GP2 Insider Issue 58

7/29/2019 GP2 Insider Issue 58

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The insider

the worlds best young drivers fighting for a place in formula 1

round 12 singapore, 21-23 september 2012

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supplier to gp2/gp3raziagalleryThe blogValsecchi

davidesdelightValsecchi crowned GP2 Serieschampion in Singapore

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dams sealteam title in

nail-bitingfinal race
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://gp2series.com/http://gp2series.com/


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Davide Valsecchi, 2012 GP2champion: what does thatmean to you?Its unbelievable! Its a really goodfeeling, and Im really, really happy,because this year we had a greatseason: I drove really well and our carwas really competitive almost everytime, so Im really happy that at theend, when it was really important, wehad the victory last time in Monzaand we were one of the best thisweekend too.

When it was important, me andDAMS didnt make any mistakes,and we showed this year with fourvictories, with ten podiums and withsix fastest laps that we were the best!I hope tomorrow to have a reallygood job, and to pay back DAMSfor the car they gave to me allseason long, and to beat Lotusfor the teamschampionship.

GP2 is always a championship thatrewards experience, which youhave, but what has made this yeardiferent than previous years?We need to say that, in GP2, there arethe best drivers in the world outside

of Formula One, and the level is sohigh that if everything is not perfect,you cannot win. There are teamslike Lotus, DAMS, iSport, RacingEngineering, Addax, Arden, everyone has won in the past. And thereare such good drivers that it is reallyhard to be the champion here.

So it is great news for me, greatnews for DAMS, and this year wewere able to show that we arethe best. We were the best at thebeginning of the season, we werenot so lucky in the middle of theseason and I saw the stewards a bittoo much [laughs], but when it wasimportant in the end we came back,driving really well, having a goodcar, and showing that we can comeback strong enough to take backthe championship.

Q+A: dAvide vAlsecchi

GP2 Series race winner MaxChilton has been announcedas the Marussia F1 Teams newreserve driver, with efect romthe 2012 Japanese Grand Prix.

Chilton, who has taken two polesand two wins for the Marussia-backed Carlin team in GP2 thisseason, will play a key part inengineering meetings for theremainder of the season, and isexpected to take part in some freepractice sessions later in the year.

As part of our commitment tosupporting the next generation ofracing talent, we naturally keep aclose eye on the feeder formulae,particularly those which racealongside us on the F1 calendar,said John Booth, the Marussia F1

Team Principal. In the role of ourreserve driver for the rest of the2012 season, Max will be exposedto the demands of competing inFormula 1 to the extent that hewill be fully prepared to step into

the MR01 should it be required.We look forward to having him onboard as part of the Marussia F1

Team,he added.Im delighted to be given this

opportunity to be part of theMarussia F1 Team for the remainderof the season,said Chilton. Myracing has matured this seasonand to combine that with realinsight into the level of preparationrequired of an F1 driver, moves mycareer onto the next level.

chilton gets f1 chAnce At mArussiA

Gallery

A fight to the finishsingApore // feAture rAce: mAx chilton // sprint rAce: giedo vAn der gArde

Closing the season at a newtrack was never going to bean easy task. And with raindisrupting the only practicesession o the weekend, thedrivers entered qualiyingstill having to learn thetrack. Even that didnt run assmoothly as hoped. With thetimes alling at the end o thesession, Nigel Melkers crashat the tunnel brought out thered ags and let the thenleader Luca Filippi on pole.

feAture rAceHowever, the Italian had ashocking race start, and MaxChilton duly took over at thefront from P2 on the grid. Hewas followed by EstebanGutirrez and Fabio Leimer.

The race became one oftyre strategy, with degradationaecting almost everyone inthe eld, apart from the topthree. Somehow, they remainedrelatively unfazed by theirtyres, setting competitive andquick laps all the way to thechequered ag. The race itselfnished under a safety carfollowing a big crash for Filippiat the nal corner.

Behind the top three, LuizRazia fought hard to followhome Davide Valsecchi, andthe Italian was duly crowned2012 GP2 Series champion.

