DAMS won the second race in the GP2 Series Championship held on the Barcelona circuit. Kamui Kobayashi started from pole and scored a telling victory in the curtain raiser for the Formula 1 Grand Prix, receiving a warm round of applause from the whole Panasonic Toyota Racing team at the foot of the podium.
Kamui also set the fastest lap of the race. The Japanese was passed by Sébastien Grosjean at the halfway mark, but got back in front when Grosjean was penalised by the Stewards due to a dangerous manoeuvre. Jérôme d’Ambrosio started from 22nd place on the grid and fought his way up to 15th. He took advantage of the race to rack up experience in the car.
With 7 points DAMS is in 4th place in the teams’ classification. Kamui Kobayashi has 8 points after scoring twice this weekend and is 4th in the drivers’ ratings only 3 points behind the leader.
Eric Boullier, team manager: “We were a bit disappointed after qualifying yesterday but the team did a great job and turned the tables. It’s this kind of reaction that makes all the difference in a championship. DAMS is certainly one of the most competitive outfits in the opening races of the GP2 Series. We’ll do everything possible to confirm this in the coming events. Congratulations to Kamui for his perfect drive!”
Kamui KobayashiPole position, victory, fastest lap
“By opening the season with a victory I’ve made the best possible start to the championship. The car’s been competitive all weekend and I’ve scored points on two occasions. We’ve shown that we’re among the front-runners. It’s all very positive and I’m champing at the bit to increase my tally in the next race.”
Jérôme d’Ambrosio22nd at the start, 15th in the race
“Starting from so far back it was impossible to score points without a major upset. I took advantage of the race to gain experience and it’s been a success from that point of view. I was among the quickest up to the very last lap. I feel more and more at ease in the car, and I reckon I can make it into the top ten in qualifying provided that everything goes off as planned.”
Jean-Paul Driot, Team Principal: “I’m happy with the opening weekend. We’ve continued the surge begun in the Asian GP2 Championship this winter and started our 2008 campaign with a victory. Bravo to the whole team. We’re going to redouble our efforts to improve our performance before the next race.”
