GP2 Round 3 Monaco Feature and Sprint Race Live May 2011

Watch GP2 Live Sprint Race at 16.10

GP2 Round 3 Monaco Feature Race will be out of prediction, Giedo van der Garde has lost pole position for the Monaco feature race on friday after being handed a five place starting grid penalty for causing a collision with Carlin stand-in driver Oliver Turvey early in the session.

Marcus Ericcson was similarly penalised for crashing into his team mate Sam Bird, who is the driver to inherit hold from van der Garde. Romain Grosjean was also penalised for an accident with his team mate Pal Varhaug, but was at the bottom of the timesheets anyway and lucky to be allowed to start the race, having missed the 107 per cent cut-off.
Jules Bianchi already had a five-place grid penalty for causing an accident in the Barcelona sprint race.

Revised starting grid

1. #9 Sam Bird iSport International
2. #27 Davide Valsecchi Team AirAsia
3. #8 Alvaro Parente Racing Engineering
4. #21 Stefano Coletti Trident Racing
5. #14 Josef Král Arden International
6. #4 Giedo Van Der Garde Barwa Addax Team *
7. #24 Max Chilton Carlin 1:22.664s
8. #5 Jules Bianchi Lotus ART *
9. #6 Esteban Gutiérrez Lotus ART
10. #23 Johnny Cecotto Ocean Racing Technology
11. #17 Luca Filippi Super Nova Racing
12. #3 Charles Pic Barwa Addax Team
13. #20 Rodolfo González Trident Racing
14. #1 Fabio Leimer Rapax 1:23.217s
15. #25 Oliver Turvey Carlin 1:23.373s
16. #26 Luiz Razia Team AirAsia
17. #7 Dani Clos Racing Engineering
18. #15 Jolyon Palmer Arden International
19. #2 Julian Leal Rapax 1:23.752s
20. #10 Marcus Ericsson iSport International *
21. #19 Kevin Ceccon Scuderia Coloni
22. #16 Fairuz Fauzy Super Nova Racing
23. #22 Kevin Mirocha Ocean Racing Technology
24. #18 Michael Herck Scuderia Coloni
25. #12 Pal Varhaug Dams
26. #11 Romain Grosjean Dams *

* = the driver penalised five grid positions for causing an avoidable accident

The experienced Davide Valsecchi was a safe pair of hands to deliver AirAsia a maiden GP2 win in their first season in the series in the Monaco feature race.

He succeeded in holding off Alvarao Parente to the flag, while Luca Filippi and Romain Grosjean used impressive pit stop strategies to recover from poor grid positions.

But it was a bad day for iSport - again - as their cars clashed on track for the second day running and retired.

Oliver Turvey had expected to start the sprint race on the front row after finishing seventh, but he had failed to serve a drive-thru penalty for a jump start and was demoted to 15th.


Race 1 results

1. #27 Davide Valsecchi Team AirAsia 1:00:23.957s after 41 laps
2. #8 Alvaro Parente Racing Engineering + 1.471s
3. #17 Luca Filippi Super Nova Racing + 2.199s
4. #11 Romain Grosjean Dams + 4.219s
5. #21 Stefano Coletti Trident Racing + 14.023s
6. #14 Josef Král Arden International + 14.467s
7. #24 Max Chilton Carlin + 16.071s
8. #3 Charles Pic Barwa Addax + 19.524s
9. #1 Fabio Leimer Rapax + 19.934s
10. #22 Kevin Mirocha Ocean Racing Technology + 26.692s
11. #19 Kevin Ceccon Scuderia Coloni + 27.315s
12. #6 Estaban Gutiérrez Lotus ART + 33.427s
13. #18 Michael Herck Scuderia Coloni + 44.243s
14. #16 Fairuz Fauzy Super Nova Racing + 1 lap
15. #25 Oliver Turvey Carlin + 1 lap *

Retirements

Julian Leal Rapax Lap 36
Jolyon Palmer Arden International Lap 34
Sam Bird iSport Lap 31
Marcus Ericcson iSport Lap 31
Giedo van der Garde Barwa Addax Lap 23
Dani Clos Racing Engineering Lap 22
Rodolfo Gonzalez Trident Lap 20
Luiz Razia AirAsia Lap 20
Johnny Cecotto Jr Ocean Racing Technology Lap 18
Jules Bianchi Lotus ART Lap 12
Pal Varhaug Dams Lap 11

Fastest lap: Davide Valsecchi, 1:23.011 on lap 40

* = Penalised for not taking drive-thru penalty for a jump-start.