But with DAMS and Lotusscoring an equal number ofpoints in the Feature race, theteams championship was stillto be decided on Sunday.

sprint rAcePole sitter Giedo van der Gardegot the perfect start in theSprint race, followed into turnone by Marcus Ericsson andRazia ying into third. In a racedisrupted by a safety car once

again, it was the leaders whowere able to look after their tyresas those behind struggled. Raziaultimately lost third to Leimerafter a great battle betweenthe duo, and as Valsecchi keptGutirrez at bay and FelipeNasr fought through to seventhplace, DAMS took their rstever GP2 team title.

Singapore had been awonderful new host venuefor the championship. And itwas only tting that a grippingconclusion to one of the greatestchampionships in the Serieshistory was played out in frontof such a spectacular backdrop.

morenews

rAcecArd //gp

rivertAndings

Davide Valsecchi 247

Luiz Razia 222

Esteban Gutirrez 176

Max Chilton 169

James Calado 160

Giedo van der Garde 160

Fabio Leimer 152

Marcus Ericsson 124

Johnny Cecotto 104

Felipe Nasr 95

Jolyon Palmer 78

Nathanal Berthon 60

Dillmann deniedValsecchi a fourh win

the blog //by t t

The one thing all driversshare is the passion for drivinga car designed to be fast on thevery edge of what it can do. Andits at an extreme edge, drivingthem in the Singapore heat.Davide joked about it afterwards,saying how hard it is to race here,how you get to a stage where allyou want to do is have a drink butthe water is too hot to swallow.Esteban did too: Its a hard racehere, so hot, and you lose a lot ofweight in the race. I lost 2kg and,considering my weight, thats abig percentage to lose!

click for the bloG latest

Gp3pirelli

Fourh lace wasenouh for Valsecchi

o ake he ile

point leaD For

vAlsecchiin the Final table

singApore//t tt

Max hilon onhis wa u o

Formula 1

eAmtAndings

DAMS 342

Lotus GP 336

Arden International 226

Racing Engineering 212

Carlin 207

iSport International 202

Caterham Racing 166

Barwa Addax Team 131

dAms & dAvidevAlsecchi

DM ook heir rseamschamionshi in

inaore. n a weekendin which Davide Valsecchiwraed u he drivers

ile, i couldn haveeen much eer.

estebAngutirrez

ealed hird in hedriverssandins wih

a odium, denin eam-mae James alado and

arlins Max hilon.

johnny cecotto drive-hrouh

enal, a chane ofre comound, ack

of he eld. afe car,a wonderful drive, andnarrowl missin ouon he oins. grea

enerainmen.

jAmes cAlAdo he end of a

saerin deu season,James alados chancesof hird in he sandins

were dashed foodoisonin. e aled for

55 minues of he Feaureace u had o call i a

da. valian h.

venezuelA gplAzArus

ookie seasons are nevereas, and so i was a

shame for gp2s neweseam o end wih a

doule DF in inaore,and jus one oin overall

for is 2012 season.

25Van der garde endedhe season on a hih
http://gp2series.com/News-Room/News/http://gp2series.com/News-Room/News/http://paddock.gp2series.com/index.php?post/2012/09/22/Last-one-standinghttp://paddock.gp2series.com/index.php?post/2012/09/22/Last-one-standinghttp://gp2series.com/News-Room/News/http://gp2series.com/


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2:02.833Fastest LaP oF the WeeKenDby nathanael berthon in the sprint race

singapore //T TT

For Pirelli, the second season of supplyingGP2 has been even more exciting than thefirst, thanks to close competition from startto finish and new tyre rules that have beendesigned to bring the feeder series evencloser to Formula One. There have beensome unforgettable victories, dramaticmoments and truly deserving champions

in Davide Valsecchi and DAMS, who clinchedthe title at the final round in Singapore.Part of Valsecchis success was down to

the Italians ability to look after his tyres andget the most out of them over a whole raceweekend, but as the season went on his rivalsalso mastered the art of tyre management and a thrilling battle followed.

