FOR PROVENZANO THANKS TO FORMULA MASTER

 Formula Master regular Frankie Provenzano cited the Series as the reason for his quick adaptation to the GP2 Asia single-seater, after he took part in his first GP2 races last weekend in Bahrain.

After competing in two Formula Master seasons, the 22-year-old Italian driver joined Trident Racing for his first foray into the Formula 1 feeder series and completed both races successfully. Improving throughout both rounds, Provenzano finished the weekend's second race with lap times only half a second slower than the leading drivers.

"The last time I was in a race car before this weekend was Monza with Formula Master last October so it's a long time, three months, without any racing or testing," said Provenzano. "The aim of the weekend was to gain experience in GP2 without making any mistake; we weren't looking for outright performance yet. It was my first time in a GP2 car and my first time at the Bahrain circuit so the goal was to learn.

"It only took three laps before being able to drive the car properly; it's not very far from the Formula Master single-seater really. The only difference is braking, as they have carbon brakes, and the level of grip in the corners. I had no problem managing the 600hp-engine and I was already used to the gearbox/clutch system since it's on the Formula Master car; you can see I had good starts."

Fellow Formula Master graduate Jérôme D'Ambrosio also produced a strong performance with two podium finishes. The 2007 Formula Master Champion secured second in Saturday's feature race before climbing from seventh to a third-place finish in Sunday's sprint round.

"These two podium finishes have given my confidence an enormous boost," said D'Ambrosio who is now fourth in the Drivers Championship. "In Sunday's race, I pushed from start to finish and I pulled off a few great overtaking manoeuvres, which made my third place all the sweeter. I'm over the moon!"