Kamui Kobayashi has topped the first day of GP2 Asia Series second season debut in Shanghai today. Next weekend marks the opening of the second GP2 Asia Series Championship in Shanghai. Prior to this event, the thirteen teams gathered on the Chinese track this week for a two-day test session.
It was a first for the drivers as they discovered the 5.451km splendid track. Kamui Kobayashi topped both the morning and the afternoon session setting the pace in a 1:45.963. His countryman Sakon Yamamoto followed in a 1:46.255 at the wheel of his ART Grand Prix car ahead of Spaniard Roldan Rodriguez on Piquet GP.
The second Dams driver, Belgian Jérôme d’Ambrosio, set the fourth fastest laptime. Giedo Van der Garde on GFH Team iSport was today’s quickest rookie in a 1:46.599 ahead of FMS Andreas Zuber, Durango’s Davide Valsecchi, rookie James Jakes at the wheel of Super Nova and sophomore Vitaly Petrov on Campos.
Rookie Mika Maki completed the Top 10 on the second Super Nova Car. This morning’s session was interrupted by many red flags including one that lasted for almost 50 minutes after some oil was deposited on numerous parts of the track following a minor mechanical incident on Andreas Zuber’s Piquet car. The session was then extended until 12:45pm.
Thursday’s second testing day will start at 9am, local time. Shanghai –
Test session Day 1 – Morning session
Driver Team Time Laps
1. Kamui Kobayashi Dams 1 :47.361 11 2. Davide Valsecchi Durango 1 :47.389 20 3. Roldan Rodriguez Piquet GP 1 :47.397 21 4. Giedo Van der Garde GFH Team iSport 1 :47.660 14 5. Luca Filippi BCN Competicion 1 :48.032 12 6. Sakon Yamamoto ART Grand Prix 1 :48.085 13 7. Nelson Philippe ART Grand Prix 1 :48.091 27 8. Sergio Perez Barwa Int Campos Team 1 :48.214 32 9. Mika Maki Trust Team Arden 1 :48.218 26 10. Vital y Petrov Barwa Intl Campos Team 1 :48.229 13 11. Hamad AI Fardan GFH Team iSport 1 :48.385 24 12. Michael Herck DPR 1 :48.420 23 13. Yuhi Sekiguchi DPR 1 :48.697 16 14. Andreas Zuber Fisichella Motor Sport Int 1 :48.942 10 15. Jerome D'Ambrosio Dams 1 :49.508 5 16. Chris Van der Drift Trident Racing 1 :51.427 8 17. Kevin Nai Chia Chen Fisichella Motor Sport Intl 1 :52.646 24 18. Javier Villa Super Nova Racing 2:02.573 4 19. James Jakes Super Nova Racing 2:20.367 3 20 Alex Yoong My Team Qi- Meritus.Mahara 8:17.641 1 Shanghai –
Test session Day 1 – Afternoon session
Driver Team Time Laps
1. Kamui Kobayashi Dams 1 :45.963 23 2. Sakon Yamamoto ART Grand Prix 1 :46.255 25 3. Roldan Rodriguez Piquet GP 1 :46.491 14 4. Jerome D'Ambrosio Dams 1 :46.540 39 5. Giedo Van der Garde GFH Team iSport 1 :46.599 21 6. Andreas Zuber Fisichella Motor Sport Int 1 :46.721 36 7. Davide Valsecchi Durango 1 :46.785 13 8. James Jakes Super Nova Racing 1 :47.083 36 9. Vital y Petrov Barwa Int Campos Team 1 :47.090 21 10. Mika Maki Trust Team Arden 1 :47.126 13 11. Nelson Philippe ART Grand Prix 1 :47.161 24 12. Sergio Perez Barwa Int Campos Team 1 :47.169 16 13. Hamad AI Fardan GFH Team iSport 1 :47.187 18 14. Michael Herck DPR 1 :47.430 39 15. Yuhi Sekiguchi DPR 1 :47.591 19 16. Alex Yoong My Team Qi-Meritus Mahara 1 :47.979 35 17. Luca Filippi BCN Competicion 1 :48.038 6 18. Earl Bamber My Team Qi-Meritus Mahara 1 :48.065 18 19. Javier Villa Super Nova Racing 1 :48.084 27 20 Giacomo Ricci Trident Racing 1 :48.664 17 Chris Van der Drift Trident Racing 1 :49.174 4 Kevin Nai Chia Chen Fisichella Motor Sport Int 1 :51.518 16
