP 1m46.934s + 1.531s 23. Conor Daly Hilmer 1m47.303s + 1.900s 24. Kevin Ceccon Trident 1m47.355s + 1.952s 25. Pal Varhaug Hilmer 1m48.550s + 3.147s 26. Ma Qing Hua Caterham 1m48.829s + 3.426s
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
James Calado Fastest After Rain-Struck Second Day Of GP2 Test
Britain’s James Calado has ended the second day of the GP2 Barcelona winter test fastest for ART Grand Prix, despite another miserable day which was once again plagued by inclement weather conditions. Arden’s Johnny Cecotto jr. was fastest in the afternoon, but was unable to better the morning benchmark set by James Calado.
After the opening day was plagued by heavy rain and strong winds, the second day dawned in similar conditions at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya. This offered the drivers the perfect weather conditions to further test Pirelli’s wet weather tyre, as GP3 graduate Daniel Abt set the early pace for ART Grand Prix. However, the German’s team-mate of James Calado soon asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:50.218 which remained unbeaten as the session wore on.
With the track conditions utterly treacherous as the rain continued to lash down upon the circuit, the morning session was delayed twice as various drivers’ were caught out by the tricky conditions. The first delay was caused by Daniel Abt, who lost control of his car at Turn 4 and clipped the retaining barrier, therefore prematurely ending his morning session. Johnny Cecotto jr. also went off at Turn 4, causing yet a further delay in the closing minutes of the session.
During the lunch break the rain ceased, therefore sparking hope throughout the GP2 paddock that dry weather running would be achieved throughout the afternoon session. Simon Trummer and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs set the initial benchmark as proceedings got back underway at the Spanish circuit, before the rain returned once again and shattered any hope of dry running later in the day. Another red flag delay was caused when Riccardo Agostini stopped at Turn 4, before two further delays ensued when Julian Leal beached his Racing Engineering machine into the gravel bed and Rene Binder went off at Turn 7.
Johnny Cecotto jr. managed to rise to the top of the timing sheets as the session entered its final hour, with the Venezuelan driver setting a 01:52.781 for Arden International. His time remained unchallenged as the day drew to a close, as a further red flag delay was caused when Daniel Abt once again stopped at Turn 4 in the dying minutes of the session. The final day of GP2 winter testing is scheduled to get underway tomorrow at 9am local time, with the weather forecasting dryer conditions at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.
Morning session: Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. James Calado ART 1m50.218s 30 2. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m50.902s + 0.684s 14 3. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP 1m51.642s + 1.424s 29 4. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m51.689s + 1.471s 17 5. Daniel Abt ART 1m52.034s + 1.816s 24 6. Mitch Evans Arden 1m52.176s + 1.958s 24 7. Tom Dillmann Russian Time 1m52.233s + 2.015s 23 8. Marcus Ericsson DAMS 1m52.266s + 2.048s 23 9. Johnny Cecotto Arden 1m52.296s + 2.078s 17 10. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m52.457s + 2.239s 19 11. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m52.594s + 2.376s 26 12. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m52.685s + 2.467s 29 13. Daniel de Jong MP 1m52.692s + 2.474s 30 14. Julian Leal Racing Engineering 1m52.946s + 2.728s 26 15. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m53.100s + 2.882s 25 16. Sergio Canamasas Caterham 1m53.160s + 2.942s 21 17. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m53.216s + 2.998s 25 18. Robin Frijns Trident 1m53.649s + 3.431s 2 19. Christopher Zanella Russian Time 1m53.772s + 3.554s 23 20. Conor Daly Hilmer 1m53.912s + 3.694s 17 21. Rodolfo Gonzalez Trident 1m53.994s + 3.776s 12 22. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 1m54.075s + 3.857s 18 23. