final test before the kick-off!
After tests on the Jerez and Paul Ricard circuits DAMS went to Barcelona to continue preparing for the 2009 GP2 Series season. Kamui Kobayashi and Jérôme d’Ambrosio racked up the laps over three days without running into any technical problems.
This year, the tyres provided by the organiser for the Barcelona race will be the medium ones and not the hard rubber as in previous seasons. In temperatures ranging between 10 and 25°C both drivers got down to work to find the set-ups best suited to this range of tyres. On the first day d’Ambrosio set the third-quickest time while Kobayashi was eighth fastest on Wednesday morning.
Day 1Jérôme d’Ambrosio: 1m 27.854s – 3rd timeKamui Kobayashi: 1m 28.159s – 10th time
Day 2Jérôme d’Ambrosio: 1m 27.407s – 9th timeKamui Kobayashi: 1m 27.533s – 11th time
Day 3Kamui Kobayashi: 1m 27.088s – 8th timeJérôme d’Ambrosio: 1m 27.247s – 10th time
This test is the last one before the start of the 2009 season on the very same Barcelona circuit in the context of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix on 9th-10th May.
Eric Boullier: “We’ve done a great deal of work on the race set-ups as well as paying a lot of attention to qualifying set-ups. Our performance level is not quite what we were hoping for, but still, we’re satisfied with what we’ve learned during this test. The change in the tyre range forced us to review certain things. Overall, it’s very interesting as this aspect will be one of the keys to the coming season.”
Jérôme d’Ambrosio: “I’m fairly happy with this session. I think we’re still not quite quick enough on new tyres. On the other hand, I’m satisfied with the results in race set-up, and that’s vital as tyre management over the duration of the race will be a crucial factor this year. We’ve still got work to do. Testing is very different from race weekends when you’ve got to be on the pace right away.”
Kamui Kobayashi: “It’s been a very interesting three days. We’ve run through a lot of different set-ups. We now have to give the data an in-depth analysis to try and find a bit more speed. I’m feeling confident before the start of the season. I hope to be able to score some good results and I’m ready for this challenge!”
