26/04/2008
NEWS STORY
Super Nova Racing - Alvaro Parente (Winner) Christian Bakkerud (DNF)
The eagerly awaited first race of the 2008 GP2 Championship took place this afternoon in the sunshine at Circuit de Catalunya, Spain.
Super Nova's Drivers Alvaro Parente and Christian Bakkerud were both in a determined mood to achieve a good result for the team during today's main race after qualifying yesterday afternoon.
Although Christian started 19th on the grid he had a very positive start and was in 11th position by the first lap with a good race ahead of him. Unfortunately, after a minor collision that signalled the return of his recurring back injury from last year he had to retire from the race 17 laps from the end. Sadly, he will not be taking part in tomorrow's sprint race.
Alvaro began the race in the envied second row position after a fantastic performance in yesterday's qualifying session. However, he quickly moved to pole after Maldonado got off to a poor start from the grid. With the championship win in his sights he had a superb race leading from start to finish and he took the chequered flag from the second place driver, Bruno Senna who was followed by Zuber in third. Alvaro is the first ever rookie to win a race and gets the ball rolling with a brilliant 10 points for pole position for Super Nova team. As the top eight finishers are reversed for Sunday's race, Alvaro will start 8th on the grid tomorrow.
The team finished the day on a real high and in an extremely positive mood for the race tomorrow and are hopeful for an equally good result as today.
Team Principle David Sears: "What a superb drive from Alvaro Parente. To be the first rookie to win his first race together with the fastest lap is something that not even Lewis Hamilton managed in his GP2 career. After Maldonado, the pole position starter, stalled on the grid, Alvaro made a great start, pitted under the safety car and retained the lead throughout the whole race under a lot of pressure from Bruno Senna. About 15 laps from the end, Alvaro Parente started to tire a little but kept a cool head and won his first GP2 race.
Christian Bakkerud actually managed to get to 11th from 19th on the grid over the first few laps and looked on good form from a point scoring position but unluckily for him, him recurring back problem from last year returned and he had to be stretchered out of the pit lane to the medical centre. At the moment we don't know if he will be fit enough to race tomorrow at 10:30am".
Alvaro Parente: "I feel great! Since yesterday, things have gone great and the team did such a fantastic job. Maldonado had a bad start and I had a lot of pressure from Bruno but I kept focussed and did it. I could see him in my mirrors but I pushed all race long. I was called in to the pits and they were very fast changing they tyres and I was back out again in pole. I am very pleased".
Christian Bakkerud: "It was a shame about the race seeing as I had had a good start and was at 11th after the 1st lap. Unfortunately I went to overtake 10th position and had a small collision that caused damage to the front wing and I had to pit. After that my back just wasn't right and tightened and tightened until it got so bad I could barely breathe and so because of that and the pain I had to pull in".
iSport Intl - Bruno Senna (2nd)
Bruno Senna finished second in the opening round of the GP2 Series at the Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona – and his race-long pursuit of winner Alvaro Parente (Super Nova) was one of the afternoon's highlights.
The race began in chaotic fashion. The original start had to be aborted, because a car stalled on the grid, but Senna got away brightly from on the grid and lay third as the field streamed through the first corner, where a multiple collision between several midfield runners caused the Safety Car to be deployed. Every driver made their mandatory tyre stop while the race was neutralised, and smart work by the iSport team put Bruno ahead of Andreas Zuber (Piquet Sports) when he rejoined the track. He spent the balance of the race putting Parente under extreme pressure, but the leader didn't make a mistake and Senna was forced to settle for a strong second place.
Bruno Senna: "I was pleased with the way things went today. The team did a fantastic job to get me ahead of Andreas during the tyre stop, and after that I just pushed as hard as I could. Alvaro drove a very strong race, though. He made no mistakes and deserved his victory. I tried absolutely everything I could to pass him – including different gears and different racing lines – but nothing worked. I think our car was potentially faster at certain points on the track, but overtaking here is always very difficult. The main thing is that we have had a strong, competitive weekend. This year's car is much more physically challenging to drive than the old one, but I feel fine and have come away with a healthy number of points. If the team continues to perform like this, I know victories will follow."
Racing Engineering - Giorgio Pantano (4th) Javier Villa (14th)
It was a good start for Racing Engineering in today's opening round of the 2008 GP2 Series with their new driver Giorgio Pantano taking an excellent fourth place less than four seconds behind the winner. For Javier Villa it was less successful although the young Spaniard drove hard to take a fighting 14th place.