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m54.547s + 4.329s 20 24. Ma Qing Hua Caterham 1m54.857s + 4.639s 22 25. Riccardo Agostini Hilmer 1m55.077s + 4.859s 16 26. Rio Haryanto Addax 1m55.366s + 5.148s 30 Afternoon session: Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Johnny Cecotto Arden 1m52.781s 18 2. James Calado ART 1m52.878s + 0.097s 28 3. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m52.892s + 0.111s 24 4. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m53.081s + 0.300s 21 5. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP 1m53.243s + 0.462s 30 6. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m53.414s + 0.633s 32 7. Daniel de Jong MP 1m53.515s + 0.734s 26 8. Julian Leal Racing Engineering 1m53.524s + 0.743s 37 9. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m53.818s + 1.037s 14 10. Tom Dillmann Russian Time 1m53.819s + 1.038s 23 11. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m53.920s + 1.139s 22 12. Conor Daly Hilmer 1m53.983s + 1.202s 22 13. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m54.137s + 1.356s 29 14. Marcus Ericsson DAMS 1m54.161s + 1.380s 36 15. Sergio Canamasas Caterham 1m54.240s + 1.459s 18 16. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m54.349s + 1.568s 14 17. Robin Frijns Trident 1m54.360s + 1.579s 18 18. Ma Qing Hua Caterham 1m54.494s + 1.713s 33 19. Mitch Evans Arden 1m54.513s + 1.732s 17 20. Rodolfo Gonzalez Trident 1m54.563s + 1.782s 27 21. Rio Haryanto Addax 1m54.662s + 1.881s 35 22. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m54.845s + 2.064s 23 23. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 1m54.940s + 2.159s 23 24. Riccardo Agostini Hilmer 1m55.359s + 2.578s 26 25. Christopher Zanella Russian Time 1m55.425s + 2.644s 12 26. Daniel Abt ART 1m55.770s + 2.989s 26
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Stefano Coletti Quickest In Wet Opening Day Of Barcelona Test
Stefano Coletti has ended the opening day of the final GP2 winter test fastest around Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, on a drying circuit after a morning plagued by inclement weather conditions. James Calado managed to top the morning period for ART Grand Prix, despite the miserable weather conditions.
The opening day of the final test dawned in treacherous weather conditions, with heavy rain and strong winds battering the Circuit de Catalunya. The Rapax of Simon Trummer eventually became the first driver to venture into the dreadful conditions, however after 30 minutes of track action only four drivers had set a time with Daniel de Jong at the top for MP Motorsport.
Several red flag delays plagued proceedings as the morning period wore on, with numerous drivers being caught out by the treacherous conditions on track. Rio Haryanto made contact with the barrier at Turn 2, before Kevin Giovesi stopped at Turn 8. Tom Dillmann momentarily topped the timing sheets for newcomers Russian Time, before James Calado lowered the benchmark with a 01:50.928. A further red flag delay was caused as the session drew to a wet conclusion when Rodolfo Gonzalez and Ma Qing Hua spun simultaneously at Turns 7 and 12 respectively.
James Calado was fastest during the wet morning period.
After the wet morning period, many were understandably thrilled when the rain ceased prior to the resumption of track action for the afternoon period. As the track gradually dried out, times began to improve as many of the drivers made the switch from wet to dry tyres. Russian Time team-mates Tom Dillmann and Luciano Bacheta became one of the first drivers to switch to the dry tyres, therefore leaping to 1st and 2nd on the timing sheets respectively.
During the final hour of the day the time at the top quickly began to tumble, with many drivers momentarily rising to the top. Robin Frijns became one of the first drivers to dip beneath the 01:30s barrier, before Felipe Nasr and then Stefano Coletti rose to the top with the latter setting a 01:29.868 to end the opening day fastest on a drying track. The GP2 fraternity will be hoping for a much dryer remainder of the week, as they aim to continue preparing for the new season which gets underway at the end of the month.
