Race results no reflection of single-lap pace
Despite being in the mix for a podium finish during both GP2 Series races, Arthur Pic had to settle for eighth and 13th place finishes in Sochi this weekend (9-11 October) after struggling to convert his single-lap pace into results.
Following a second place finish in Monza last month the Frenchman was aiming for a similarly strong performance at Round 9 of the 2015 campaign. And he didn’t waste any time making an impression at the Russian Grand Prix venue by going second fastest during Friday’s free practice session behind championship leader, Stoffel Vandoorne.However, the weekend’s opening session was interrupted by a diesel spillage on Friday morning, which resulted in hazardous on-track conditions, before the afternoon’s qualifying session was hampered by heavy rain. While Pic’s strength in the wet saw him bank a quick lap time and secure a spot on the front row of the grid, improving conditions during the closing stages of the session meant his time was pushed back to fifth fastest, where he would start Race 1 on Saturday afternoon.A fantastic getaway saw Pic rocket past Vandoorne and Pierre Gasly for third, and even make a move on Alexander Rossi for second, before going slightly wide and allowing the Manor F1 driver to re-take the position. Meanwhile, further down the pack, an incident involving four drivers brought out the Safety Car before the race was eventually red-flagged so that debris could be cleared and barriers repaired.With the light in Sochi diminishing during the lengthy red flag period, race organisers decided to reduce running to 15 laps from the 28 originally scheduled. A slight mistake at the re-start saw Pic briefly run off track and hand third position back to Vandoorne, before excessive soft compound rear tyre degradation allowed Gasly and Sergey Sirotkin through ahead of the mandatory pit-stops.
Although suffering from a lack of pace, Arthur found himself in the middle of a four-way battle with Raffaele Marciello, Richie Stanaway and Campos Racing team-mate Rio Haryanto. Despite fiercely defending his position from the trio’s attacks, Pic ultimately lost out and had to settle for eighth at the chequered flag.
The GP2 Series’ partially reversed grid format meant Pic could take comfort from starting Sunday’s Sprint Race on pole, although his solid getaway wasn’t enough to resist the challenge of Stanaway. Indeed, the FFSA Team France member was forced off-track at Turn 2 in order to avoid colliding with the Kiwi, which also allowed Haryanto through into second.
Thereafter it was a similar story to Saturday, Pic’s lack of long-run pace leaving him powerless to resist attacks from the chasing pack. The Frenchman’s strong defensive driving did initially force compatriot Gasly into a mistake, before Marciello and Vandoorne made their moves.
Pic, always ready to put up a fight, then regained both places from the Ferrari protégé and McLaren-Honda test and development driver, but eventually conceded the position to end up fifth. Whilst another points-scoring finish was on the cards, a lock-up going into Turn 12 saw him go straight on before re-joining the race in 10th.
Johnny Cecotto’s late accident then brought about a Safety Car period just as Pic was making his move on Mitch Evans for ninth. That pass was later deemed to have taken place under Safety Car conditions, earning the Frenchman a five-second post-race penalty that dropped him to 13th in the final classification.
“Seeing the speed we have over one lap means the results in Sochi are obviously disappointing,” Arthur commented. “We were very quick on Friday in both wet and dry conditions but for some reason the performance just wasn’t there in race trim even though it was one of our strong suits last season.
“We did stop one or two laps too late during Saturday’s race but also had the pace to challenge for a podium. And it was the same on Sunday. I made a good start but unfortunately Stanaway’s was better. Then I was forced wide and Rio was able to benefit from that.
“Then it was a case of defending as best as I could but, under that kind of pressure, it is very easy to make a mistake as you push harder and that’s why I locked up.
“Now, I’m going to the Campos factory in Valencia where we’re really going to work on a solution for the problems we’ve had in race conditions.”
The 10th round of the 2015 GP2 Series campaign takes place on November 19-21 at the Bahrain International Circuit.