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GP2 Round 3 Monaco Qualifying Live Streaming 26 May 2011

Although the supersoft compound degrades more than the other tyres in the P Zero range, the low-speed nature of the 3.340-kilometre circuit means the tyre will not be subjected to significant wear as Pirelli’s Racing Manager, Mario Isola, explained: “Monaco will be the only GP2 round where we will bring our supersoft compound tyres because we do not expect to encounter significant levels of tyre degradation.”
“Being a street circuit, Monaco is slow in terms of average speed but it will still be a very challenging and special experience for our young drivers, who will have to contend with its twisty layout and slippery surfaces,” said Isola. “The Pirelli P Zero soft slicks should provide them with the grip they need to put on a great show for all the fans.”

Lotus ART driver loses grid positions in this Friday’s feature race

It’s a tough start to the race weekend for Jules Bianchi in Monaco as the marshals have handed him today a penalty following an incident which took place in Barcelona last week.
It was found that Bianchi had caused a collision with Giedo van der Garde at the start of the sprint race last Sunday. The Frenchman – who was not available after the race as he was being checked at the hospital – was handed a five grid position penalty which will no doubt harden his task during tomorrow’s qualifying session.

There will be one driver change this weekend: Oliver Turvey replaces Mikhail Aleshin at Carlin.

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Watch GP2 Round 3 Monaco Free Practise 26 May 2011

Now is Street racing time! What a difference a race weekend makes. The GP2 field was ruled by Romain Grosjean after Istanbul, but it was Giedo van der Garde who took the lead of the Series after a strong Barcelona round which saw the Dutchman start from pole position and finish second in the feature race. His squad, Barwa Addax, is still the “team to beat” with Charles Pic triumphing at Circuit de Catalunya in the feature race, mastering the tricks of strategy and tyre degradation. In the sprint race, Fabio Leimer put Rapax back on the map with a lights-to-flag win, and overcame with style a nightmarish qualifying session on Friday.

But one man is still standing strong and looking good as a title contender: Sam Bird is the only driver who has scored in every single race this season, and finished three times on the podium. With the same amount of points as Series leader van der Garde, Bird will be looking this week for his first pole position and his first win in 2011 to snatch the control of the standings from the Dutchman’s hands.

The task will be hard however, as the GP2 field stops this week in Monaco for some highly anticipated street racing. The prestigious circuit in Monte Carlo is one of the drivers’ favourites if only because winning in the Principalty is always special. With four winners in as many races and so many talents behind the wheel, the race for the GP2 Series seventh crown has never been so wide open.

Timetable
Thursday 26^th May
12.00 – 12.30 Practice
16.15 – 16.45 Qualifying

Friday 27^st May
11.15     Feature Race
Saturday 28^th May16.10     Sprint Race

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Race 2 / Sprint Race GP2 Series - Spanish Grand Prix Catalunya, Barcelona Spain Live- 22 May 2011

A fast, well-timed pit stop jumped third-place runner Charles Pic up into the lead during the mandatory round of pit stops during the feature race of round 2 of the GP2 season at Barcelona.


Polesitter Giedo van der Garde had been running in the lead until then, but a slow stop for four tyres during which he nearly stalled the car meant that he came back out on track just behind his Barwa Addax team mate going into turn 1 when he came in for his own stop a lap later.

By contrast, title rivals iSport's Sam Bird and Dams' Romain Grosjean had quiet afternoons and came home in third and fourth respectively, but Grosjean was subsequently disqualified after his car failed post-race technical inspection which gives Bird the upper hand in the GP2 championship battle.

Many drivers struggled to improve their positions through 34 laps on the Barcelona track, although Fabio Leimer managed to charge from the back of the grid through to ninth position by the chequered flag.

There was an early safety car triggered by Luca Filippi spinning in the middle of the grid, and a later one for a collision between Esteban Gutierrez and Michael Herck when the Lotus ART driver was attempting to pass the Coloni. Gutierrez was given a ten-place grid penalty for tomorrow's sprint race after being judged to have caused an avoidable accident.

Grosjean will join Gutierrez at the back of the grid, while his exclusion from the results promotes Fabio Leimer into eighth place and hence into pole position on the reverse grid for Sunday's sprint race.