Morning session: Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. James Calado ART 1m50.928s 20 2. Daniel de Jong MP 1m51.858s + 0.930s 34 3. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m52.240s + 1.312s 27 4. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m52.316s + 1.388s 21 5. Julian Leal Racing Engineering 1m52.334s + 1.406s 24 6. Tom Dillmann Russian Time 1m52.355s + 1.427s 15 7. Daniel Abt ART 1m52.416s + 1.488s 19 8. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m52.630s + 1.702s 19 9. Robin Frijns Trident 1m52.716s + 1.788s 15 10. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m53.097s + 2.169s 28 11. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m53.252s + 2.324s 25 12. Ma Qing Hua Caterham 1m53.307s + 2.379s 37 13. Johnny Cecotto Arden 1m53.383s + 2.455s 17 14. Rodolfo Gonzalez Trident 1m53.549s + 2.621s 20 15. Sergio Canamasas Caterham 1m53.613s + 2.685s 30 16. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m53.621s + 2.693s 33 17. Mitch Evans Arden 1m53.690s + 2.762s 28 18. Marcus Ericsson DAMS 1m53.822s + 2.894s 25 19. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP 1m53.957s + 3.029s 17 20. Conor Daly Hilmer 1m54.099s + 3.171s 28 21. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 1m54.641s + 3.713s 14 22. Luciano Bacheta Russian Time 1m54.948s + 4.020s 17 23. Pal Varhaug Hilmer 1m55.910s + 4.982s 20 24. Rio Haryanto Addax 1m57.604s + 6.676s 9 25. Stefano Coletti Rapax 2 26. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1 Afternoon session: Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m29.868s 24 2. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m29.926s + 0.058s 18 3. Robin Frijns Trident 1m29.951s + 0.083s 19 4. James Calado ART 1m30.239s + 0.371s 24 5. Johnny Cecotto Arden 1m30.323s + 0.455s 25 6. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m30.335s + 0.467s 16 7. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m30.350s + 0.482s 22 8. Daniel de Jong MP 1m30.487s + 0.619s 23 9. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 1m30.505s + 0.637s 23 10. Daniel Abt ART 1m30.522s + 0.654s 21 11. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m30.551s + 0.683s 16 12. Mitch Evans Arden 1m30.781s + 0.913s 24 13. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m30.831s + 0.963s 29 14. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m31.027s + 1.159s 25 15. Sergio Canamasas Caterham 1m31.032s + 1.164s 21 16. Tom Dillmann Russian Time 1m31.035s + 1.167s 25 17. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP 1m31.075s + 1.207s 24 18. Marcus Ericsson DAMS 1m31.433s + 1.565s 22 19. Julian Leal Racing Engineering 1m31.520s + 1.652s 28 20. Rio Haryanto Addax 1m31.626s + 1.758s 23 21. Conor Daly Hilmer 1m32.141s + 2.273s 29 22. Rodolfo Gonzalez Trident 1m32.178s + 2.310s 23 23. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m32.586s + 2.718s 24 24. Luciano Bacheta Russian Time 1m32.712s + 2.844s 32 25. Ma Qing Hua Caterham 1m33.360s + 3.492s 26 26. Pal Varhaug Hilmer 1m34.357s + 4.489s 17
Picture(s) Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
James Calado Ends GP2 Jerez Test Fastest
James Calado ended the final day of the GP2 Jerez test fastest overall for ART Grand Prix, in a day which began with damp track conditions. The British driver set the fastest time in the afternoon period, whereas fellow countryman Adrian Quaife-Hobbs reigned supreme during the morning session.
Unlike the previous two days, the third and final day of the test dawned in damp conditions after overnight rainfall. This forced the majority of the drivers to initially take to the Spanish circuit on the wet weather tyre, despite the sun making a welcome appearance soon after. Johnny Cecotto jr. set the initial pace for Arden International, however as the track dried out the times quickly began to tumble.