Tension was high at the start as a second formation lap was necessary following a stalled car as the drivers lined up on the grid for the first time. At the second attempt pole-sitter Maldonado made a dreadful getaway and another car several rows further back stalled. These two incidents causing several drivers to loose position as they tried to avoid the stationary cars and as the cars completed their first lap Giorgio was laying sixth whilst Javier had lost out as he made a slow getaway from the grid and he found himself back in the midfield.
Lap two saw the pace car deployed as four cars left the track and immediately all the drivers dived into the pits for their mandatory pit stop. Some excellent work by the Racing Engineering team saw Giorgio resume in 4th but Javier found himself a victim of the crowded pitlane as cars were forced to queue up and he continued in 16th. Giorgio was now chasing Zuber as the pace car pulled off and for several laps sat right on the tail of the third placed car whilst pulling away from Valles at nearly a second a lap. The first four cars were soon quickly distancing themselves from the rest of the field with all four drivers lapping at a very similar rate.
Javier found himself involved in a race-long battle with Valerio as he quickly left the pursuing Ricci behind, he was able to push Valerio hard but he didn't quite have the speed to pass.
Back at the front by lap 20 Giorgio had dropped back to just over two seconds behind Zuber but he found he was able to comfortably hold his position and keep the 5th place Petrov some six seconds behind. As the race continued the front four settled into pattern, each lapping quickly but unable to close in on the car in front and the chasing pack unable to close in.
With no further changes of position Giorgio confidently reeled off the final laps to finish a very competitive fourth and score his first points with Racing Engineering. Javier continued to fight with Valerio looking for every opportunity to pass but he had to settle for 14th place at the chequered flag.
The Racing Engineering Repsol/Telefónica supported cars are clearly a very competitive package and both drivers will be looking for a good race tomorrow and Giorgio has shown he is in with a real chance of victory.
Alfonso de Orleans Borbón (team principal): "Its a bit of a pity, we could have had both drivers in the points. But due to the safety car Javi dropped too far back. I also personally think that we can work on making the cars better for tomorrow. I would like to thank all the boys for their great work in the pitstops."
Javier Villa: "I had problems at the start, the engine stalled. I was lucky the car was moving a bit, so the engine started up again. Maldonado, who stalled on pole, was in my way and I had to find my way around him. I was 16th and recovered to 12th when the safety car was employed. Both cars went in and I had to wait a bit until Giorgio stopped, this made me lose a bit of time. During the race I didn't have a good rhythm, and suffered from oversteer. Now I will work with Giorgio on improving our performance for tomorrow."
Giorgio Pantano: "It has been quite good. There were some problems with the rear tyres after my pit stop so I decided to hold my place as it was too risky to push and so it was better to keep position. I was a bit unlucky at the start and lost positions due to Maldonado stalling on grid, but it was a very good pit stop and I have to thank the team. Now we will work on scoring more points tomorrow."
DAMS - Kamui Kobayashi (8th) Jerome d'Ambrosio (DNF)
DAMS's first race of the 2008 GP2 Championship ended in an 8th place finish by Kamui Kobayashi. The Japanese driver started from 13th position on the grid and fought his way up to 8th without making any errors opening the team's score. Jerome d'Ambrosio was less fortunate. He was 22nd place on the grid, and he got as high as 12th before bending a steering arm in a collision with another car leading to his retirement.
Kamui's 8th place gives him pole for tomorrow's race, and it looks like the weekend will see another good performance from DAMS, as the team is determined to leave Spain with a rostrum finish.
Eric Boullier, team manager: "It's been a pretty positive day. We said yesterday that our aim was to score points in the long race, and to start Sunday's event from the front: from this point of view it's mission accomplished thanks to Kamui. On the other hand, it's a pity for Jerome. He pulled back ten places until forced to retire after a collision. He was as quick as the front runners, and his weekend would have been completely different if he'd started from a good place on the grid."
Kamui Kobayashi: "It was my first start with the new car so it was all unknown territory. Two cars stalled on the same row as me and I had to zig zag losing a place. After my refuelling stop I was held up for two thirds of the race by two slower drivers. Luckily, I managed to get past one of them before the finish. Tomorrow, I'm starting from pole and it's the best possible option for victory. That's my aim!"