In terms of tyre rules and how the tyreswere used, GP2 took a real step forward thisseason,said Pirellis racing manager MarioIsola. That gave the drivers more opportunityto show their skills and the teams the chanceto make up places through clever strategy.Often we saw some great results frompeople who dared to try something different:particularly if they started from lower downthe grid. Davide was consistent right fromthe start of the season and his DAMS teammade the right tactical calls to make themost of his abilities.

The teamschampionship was evencloser, with the title being decided at thevery final sprint race in the heat and humidityof Singapore, which GP2 visited for the firsttime this year.

Singapore was not only a new experiencebut also a big challenge for the GP2 driversand teams,added Isola. With the sessions

being held later in the day than usual, thetrack evolution followed a different patternto how it would be normally, which had asignificant effect on tyre behaviour. Mostof the drivers had never experienced 75%humidity before, so it was also a big physicalchallenge for them. This is just one newexperience where the GP2 drivers have reallygrown with the tyres, which makes themwell-prepared for Formula One.

Proof of this was provided by Singaporefeature race winner Max Chilton, who wasrecently announced as Marussias third driver,adding to the total of more than 50 GP2drivers who have been given the chanceto drive Formula One machinery.

Over the course of the year, Pirelli producedaround 25,000 tyres for the GP2 and GP3 Series(which concluded in Monza), while Pirellis GP2trucks each travelled around 77,000 kilometresto support the 12-round season.

From top: when the DMteam said theyd hit the barsto celebrate Valsecchis win,this wasnt what they had inmind; imon Trummer soaksup the ingapore rays; Therecould only be one winnerin the title showdown, butValsecchi and Razia bothplayed their part in an epicGP2 season; Indonesias Rioaryanto enjoys GP2s frstexcursion to the Far ast

llery// IIDR VI

click here forfull interview

Q&aluiz raziaarden international

Luiz, you pushed hard or thechampionship all year: thedream ends here, but are you

satisfed with your season?First, its very important togo back a little bit: at thebeginning o the seasonnobody thought I could fghtor the championship. But wewent to Malaysia, and I wonthe frst race; that opened anew level o perormance romthe team. I worked really hardthroughout the season. I wentevery day to the gym, I putmy soul into racing, and thisis how ar weve come.

Weve had brilliant resultsthis year: our victoriesand nine podiums, but Imdisappointed because wehad an opportunity to win.Overall, we have to be pleased,because ater a whole seasono pushing the limits at everyrace we ound a new level, anew driver, a new Luiz. Andi we keep doing that, wecan go to another level ocommitment next season.

Youre right, the results havebeen phenomenal: what inparticular do you credit orthe turnaround?

When you passthrough some hardmoments in your lieyou get very strong in yourmind. In terms o racing, thingshave been tough, so becauseo that Ive committed myselto racing this season. I haventhad a personal lie, no alcohol,

no parties, go to s leep early,wake up early, no rest. I ounda new level o commitment,but I believe I can do more andbecome an even better driver.

Your good riend Davide hasjust pipped you to the title,do you have any thoughts onthe fght you had with him?Davide did a brilliant job: atthe beginning o the seasonhe was very strong, but weturned it around in the middleo the season and were aheador our races, which wasreally good because we werethe only two teams to leadthe championship. He pulledtogether ater a bit o bad luck,and he improved as a driver aswell. At the end o the day, hegot the lead in Monza and itwas very dicult or me here.I had the chance to steal it, butit was dicult: we both d rovewell today but he didnt have

any problems, and that was it.

a quIck Peek aT The subTle aRT

oF The PIRellI tyre fitters

ReD hoT! super soft TyRes weReseen FoR The FIRsT TIMe ThIs season

aRounD The sTReeTs oF Monaco

FeelInG blue: wet weather TyRes

weRe PuT To GooD use ThRouGhouT

a RaIn-aFFecTeD season

some moments from pirellis2012 gp2 and gp3 seasons...

tyre rules have helped anunforgettable gp2 season!
http://www.gp2series.com/News-Room/News/2012/09_September/Thoughts-of-the-vice-champion---Luiz-Razia/http://www.gp2series.com/News-Room/News/2012/09_September/Thoughts-of-the-vice-champion---Luiz-Razia/http://gp3series.com/http://gp2series.com/http://www.gp2series.com/News-Room/News/2012/09_September/Thoughts-of-the-vice-champion---Luiz-Razia/


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pirelligp2 gallery

isports new status in gp3

Q+a: mitch evans

Title-winning GP2 Series team iSportInternational and leading GP3 Series teamStatus Grand Prix have forged an alliance topromote driver talent on the Formula Onesupport series ladder.