Despite the tricky track conditions to begin with the morning session ran relatively incident-free, until Johnny Cecotto jr. stopped out on track. Stephane Richelmi continued to impress for DAMS, as the Monegasque driver rose to the top before his Swedish team-mate, Marcus Ericsson, did likewise.
Adrian Quaife-Hobbs was fastest in the morning period, despite the damp start.
Another brief red flag delay was caused as the morning session drew to a conclusion, after the Carlin of Jolyon Palmer stopped out on track. Once track action had recommenced, Adrian Quaife-Hobbs shot to the top for newcomers MP Motorsport with a 01:26.442, eventually ending the session fastest ahead of Stephane Richelmi in 2nd and Marcus Ericsson in 3rd.
By the time the afternoon session began the track had finally dried out, therefore allowing the drivers to carry out race simulations and pit-stop practices. James Calado took control of proceedings early on in the session with a 01:24.659, a time which allowed the 23-year-old the remain at the top for the remainder of the session. Another red flag delay was caused only moments before the end of the session when the Arden of Mitch Evans stopped on track. Calado was eventually followed by Simon Trummer in 2nd and Fabio Leimer in 3rd.
The GP2 fraternity will reconvene in several days time for the second and final pre-season test at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, which is scheduled to begin on March 5th for a further three days. Once completed, the teams’ and drivers’ will proceed to Malaysia for the opening round of the new season.
Morning times: Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP 1m26.442s 28 2. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m26.884s + 0.442s 21 3. Marcus Ericsson DAMS 1m26.904s + 0.462s 22 4. Daniel de Jong MP 1m27.025s + 0.583s 32 5. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m27.121s + 0.679s 17 6. Robin Frijns Trident 1m27.156s + 0.714s 12 7. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m27.208s + 0.766s 24 8. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m27.239s + 0.797s 6 9. Nathanael Berthon Trident 1m27.514s + 1.072s 10 10. Mitch Evans Arden 1m27.560s + 1.118s 18 11. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m27.846s + 1.404s 16 12. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 1m28.299s + 1.857s 25 13. Johnny Cecotto Arden 1m28.379s + 1.937s 21 14. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m28.489s + 2.047s 15 15. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m29.147s + 2.705s 13 16. Rio Haryanto Addax 1m29.303s + 2.861s 23 17. Sergio Canamasas Caterham 1m29.303s + 2.861s 23 18. Ma Qing Hua Caterham 1m30.372s + 3.930s 23 19. James Calado ART 1m48.064s + 21.622s 12 20. Daniel Abt ART 1m56.592s + 30.150s 12 21. Tom Dillmann Hilmer 1 22. Julian Leal Racing Engineering 6 23. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1 Afternoon times: Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. James Calado ART 1m24.659s 54 2. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m25.045s + 0.386s 26 3. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m25.133s + 0.474s 27 4. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m25.138s + 0.479s 35 5. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m25.148s + 0.489s 38 6. Marcus Ericsson DAMS 1m25.269s + 0.610s 39 7. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 1m25.276s + 0.617s 38 8. Mitch Evans Arden 1m25.309s + 0.650s 41 9. Julian Leal Racing Engineering 1m25.318s + 0.659s 44 10. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m25.497s + 0.838s 40 11. Robin Frijns Trident 1m25.572s + 0.913s 23 12. Daniel Abt ART 1m25.695s + 1.036s 56 13. Johnny Cecotto Arden 1m25.829s + 1.170s 37 14. Sergio Canamasas Caterham 1m25.833s + 1.174s 47 15. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m25.862s + 1.203s 17 16. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m25.883s + 1.224s 33 17. Ma Qing Hua Caterham 1m25.896s + 1.237s 43 18. Daniel de Jong MP 1m25.959s + 1.300s 31 19. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP 1m26.031s + 1.372s 39 20. Nathanael Berthon Trident 1m26.049s + 1.390s 21 21. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m26.133s + 1.474s 43 22. Rio Haryanto Addax 1m26.767s + 2.108s 38
Picture(s) Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Alexander Rossi Ends GP2 Winter Test Fastest At Barcelona
Alexander Rossi has ended the two-day GP2 winter test at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya fastest, in conditions starkly contrasting to yesterday with rain persistently lashing down during the morning period. This presented the drivers with extremely treacherous track conditions, as Facu Regalia set the pace in the morning.
