Yesterday, the first of the weekend’s two GP2 Series races (the 8th round of the championship) took place on the new Valencia circuit in Spain, which is hosting the European F1 Grand Prix.
Kamui Kobayashi and Jérôme d’Ambrosio met with varying fortunes, as the Japanese driver who started from 25th spot had to retire on lap 1 after a collision. The Belgian fought his way back to the front-runners after losing some places early on. Thanks to a steady drive and a daring strategy, he finished 5th scoring some more points that have helped him move up several positions in the drivers’ championship.
Jérôme and Kamui will start from 4th and 25th places on the grid for tomorrow’s short race.
Eric Boullier, team manager: “Today, Jérôme showed how much he’s progressed since the start of the season. He had to fight hard and he never lost contact with the leaders. His fifth place is a great reward for the work he’s done over the past few weeks. Kamui’s race was over after a few metres. He was hit on lap one: the collision was not his fault and he could do absolutely nothing to avoid it. But that’s the risk when you start from the back of the grid. We’re optimistic for tomorrow and Jérôme will be gunning for a rostrum finish.”
Jérôme d’Ambrosio6th on the gird, 5th at the finish, 4th on the grid for tomorrow’s race
“I’m very happy with this result, my best in GP2. I made a good start. The team’s excellent strategy helped me to gain a place, and then I made it a point of honour to keep up the pace to take advantage of race incidents. The final twists of the event helped me gain two places and then lose one. Finally, I scored four points and I’ll do my best to continue in the same vein tomorrow.”
Kamui Kobayashi25th on the grid, retired after a collision, 25th on the grid for tomorrow’s race
“I was harpooned just after the start and that was that. It’s been a very difficult weekend so far, and scoring points tomorrow will be impossible. I’ll use the second race to rack up the kilometres on this track to help me get to grips with it better in the future.”