The two UK-based teams have establishedthe iSport/Status GP Performance Partnership,which will see the leading Status GP driver inthe 2013 championship win a prize drive withiSports GP2 Series team.

Status GPs drivers in the 2013 GP3 Series willalso be evaluated by iSport at their simulatorand these assessments, combined with theseasons results, will determine which driverreceives the prize test.

This link will help promote drivers throughthe tiers, said iSport Team Principal PaulJackson. Knowledge of Pirelli P Zero race tyresand Formula One circuits are vital parts of adrivers training, and the partnership extendsour shared ethos of supporting driver talent.

Status Team Principal Teddy Yip Jr added:We are delighted to establish this link withone of the most respected GP2 teams. Thealliance will assist our drivers to prepare for thenext step to GP2 from the start of the season.Combining engineering know-how during raceweekends is also key in maximising both teamsperformance and providing our respectivedrivers with the best chance of success.

Mitch Evans, GP3 Series 2012 champion...how does that sound to you?I have no words to describe this, it s a dreamcome true. Ive sacriced my whole life forthis and its so rewarding to win a title inmy second year. The support Ive had backhome and here has been unbelievable.There are so many people who made thispossible. This championship isnt just for

me, its for so many people.

You led for most of the championship,but how dicult was it having to waiton other results this weekend?I felt really comfortable for the race, but Igot a shocking start. I had a problem with

the clutch lever and I didnt nail it. I paid theprice for that in turn one, so I should takethe blame. I was unfortunate to get thedamage to the car going over the kerband I couldnt continue. In Race 2, I drovemy heart out and made up 18 positions.I was around P7 and catching the leaders,so it would have been good to have seenwhere I ended up, but unfortunately wegot a puncture. Its been a huge emotionalrollercoaster this weekend. To have two badraces and win the championship is quiteunusual, but its also amazing.

And its great for everyone in yourteam MW Arden to win a trophy...Exactly. The whole team are great. They puttheir heart and soul into it and sometimesdont get the rewards. This year we gotthe results we deserved. Unfortunatelywe couldnt get the teams championship

yesterdays race didnt really helpthat. Congratulations to Lotus GP, triplechampions is really impressive. They havebeen dominant all three seasons. I knowmy team really wanted that trophy so itsa shame we missed out. But this one is forthem, I know how hard they worked for it.

Jenson Button:I love his style of driving. David, myengineer at Atech, says I have a verysimilar style very smooth steeringand good on my tyres. I really like theMcLaren team as I use their simulator,so Jenson is my favourite driver.

trophy timein milan

my hero:tamas pal kiss

ethan ringel

John wartique

Following the epic season nale inMonza plus another fantastic year in

GP3 Series, Milan was the scene for theannual prize-giving ceremony. MitchEvans was all smiles as he receivedhis Winners trophy along with DanielAbt collecting the silverware for vice-champion, whilst Lotus GP celebratedthe remarkable honour of becomingtriple team champions.

A nice gesture came from AntonioFelix da Costa who handed over hisDallara award for best race win toteam-mate William Buller, followingthe Brits magnicent victory inSilverstone Race 2, showing the teamspirit amongst the GP3 paddock.

Michael Schumacher:Growing up, he was a big inspiration forme. He was winning everything and theway he built Ferrari around him showeda lot of character. His mentality for thesport and his commitment is amazing.

Ayrton Senna:He was always the best at driving in therain and thats what I want to do. I lovedthe Senna movie too. Of the currentdrivers, I really enjoy watching JensonButton, he seems a really nice guy andI love the McLaren team.

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GP2 Insider Issue 58