The morning session began with heavy rain pounding the Circuit de Catalunya, initially preventing anyone from setting a timed lap once proceedings began. Eventually drivers began to brave the elements and leave the confines of the pit lane, before the Lotus GP of Sergio Canamasas set the first timed lap of the day, albeit woefully off of the pace from yesterday.
As the morning session slowly progressed, Jolyon Palmer rose to the top as still the rain persistently fell upon the circuit. Halfway through the session, Nigel Melker went fastest for Racing Engineering, before Argentine team-mate Facu Regalia asserted his authority over proceedings. Rene Binder caused the first red flag delay of the day, as the Venezuela GP Lazarus driver spun at turn five.
Facu Regalia ended the morning session fastest in treacherous conditions.
The rain cleared for the final hour of the morning session, allowing times to quickly tumble as the track began to dry out. Alexander Rossi rose to the top for Caterham, before further red flag delays from rookie Sergei Sirotkin and Rene Binder hindered proceedings. As the morning session drew to a conclusion, Facu Regalia was fastest ahead of Sergio Canamasas and Alexander Rossi.
Once track action was resumed after the one hour break, Stefano Coletti, Daniel de Jong and Eddie Cheever jr. were the first to return to a less damp Circuit de Catalunya. Sergio Canamasas once again set the early pace, but with the track conditions greatly improving, Pau Varhaug quickly improved ahead of team-mate Jolyon Palmer at iSport International. However, the Norwegian driver joined Frenchman Arthur Pic in the gravel only moments later to bring out another red flag delay.
Once the session was resumed, the sun began to shine down on the Circuit de Catalunya, igniting fresh hope that slick tyres might make an appearance before the end of the days running. As the afternoon session wore on, Nigel Melker and Stefano Coletti momentarily went fastest, before Rene Binder once again brought proceedings to a halt by spinning off at turn seven. Once normality was resumed, Alexander Rossi went fastest ahead of rookie Daniel Abt.
Further red flag delays plagued proceedings as the day drew to a conclusion, with Daniel Juncadella and then Lucas Foresti both running off the track on separate occasions. However, no-one could match the earlier pace set by Alexander Rossi, as the day ended under red flag conditions courtesy of Pau Varhaug who made contact with the barrier at turn four. The GP2 paddock will reconvene for the final post-season winter test in three weeks time at Jerez.
Picture(s) Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
James Calado Secures Maiden GP2 Pole In Spain
British driver James Calado has dominantly secured his maiden pole-position in the GP2 Series, after a tremendous qualifying run earlier today which saw him end up several tenths ahead of Fabio Leimer. Championship leader Davide Valsecchi ended up 7th overall, after an unusually quiet qualifying session.
As soon as the qualifying session began, the majority of the field vacated the pit-lane and immediately took to the track to try and take full advantage of the F1 rubber. The only driver to remain in the pits was Josef Kral, who ended the earlier practice session fastest for Barwa Addax. The Czech driver seemed unperturbed by the action on track, as he awaited a gap in the traffic.
Previous race winner and GP3 graduate Tom Dillmann suffered an early spin on the exit of turn 13. As the Frenchman’s Rapax came to a standstill, the yellow flags ended anyone’s serious hope of setting a competitive lap time. Both Esteban Gutierrez and Davide Valsecchi got caught up in this unfortunate scenario.
With the softer Pirelli tyres suffering from high amounts of degradation after only several flying laps, the majority of the field switched to the harder tyre compound and used the remaining time in the session as an extended practice session. This wasn’t the case for Fabio Leimer, however, as the Swiss driver was able to join James Calado on the front row of the grid in 2nd place towards the end of the session.
