The first season milestone of the GP2 Series, disputed this last weekend in Bahrain, saw Trident Motorsport collect the loot that does not reflect the technical potential that emerged on the track.
Racing engineer Graziano Michelacci will drive us through the emerging issues during the Middle Eastern weekend.What were the positive aspects and contexts where it is still necessary to progress that emerged during the Al Sakhir weekend?
“The good news is confirmation with regards to improvements on qualifying front set-up. We received the first positive indications during the tests, and the first race weekend verified this data. The feedback with regards to the race set-up was instead less positive. I believe that the reasons are tied to the problems that slowed us down during the pre-season tests that we disputed on this track...
The first season milestone of the GP2 Series, disputed this last weekend in Bahrain, saw Trident Motorsport collect the loot that does not reflect the technical potential that emerged on the track.Johnny Cecotto was not able to collect the first points of the season due to the drive-through penalty that penalized him in Race-1, compromising even the second weekend race.For Axcil Jefferies, the first 2014 was his debut in the category. He needed to cover as many kilometres as possible, in order to become more acquainted with the single seater and the entire context of the GP2 Series.
The racing engineer Graziano Michelacci takes us through the emerging issues during the Middle Eastern weekend.
What were the positive aspects and contexts where it is still necessary to progress that emerged during the Al Sakhir weekend?“The good news is confirmation with regards to improvements on qualifying front set-up. We received the first positive indications during the tests, and the first race weekend verified this data. The feedback with regards to the race set-up was instead less positive. I believe that the reasons are tied to the problems that slowed us down during the pre-season tests that we disputed on this track. In that occasion, due to different unexpected events, we were not able to complete the program that we had planned on the long-run, and the shortcoming of these reference points has had its weight. Our pace during the race was good, but we suffered the degradation of the tires which was not optimal. This will be the direction where we will divert our efforts in view of the next milestone of the championship. We are optimistic, because the alterations made after the first race gave back positive feedback, confirming that the path taken is the right one. We are still not at 100% but we count on reaching it very soon.”
You have completed the first race weekend of the season working with two very different drivers as experience is priority. How did it go?“We have a driver with very good knowledge in the category like Cecotto and a very young Jefferies, that is carrying out his first steps in GP2. Obviously the approach and work program are differentiated according to the necessities. With Johnny, the work is totally focalized with regards to the performance choice, therefore trying out focused set-ups aimed at the best speed for qualifying and race. The priority for Axcil instead is to accelerate as much as possible in the adjustment process to a very difficult series like GP2. We define the reference set-up with Johnny and we make it available for Jefferies as well, in order to allow him to concentrate only on driving and other important aspects like the management of the tires.”
In race-1 Cecotto was blocked by a drive-through penalty. Without this penalty could he have been able to finish the race in the point zone?“If we only look at the position where Johnny was when he obtained the drive-through penalty, the top-ten were fully at our range. We have to also consider that we suffered a strange degradation of the tires in the final phase of the race, so we therefore do not know exactly if Johnny would have finished the race in the point zone. Undoubtedly, the drive-through penalty episode conditioned his race because we were much faster than other cars in front of us us and theoretically, it would have been possible to strain in the final laps.
Do the track and above all typical environmental conditions in Bahrain, make this race not very indicative in view of the continuation of the championship?“I believe so. We find similar environmental conditions during the tests in Abu Dhabi but the circuit typology is very different with respect to Al Sakhir. The set-up solutions that we use here in Bahrain do not find confirmation in the other tests of the championship. There are a couple of circuits that resemble the technical specifications, but it is unlikely that we use the defined set-ups of the Al Sakhir circuit. As of Barcelona, we will begin to face other problematics, that will be the basis on which we will proceed for the subsequent milestones in the calendar.”