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GP2 Series Round 2 Catalunya - Barcelona Spain Preview 20 May 2011

The 2011 season opened with a bang two weeks ago in Istanbul and saw two men take control of the rest of the field: it started with GP2 Asia Series Champion Romain Grosjean who snatched pole position and stayed ahead of the pack to take the first win of the season. But the Dams’ ace did not sail to victory as Sam Bird put pressure on the Frenchman all race long until the chequered flag. The iSport International driver valiantly fought his way to a second podium finish the following day and pocketed enough points to match Grosjean’s total of thirteen.

In the sprint race, GP3 Series graduate Stefano Coletti confirmed his good form by scoring a victory for Trident Racing after winning last February during the GP2 Asia 2011 campaign. The Monegasque driver is currently third in the drivers’ standings on ten points – the same number of points as Giedo van der Garde whose strong performance in Turkey, along with teammate’s Charles Pic, has put Barwa Addax Team at the top of the standings.
Two weeks have gone by and it is back to business for the GP2 Series’ twenty-six young guns. The Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona welcomes this weekend the second round of the 2011 season. It is a track well-known by drivers and teams alike – they took their last trip to Spain last April for a two-day test session. The Series sole tyre supplier Pirelli brought their hard compounds as Racing Manager Mario Isola explained: “The Circuit de Catalunya puts a lot of stress on tyres, due to the combination of different factors such as track layout, aggressive asphalt and the hot weather conditions expected for the race weekend. This presents the drivers with many big challenges along the way. Because of the characteristics of the track and the likely weather conditions, we have opted for the hard slick tyres. When racing in hot ambient temperatures we need to put the accent on durability, which comes though at the expense of grip. It’s a tough compromise but an important part of racing.”
Last year, it was Jules Bianchi at Lotus ART who scored the first pole position of the season, but it was Pic at Arden International who became the victor in the feature race and Fabio Leimer at Ocean Racing Technology who won in the sprint race. After two first action-packed events in Turkey, all eyes are turned to Barcelona as the second round of the 2011 GP2 Series season promises another heart-stopping show!
 There will be two driver changes this week: Kevin Ceccon replaces Davide Rigon at Scuderia Coloni. Alvaro Parente returns to GP2 Series at Racing Engineering as Christian Vietoris had to skip this round.

Timetable
Friday 20^th May
11.55– 12.25  Practice
15.55 – 16.25 Qualifying

Saturday 21^st May
15.40               Feature Race Start
Sunday 22^nd May
10.35               Sprint Race Start

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GP2 2011 Round 1 - Istanbul Turkey Preview

GP2 Series seventh season starts this weekend

The GP2 Series enters in its seventh season after six thriving years that established the category as a must-see for those wanting to know  who the next big thing in Formula One will be . The new GP2/11 car debuted last January in Abu Dhabi in the GP2 Asia Series and on Pirelli tyres – the Italian manufacturer becoming the sole supplier to the category. The 2011 season is set to deliver action-packed and exciting races that fans and motorsport professionals alike have come to expect from the most successful Formula One feeder series.
Two new teams join the field: Carlin and Team AirAsia, expanding the grid to twenty six cars. The latter chose to benefit from two experienced and race winner drivers in the shape of Luiz Razia and Davide Valsecchi, while the British squad bet on their strong and successful relationship with Mikhail Aleshin and sophomore Max Chilton. Over eighteen races this season, twenty-six drivers will fight for glory and if GP2 Asia Series Champion Romain Grosjean at Dams’ looks like a serious title contender, many other talented racers will also run for the same status.
From Istanbul to Monza, and alongside Formula One, the 2011 GP2 Series season promises one extremely competitive battle!
A word from Mario Isola from Pirelli
"At Istanbul, Pirelli will equip both GP2 and GP3 with its medium compound rubber because of the extremely versatile features of this tyre, as Pirelli’s Racing Manager Mario Isola explained: “The Istanbul Park circuit is quite a complicated track because of its medium abrasive surface and several challenging turns that put a lot of pressure on the tyres. Specifically, the front right tyre absorbs most of the stress that the track provides: especially in the well-known Turn Eight, which is a fast and sweeping corner with four apexes. We decided to equip both GP3 and GP2 drivers with our medium slicks because Istanbul is a very demanding circuit that has a stronger impact on the tyre structure than on the compound.”
Schedule

ü  Friday 6^th May
11.55– 12.25    Practice
15.55 – 16.25   Qualifying

Saturday 7^th May
15.40           Race Start

Sunday 8^th May
11.35           Sprint Race

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