#20 Mike Conway, 6th (1:28.123)#21 Ho Pin Tung, 17th (1:29.010)Trident Racing ended up the qualifying session for the GP2 Series` Hungarian round with mixed feelings, as Mike Conway took the 6th spot on the grid, while Ho Pin Tung was forced to settle for 17th.
The 30-minute session was highly eventful, and the definitive starting grid was set with a last-gasp shootout. Mike set an initial 6th place with his first set of fresh tires, and then confirmed his good potential by retaining the position. Ho Pin was quite unlucky in the closing stages, when he lost four spots after being caught up in traffic. The Chinese driver was also slowed down by the obstructive moves of Alvaro Parente, that cost him a clean attempt. The team`s balance is still positive though.
Both drivers will try to clinch a top spot todayon Race 1, scheduled to start at 16:00 (GMT+2).Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Managing Director“We`re really satisfied with how our qualifying session ended up: the team confirmed the good potential shown by our car and drivers during qualifying. Mike did an awesome job, profiting from a precise team strategy: we sent him on-track with old tires in the initial stages, mounting new tires while the majority of the rival cars were coming back to the pits.
"That allowed him to avoid traffic. We`re sorry for Ho Pin. He clearly had the potential to take a top-10 position, as confirmed by his fastest split in the first track`s sector, eventually bettered by the sole Grosjean. Traffic, and then a block by Parente forced him not to take advantage of his new tires, relegating him in the second half of the charts.
"We reported what happened to the stewards, who`ll review what happened tomorrow morning. We hope for a strong race, and the starting position won`t prevent us from scoring a top result. I wish to congratulate all the team`s members. Their hard work confirmed Trident Racing as a top force on the medium-fast racetracks".Mike Conway“The day had a positive start as we were able to complete the set-up work we scheduled. In qualifying the car was pretty balanced and had good traction. With the first set of tires I clocked the sixth best time, then confirmed it at the end with a slight improvement. It could have ended up even better, since a small mistake cost me 2 tenths of a second and a spot on row 2 was definitely in our frame. I`m expecting a long and tough race, especially from the physical point of view, as temperatures are quite hot out there".Ho Pin Tung“I`m really disappointed about how qualifying ended up today. I`m persuaded that a top-10 position was a possible goal. The car was terrific, and I had all the necessary potential to clinch the first rows. Unfortunately, the high traffic literally wasted our possibilities. I didn`t have a true chance to complete a clean lap, as I found slower cars in front all the time. I feel bad because I was fast; I clocked the fastest split in the first sector until Grosjean beat it in the closing stages. I hope to improve my position tomorrow and wash away today`s disappointment".
