10/09/2006
NEWS STORY
ART Grand Prix - Lewis Hamilton 2nd Alex Prémat DNF
Lewis Hamilton capped off another highly successful year for the ART GP2 team at the Monza circuit last weekend when he secured the team's second consecutive drivers title after two more podium finishes, following on from Nico Rosberg's inaugural crown for the team in 2005. With their second successive constructors crown wrapped up two weeks ago in Turkey, Saturday's third place and fastest lap clinched first place for Lewis in his rookie season while teammate Alex Prémat crossed the line fifth after a brilliant drive in race one to secure third place in the driver rankings.
In race two, Lewis started sixth while Alex was fourth. The ART racer new champion put in a determined drive but pushed a little too hard, flying into gravel at Lesmo. Thankfully he made it back on track and began the fight back cutting the gap from six seconds to under half as he attempted to pass Pantano into the second chicane. Cutting the chicane, Lewis took the position but was obliged to give it back finishing second, under half a second behind.
Unfortunately, Alex failed to finish the race, the young Frenchman unexpectedly retiring in the pits after a trip to the gravel at Lesmo.
Frédéric Vasseur: There were 2 objectives when we arrived at Monza: first and third places and both were filled by the time the weekend finished, so it perfectly from this point of view. There was also satisfaction owing to the fact that it was not a close call. Lewis had a beautiful first race, a solid result ensuring his championship victory at the end. In race 2 he finished second after a strong start and made up several positions along with the fastest lap. Our objective at the beginning of year was to win both titles, and now it is done and done well. Alex is far from losing out with a beautiful third place. Last year's third place is now in F1 and is doing a pretty good job! The main difference compared to last year is that we were pursued this year whereas we were the hunters in 2006. We were perhaps too cautious in the second part of season, but the final result is fabulous.
Lewis Hamilton: It's been an amazing season, a sensational rollercoaster. Today I just wanted to go out and have a good race, and I think I did that. There have been so many highlights this year. It's been amazing, a great feeling, and now the next step is Formula One World Champion!
In race 2 I had my best start of the season and I had a good fight with Pantano. Unfortunately we could not win but we won the two championships and that's a great feeling. I really want to stress that without the ART Grand Prix team, without a great bunch of guys, without their hard work – the best with whom I've worked with so far – I would not have been able to achieve all these results and be a champion. I wish them all the success in the years to come.
Alex has been a great teammate, he was so strong, I wish him the best and hope to see him around.
Alex Prémat: Finishing fifth in race one at Monza secures my third position in the championship. It wasn't an easy race, as I didn't get the start that I wanted. I was behind Lewis Hamilton and Adam Carroll and then suddenly my engine cut out. Perera dashed ahead of me and Pantano was in the lead of the race. Luckily the car started again, but Pereira had already passed me. Last night's rain, did not do any good to the track conditions and they were also different than I expected. Overall, I'm pleased with the result because I collected more points from a difficult starting position and after a difficult race.
DPR - Clivio Piccione 3rd Vitaly Petrov 12th
Clivio Piccione benefited from his Italian bloodline today and finished 3rd in the final race of the GP2 season at Monza, giving both himself and the British DPR team a much needed lift after a dismal few race weekends. Russian Vitaly Petrov came through from the back of the grid after a bad start to finish in 12th place.
Team Principal David Price was delighted with the team's performance this weekend. "It's absolutely what the doctor ordered and I'm really pleased we got a podium before the end of the season and scored points in these two races. Definitely a case of better late than never, I say! Clivio drove a very clever and sensible race, especially when under pressure from Piquet, and Vitaly did a good job after a difficult start."
After making a great start from 16th on the grid in yesterday's sprint race, the Monaco man was up to 11th before experiencing tyre problems early on in the race. He came into the pits before the remainder of the field for a change of all four tyres but that dropped him right near the back of the field. Fortune smiled on DPR for once and the safety car came out after Adam Carroll shed a wheel, allowing Piccione an opportunity to cool his brakes. After pit stops shook up the order, and a number of incidents and accidents befell some of his competitors, Clivio happily made it through to the chequered flag in 7th place which gave him a front row start for today's season-closer.