In the dying seconds of the session, Simon Trummer unfortunately beached his Arden into the gravel trap at turn 4. This brought out further yellow flags and subsequently prematurely ended the qualifying session. Tomorrow’s race, which is forecast to be run sunny conditions, has all the ingredients to be yet another exciting GP2 feature race.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. James Calado Lotus 1m30.655s 2. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m30.865s + 0.210s 3. Stephane Richelmi Trident 1m30.902s + 0.247s 4. Max Chilton Carlin 1m30.962s + 0.307s 5. Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1m31.006s + 0.351s 6. Fabio Onidi Coloni 1m31.167s + 0.512s 7. Davide Valsecchi DAMS 1m31.212s + 0.557s 8. Stefano Coletti Coloni 1m31.212s + 0.557s 9. Jolyon Palmer iSport 1m31.269s + 0.614s 10. Nathanael Berthon Racing Engineering 1m31.308s + 0.653s 11. Esteban Gutierrez Lotus 1m31.320s + 0.665s 12. Nigel Melker Ocean 1m31.332s + 0.677s 13. Luiz Razia Arden 1m31.377s + 0.722s 14. Marcus Ericsson iSport 1m31.391s + 0.736s 15. Johnny Cecotto Addax 1m31.565s + 0.910s 16. Josef Kral Addax 1m31.599s + 0.944s 17. Fabrizio Crestani Lazarus 1m31.677s + 1.022s 18. Tom Dillmann Rapax 1m31.682s + 1.027s 19. Simon Trummer Arden 1m31.939s + 1.284s 20. Rodolfo Gonzalez Caterham 1m31.966s + 1.311s 21. Victor Guerin Ocean 1m32.270s + 1.615s 22. Felipe Nasr DAMS 1m32.325s + 1.670s 23. Julian Leal Trident 1m32.691s + 2.036s 24. Rio Haryanto Carlin 1m33.010s + 2.355s 25. Ricardo Teixeira Rapax 1m33.083s + 2.428s 26. Giancarlo Serenelli Lazarus 1m33.329s + 2.674s
Picture Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/GP2 Series Media Service
Davide Valsecchi Fastest As GP2 Gets Underway In Bahrain
Amid the controversy of Formula 1 racing in Bahrain, the GP2 Series’ got their weekend underway as the support category for the Bahrain Grand Prix, completing their 30 minute practice session shortly after the first F1 practice session.
As the green light appeared, signaling the start of the proceedings, Johnny Cecotto jr. was the man who led a long line of queuing cars to the track, all eager to get started at the Sakhir International Circuit. The Trident of Julian Leal set the initial pace, with a 01:47.317, which was quickly beaten by the DAMS duo of Davide Valsecchi and Felipe Nasr respectively, with the Brazilian rookie setting a 01:42.713.
Simon Trummer’s weekend got off to a rather disappointing start, as he was seen coasting his Arden International car back to the pits. The Swiss driver, whose team-mate Luiz Razia won last time out in Malaysia, ended the session 16th overall.
Johnny Cecotto jr. returned to the top with a 01:42.294 as the session wore on, before the Rapax of Tom Dillmann came to halt on the exit of turn 1. Initially it was thought the Frenchman had spun, however it later emerged he too had suffered a mechanical failure of some sort and had coasted to a halt.
Davide Valsecchi, who suffered an almighty incident in Malaysia, then went fastest with a 01:41.417. The Italian driver is currently lying 2nd in the Drivers’ Championship, and is eager to close the gap to Luiz Razia, who is currently leading the Championship. Valsecchi remained fastest as the session came to a close, with Britain’s Max Chilton 2nd and Johnny Cecotto jr. 3rd.
The GP2 cars’ will return to the track after the second practice session for Formula 1, this time for the all-important qualifying session which will determine the grid for race 1 tomorrow afternoon.
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
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