Jerome d'Ambrosio: "I'm bitterly disappointed as I pulled back six places by the end of the first lap. I came in very early for my first pit stop and that enabled me to move up the classification. Unfortunately, I fell upon a driver who was much slower, and when I tried to pass him we touched. My car's steering arm was twisted and I had to retire. Tomorrow's race looks difficult and I'll use it to gain more experience at the wheel of the new machine."
DPR - Diego Nunes (15th) Giacomo Ricci (16th)
The opening round of the 2008 GP2 Series kicked off today in Barcelona, Spain, with David Price Racing (DPR) lining up on the grid with the new GP2 car and two new faces for the summer season. Brazilian Diego Nunes, had a tough start to the championship, starting 25th and finishing 15th today. Giacomo Ricci made his first GP2 start with DPR this weekend, as a temporary replacement driver for the injured Michael Herck. Herck will make his GP2 Series summer season debut as soon as he has recovered from a hand injury sustained at the Bahrain round of the GP2 Asia Series earlier this month. Ricci was also given a big challenge in Spain, starting in 26th position and finishing in 16th place.
The Formula One supporting series held its official launch on Thursday evening and held the first of twenty races at the Barcelona track following two days of practice and qualifying. Nunes had experienced the DPR car in pre-season testing and used his return to the car to reacquaint himself with the new-for-2008 racer. In qualifying the Brazilian driver was running well on his first set of tyres and the team expected a top 10 to 15th position, but on his second set of tyres yellow flags meant that he wasn't able to put in another hot lap, dropping him back down the order. The first time that Ricci experienced a GP2 race car was in the Friday practice session, and with this lack of experience he coped well and showed potential with his handling of the car in qualifying after so little time in the car.
The first race start of the season saw plenty of racing action, and with the safety car deployed on the second lap for a stranded car at turn one, most of the field opted for an early mandatory pit stop. For DPR as with many teams, this meant that the cars were stacked. Ricci, having passed Nunes at the start, was first into the pits of the two DPR cars, but a stall as he left delayed both his and Nunes' stops. Both drivers dropped to the back, but over the course of the race while other drivers made mistakes or suffered technical problems, the two DPR cars kept to the track.
After 38 laps of hard racing Nunes brought his car home in 15th place, followed closely by Ricci in 16th, and the two drivers will line up in these positions for tomorrow's Sprint race.
David Price, Team Principal: "The lead up to today's race hasn't been without its challenges for both drivers. We always knew it was a tough challenge for Giacomo who had no experience of a GP2 car before arriving here in Barcelona. In these circumstances he's coped extremely well and has been improving each time he's been in the car. He reached the finish, so racked up the mileage and starts in a better position than today, which is very positive. Diego's also had his share of hurdles to overcome. It started in practice with gearbox problems and continued into qualifying with engine issues. It was circumstances outside of the control of DPR and Diego, but he also coped admirably. Starting 15th tomorrow should help him, and we can aim to improve on that by the chequered flag of the Sprint race."
Trident Racing - Ho Pin Tung (DNF) Mike Conway (DNF)
The first race of the 2008 GP2 Main Series wasn`t particularly lucky for Trident Racing. Both Mike Conway and Ho Pin Tung were forced to retire during lap 1, due to unavoidable incidents. The contacts, apart from preventing the drivers from scoring points, will penalize the start of Race 2, scheduled for tomorrow morning at 10:30. The duo will start from the 24th and 25th position, while the team is working hard to recover from today`s bad break and prepare a comeback in the final race of the weekend.
Mike Conway: "I wasn`t too fast at takeoff, and I was passed by Filippi. At lap 1, we came to the last chicane and, when I saw an empty space on the inside of the Italian, I try to take the position back. Then my rival suddenly shut the door, during what I thought to be a normal overtake. The contact bent the front right suspension, and I was forced to retire. We didn`t even have the chance to evaluate the car`s potential".
Ho Pin Tung: "I really don`t know what to say... I had a good start, making a good progress before turn 1. I was in front of Rodriguez, when he literally flied over me, ending my race for good. It`s one of the days to forget that happen in motorsport".
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Managing Director: "It was definitely the shortest race in the history of Trident Racing, with both cars out of the race at lap 1. Mike and Ho Pin were forced to retire by two accidents without any fault. Conway touched with Filippi while on the inside of the first chicane. Ho Pin Tung was literally swept away by Roldan Rodriguez, who flied on him leaving huge rubber signs on the engine cover. We feel really bad because we were making great starts, with Mike in front of Grosjean and Ho Pin nearing the top-10".