A happy Clivio explains how his race ran today. "I didn't have a great start whereas the others had a magic start. I then had to hold on and do my own race, and was able to keep at the same pace for most of the time. I could see Piquet coming through from the back and catching me up and he tried to dive down through Turn One a couple of times but couldn't get past. The last time he tried I was lucky to have seen him in my mirrors losing it at the entry of the corner and I had to cut the chicane a bit otherwise he would have taken me off too. After that I pushed as hard as I could and, once Premat had gone off, I had about a six second gap to the others. It was a good race and a big relief to get the podium which is what we were all hoping for. I'm pleased for everyone and everybody is very happy!"
For the 21-year-old Russian, Vitaly Petrov, in only his fourth race weekend in GP2, a 12th place finish today was also a good result. He failed to finish yesterday's feature race due to an overheating engine, which prevented him from not only showing what he was capable of on the track but also of securing himself a better start position for today's sprint race. "I had a difficult start, losing five or six places on the grid, and dropped back to 25th . As far to the back as I could be. I fought through and managed to avoid all the things which happened to other people, and finished the race very close behind Valles. I am disappointed about not finishing yesterday but am very pleased with today. Thank you to DPR for giving me this chance in GP2."
Arden International - Nicolas Lapierre 4th Michael Ammermueller DNF
Arden International easily secured fourth place in the GP2 teams' championship at Monza after Nicolas Lapierre finished sixth on Saturday and fourth on Sunday.
On Saturday the Frenchman started 19th, but by avoiding trouble and putting in a good, consistent drive moved steadily up the order by the flag after making an early pit stop. He started the Sunday race from third and lost out in a first lap shuffle. Although unable to match the pace of the frontrunners he fought back to earn fourth place after keeping out of trouble. Despite missing two races after his Monaco accident he finishes the season in ninth place.
It was a frustrating weekend for Michael Ammermueller. After qualifying ninth another driver's penalty moved him up to eighth, and he made good progress in the race moving up to 4th. However a damaged front wing forced him to make a second pit stop, which dropped him back to an eventual 12th. On Sunday he was the innocent victim of someone else's accident when Monfardini appeared to make little attempt to brake at the first chicane on the second lap, and he retired with damaged suspension. He finishes two places behind Nicolas in the table in 11th place, having won the sprint race at Valencia back in March.
Nicolas Lapierre - Saturday: 'Sixth position is not too bad. I just kept out of trouble when people were attacking everywhere. It was quite a smart race. The pit stop was not so good, and we stopped very early, but then I scored some points, which is good for me and the team.' Sunday: 'It was a good start but it was a bit of a sandwich between the two guys at the front, and then we lost some positions. The people in front were just too fast. I made no mistakes and it was good to score some points. I was sixth but I got past Piquet and Premat when they made mistakes. Sixth yesterday, fourth today, it's not too bad. It wasn't such a good season because of the crash in Monaco, but we did get a little bit better towards the end. We were third in the championship before the crash, and we were second at one stage, one point from the lead. We had a very strong beginning of the season, and then after the crash it was kind of finished, because I missed the test in Ricard and when I did get back I was not 100% fit. There are no plans for next year, but I want to stay in GP2.'
Michael Ammermueller - Saturday: 'I had a big fight with Premat, and I touched him a little bit on the rear on the straight, and the front wing was gone. In the beginning it was OK, but with the second pit stop I lost a lot of time. In the end I think we could have gone top five for sure. 'Sunday: 'I had a good start and was seventh on the first lap, and there was a big gap behind me. Then at the first chicane Monfardini came straight through the chicane and hit me - same as he did to someone else yesterday. The suspension was broken and we couldn't continue. It's been a long season. The beginning was very good, the first races we had a really good pace, but then we had some bad luck. It was quite difficult to keep up with the quick drivers at the end of the season. I learned quite a lot this year because it's completely different to what I've done before, and it will help me a lot for next season.'
