but team returns to Portugal with maiden points
After having secured the first points of their very short GP2 existence on Saturday here at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, Ocean Racing Technology did their best in the extremely difficult weather conditions for race two on Sunday. Torrential rain forced the organizers to delay the start of the second race by almost an hour and left the drivers to face a flooded track.
With their two single-seaters stationary on the starting grid, Ocean Racing Technology tried to remedy a problem with the electronic system which had compromised the team's performance. Yelmer Buurman and Fabrizio Crestani had problems keeping their cars on the circuit, mainly in the second half of the race when the Sepang circuit started to dry and their wet tires quickly lost their effectiveness. Buurman finished the race in 11th position and explains why with each lap the car was a little harder to control. "The car was really hard to handle and the engine had some on and off. Under difficult conditions it was just impossible to keep my position and each time I had a power loss I had no other choice than wait until the problem went away. They were unpredictable conditions and they compromised our performance. Nonetheless, I leave Malaysia with the satisfaction of having done a good job because we secured our first points and it proves that hard work pays off," he said.
Meanwhile, Fabrizio Crestani experienced the same problems as his Dutch teammate. Engineers decided to stick with the same set-up from the day before because in the morning the sky was blue and the temperature was at a warm 35°C. However, in Malaysia the weather can change in the blink of an eye and under these conditions, adjusting the set-up can be a bit of a lottery. After several laps behind the safety car, Crestani struggled to bring the car home and explained how it was difficult to make good use of the full power of the car. "It was tough. I was satisfied before the start because with a damp track and a good set-up it is easier to find a way to overtake. But it never happened. Our set-up was not the best for the conditions and the tyres did not work the way we expected. The aim was then to minimize the time loss and to stay on track. The car efficiency was far better in the first race when we ran on a dry track and under these particular conditions we showed what kind of progress we have made" explained the Italian driver.
Ocean Racing Technology secured its maiden points in Malaysia, courtesy of Yelmer Buurman who took the chequered flag in 5th position in race 1. The Portuguese team continues its learning phase and evolution, already giving tangible signs of progress. José Guedes and Tiago Monteiro have now given their next aim, which will be to secure more points in the finale of the GP2 Asia Series championship, in three weeks time in Bahrain.