Piquet Sports - Nelson Piquet Jr 6th
Nelson Piquet Jr finished second in the 2006 GP2 championship. He ended the season on 102 points, behind winner Lewis Hamilton, with 114 points. The last race of the season was the sprint race in Monza, and saw popular local boy Giorgio Pantano take his second race win of the weekend on home soil, with Nelson picking up the final point for sixth place, after starting seventh on the grid.
In a year which has seen Lewis and Nelson as the stand-out championship contenders, it was Lewis who finally took the crown last night when Giorgio Pantano had his fastest lap point deleted and it was instead rewarded to the ART driver. However, it has been an intensely fought battle over the season, with Lewis and Nelson jostling for the championship, and the end result has seen an even tighter competition for the victory than last year's showdown between Nico Rosberg and Heikki Kovalainen.
Nelson had a fantastic start to the season, winning the opener in Valencia and scoring several podiums over the coming months. But after a tricky mid-season, with Lewis' ART car seemingly unbeatable, it looked like Nelson's championship hopes were fading away. However, an inspired comeback in the last third of the series saw Nelson take three commanding race wins, and he brought the championship battle right down to the wire for the last race in Monza.
Although the drivers' championship victory was always the aim, for Nelson and his Piquet Sports team the 2006 season has still been one to be proud of. After a very difficult debut year in GP2, the UK based team really raised its game and this year finished second in the teams' championship, against outfits that have been operating at this level of motorsport for many years.
Nelson Piquet Jr: "I'm sad not to have won the title, but it's been a great year and Lewis has done a very strong job in his first season. It's been fantastic to be fighting for the championship and race wins through the whole season. I really wanted to win this series so much, not just for me but for the team. They've done such a good job and worked so hard that I believe they deserved to win it. To have achieved second place in the teams' championship is a great result for the work they have done. Now we have had the last race it feels a bit strange. I am really looking forward to going to F1 and having new challenges and at the same time it's a bit sad to be leaving such a great championship."
Trident Racing - Gimmi Bruni 9th Andreas Zuber 17th
Difficult Race 2 for Andreas, who had some problems at the formation lap start, and compliments for Gimmi who finished brilliantly ninth gaining eight positions. Our congratulations to the championship winner Lewis Hamilton and to his team ART.
Gimmi Bruni: "I think I drove a good race, clearly without yesterday problem I could have done much better, but I do not want to complain. My congratulations to Giorgio Pantano for his double victory and to Lewis Hamilton for his championship success. And of course a special thought for Trident Racing, with them I lived a very special year".
Andreas Zuber: "Today it has been hard but now it does not matter. I wish to congratulate my friend Lewis Hamilton for winning the championship in a great way. And finally a great handshake to each and everyone at Trident Racing for giving me the chance to win a super race this year".
Super Nova International - Fairuz Fauzy 10th Jose Maria Lopez DNF
Super Nova went out today for the last race 2006 GP2 race aiming for top ten finish, which Fairuz Fauzy was able to achieve, with a 10th place. Starting from 14th the Malaysian driver proved capable of making some good sector times, and kept away from any incidents on this fast and furious circuit. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for teammate Jose Maria Lopez, who had to pit after his first lap to replace a damaged nose. He came out 18th, but successfully gained two places before locking up and burying the car in the wall at 'Parabolica' corner two laps before the end.
Today's race was again gloriously won by Giorgio Pantano in his home country from 8th position on the grid. The championship winner already guaranteed, Lewis Hamilton pursued in 2nd, claiming the 2006 title by 12 points, ahead of Nelson Piquet Jnr.
Team Principal - David Sears: "What a sad end to the 2006 GP2 season. What promised so much at the beginning & the middle of the season, didn't translate into race results. Unfortunately Jose Maria Lopez made a good start, but hit the back of another car, and flew over the top of it, & came in for another nose. Jose then set off all by himself, and fell off at the fast Parabolica curve, across the gravel into the tyre wall. Three accidents in one weekend, have kept the mechanics busy!
Fairuz Fauzy drove well to finish in 10th place at the flag, after dicing with Valles for most of the race. Fairuz's race pace is really not bad, but needs to qualify better, in order to make things easier for himself.
There is an old saying that in order to finish first, first you should finish! Unfortunately this season we have had 17 accidents between the two drivers & this has obviously reflected in the lack of points in the drivers & teams championships. We dropped from 3rd to 8th place in the Teams championship, & 5th & 6th to 10th & 24th in the Drivers championship."
Jose Maria Lopez: "I gained places at the start, but hit the car in front at the first corner. The team quickly replaced the nose, and I moved up again. But the rear just went & there was massive locking as I went into the corner, perhaps by damaged caused at the beginning of the race. Unfortunately the race ended there."
Fairuz Fauzy: "The car felt good today. The pace was a lot better. This is my sixth top tenth finish this season, I'm pleased to have got this at the final race."
Racing Engineering - Adam Carroll DNF Javier Villa DNF
The 2006 GP2 season ended with a bang, or to be more accurate two of them, for Racing Engineering today when Adam Carroll and Javier Villa were both punted out of race two at Monza, bringing to a close a frustrating weekend where the team was unable to show the speed they knew they had or improve their position in the final standings of the championship.
Javi started the race from ninth place this morning and made a great start to put himself just behind Nelson Piquet Jr but Jose Maria Lopez had other plans for the Spaniard: Lopez failed to brake in time for the first corner and broke Javi's rear wing: he limped back to the pits, but he was unable to continue. Meanwhile Adam had a strong start despite a stalled car in front of him and fought his way up from 21st to 12th before also being thumped out of the race, this time due to some questionable driving by Felix Porteiro.
The double retirement meant that Racing Engineering was unable to add to their points tally in the final round of the championship: the team finished seventh in the championship with a points tally of 33. Adam scored all of the team's points this year, finishing equal seventh in the driver's championship, while Javi finished his training season in twenty sixth position.
Alfonso: I think some serious brain fade happened in this race: Adam and Javi were both in for a good race until they got knocked out. Javi had a good start and was right behind Nelsinho, where he probably would have had a really good race, but unfortunately Lopez's brain fade kicked in and he hit Javi from behind, so that was his race over. Adam was just plucking them off through the race and was looking really good, and then Porteiro came from out of nowhere and hit him in the back: I really don't understand what that was about, but Adam probably would have been in the points if he finished too. It is a really sad end to a weekend where we had the cars to really do something: both the drivers were happy with their cars, they both did really good jobs, and everything was there to get good points, but I guess the gods and the brains of other drivers wouldn't allow it. We have to look forward to next year, and the car we have now allows us to have a really good base for next season: we're not changing any of the personnel because we are really happy with everyone here and everyone works well together, so hopefully we will build up from here."
Adam: That kind of sums up the championship, really! It's a shame this weekend because we could have come away with fifth place in the championship, especially with everyone else crashing and coming off. Yesterday was unfortunate with the wheel nut falling off, and today I had a bit of a moment at the start because there was a stalled car in front of me and I brushed the wall, but the car was fine and I was coming through the field well. I was up to twelfth, but Porteiro just rammed me off and bent my wishbone, and that was it. It's just really frustrating, but I want to say a big thanks to the guys for all of their hard work and the opportunity to race with them this year."
Javi: It was not such a good one today! I started ninth and I thought with this it is possible to race, but in the first corner Lopez crashed into me, and it finished my race. For sure there are better ways to finish the championship! It's a shame, because the car felt really good, but that's the way it goes."