Issue 52 - GP2 Series

the world’s best young drivers fighting for a place in Formula 1
The insider
round 6 Valencia, 22-24 June 2012
razia
The blog
gutierrez
gp3 heroes
supplier to gp2/gp3
LAST LAP
LEGEND
Razia takes title fight to
Valsecchi in Valencia
read more
birthday boy:
evans leads
the way in gp3
series standings
SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE
DOWNLOAD Ezine

Gallery
pirelli
Gp3
Razia took the top
step of the podium
on the last lap
Q+A: esteban gutiÉrrez
the blog //
by the water cooler
DRIVER
STANDINGS
1 Davide Valsecchi 141
2 Luiz Razia 140
3 James Calado 95
4 Max Chilton 93
5 Giedo van der Garde 89
6 Esteban Gutiérrez 87
7 Fabio Leimer 65
8 Marcus Ericsson 52
9 Johnny Ceccotto 41
10 Stefano Coletti 31
11 Felipe Nasr 31
12 Jolyon Palmer 28
TEAM
STANDINGS
1 Lotus GP 182
2 DAMS 169
3 Arden International 144
4 Carlin 119
5 Racing Engineering 106
6 Caterham Racing 95
7 iSport International 79
racecard //
valencia
RAZIA SHINES AS CALADO IS DENIED
valencia // feature race winner: esteban gutierrez // sprint race winner: luiz razia
Since the GP2 Series first
visited Valencia in 2006, it has
always made itself at home
in the sunny Spanish seaside
city, and 2012 was to prove
no exception. The blistering
heat of the Spanish summer
was replicated with some
scorching action on track.
James Calado was the man with
the initial advantage, tearing to
pole position from Felipe Nasr.
Giedo van der Garde and Max
Chilton lined up behind them
after both Davide Valsecchi and
Esteban Gutiérrez were handed
penalties which saw them drop
to the third row of the grid.
FEATURE race
At the race start, Calado got
away perfectly and from that
point looked unstoppable.
He pulled out a 15-second
gap and as his rivals came in
for the compulsory stops, the
Englishman looked to have
things sewn up. But then
the safety car was deployed
for debris on track and all of
Calado’s hard work was undone.
His lead was erased and he was
the only driver in the field who
had yet to make his stop.
Each time the restart was
attempted, another crash
ensued, leaving the lap counter
in the bin and a countdown
clock in its place. After three
safety cars, the race finally got
going again, Calado pitted
and a battle began for the win.
Ultimately, Luiz Razia, who had
started 11th and was nursing a
damaged front wing, could not
hold Gutiérrez back, and the
Mexican scored his first Feature
race win. Marcus Ericsson was
a fabulous second with Razia
third. Calado, incredibly, would
be classified eighth and took the
reverse grid pole.
SPRINT race
So Calado found himself back
at the front, and again staring
at the back of a safety car!
With Calado’s tyres suffering,
Rio Haryanto ramped up the
pressure, before making a
mistake and taking himself out
of the running. Calado and Fabio
Leimer diced for the lead in the
final laps, but failed to notice the
approaching Arden of Razia. On
the last lap, Leimer and Calado
went side by side into Turn 17,
but the Brazilian flew around the
outside for an incredible victory,
which narrowed the gap behind
Valsecchi to just one point.
Esteban Gutiérrez
took his first
Feature race win
It seems there is something about
this circuit that suits you!
Yes, it’s definitely a track that I like,
and also it’s a special result for the
team and me! And also for many
other aspects, because we have been
having a difficult start to the season,
ups and downs, mistakes from my
side, mistakes from the team. With
this result, we have to use this good
energy and good feeling to go
forward in the next few races.
This is a pretty strong result: what
does it mean to you and the team?
It’s true: I tried not to think too much
of the result, I tried to forget about
the championship, because in the
end it is the sum of every single
race, so I tried to enjoy the race
and overtake as many as I could.
Sometimes you have to risk a bit
too much to take a win, so I tried
to do my best, and finally I got
a good result!
You had a lot of battles
throughout the race...
Yeah, from the beginning to the
end, and especially at the beginning
Canada’s podium featured
three GP2 graduates
History was made at the 2012
Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix
as for the first time, a podium
was comprised exclusively of
GP2 graduates.
Lewis Hamilton became the
seventh different winner in the first
seven races of the 2012 season at
the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, exactly
five years after he recorded his first
ever F1 win at the very same track.
The 2006 GP2 Series champion
was joined on the podium by 2011
when we were having troubles with
the tyres, because they were used
from yesterday and the rear tyres
were not working a lot, so to get
to the front they were difficult to
manage! So the strategy played
quite a big role in this race, because
after the pits I had new tyres,
and these helped me a lot to go
forward and to gain more positions,
especially in the last few laps.
Mixed results for your team, how
is the mood back in the truck?
That’s true. At some point they’re
happy but on the other side they are
sorry for James. He did a fantastic
race from the beginning, and
generally I think he deserved the win
because he was leading and what
happened was not in his hands.
GP2 HISTORY ON MONTREAL PODIUM
champion Romain Grosjean in
second place, and the 2010
GP2 Series runner-up Sergio Pérez,
who finished in third.
Two weeks later in Valencia,
many pundits had expected
Grosjean to take his maiden F1
victory, but an alternator issue saw
him retire while locked in a battle
for the lead with two-time F1
world champion Sebastian Vettel.
Hamilton’s race ended after a
collision with 2010 GP2 champion
We were all set for the
press conference, but with the
Lotus drivers called up to see the
stewards, the only driver ready for
it was Felipe Nasr, who was sitting
in hospitality with his uncle. ‘We
might as well come to you,’ I told
him, as I explained what had
happened. ‘The air conditioning is
better here, apart from anything
else.’ His uncle thought it was
hilarious, and laughed Dillmann all the denied way
through. I don’t Valsecchi think he a fourth had ever win
sat next to his nephew during a
press conference before, and he
made the most of it!
click for the blog latest
valencia //
The stats
5
THE NUMBER OF
SAFETY CAR RESTARTS
Pastor Maldonado. The Venezuelan
was handed a penalty after the race
for his part in causing the contact,
which promoted another former
GP2 driver, the 2008 runner-up
Bruno Senna into tenth place and
the final point-scoring position.
The 2009 GP2 champion Nico
Hülkenberg had a superb race
though, taking fifth place just
ahead of 2005 GP2 champion
Nico Rosberg. Sergio Pérez also
scored points in ninth place.
LUIZ RAZIA
Had the most to be
happy about in Valencia.
Despite wing issues
taking a shot of victory
away on Saturday, a last
lap flier saw him take
the win on Sunday and
move to within a point
of Davide Valsecchi.
LOTUS GP
Esteban Gutiérrez won
on Saturday after James
Calado’s victory had been
denied by the safety car.
On Sunday, Calado
fought valiantly to
take a podium.
RACING
ENGINEERING
Had a good weekend at
home, scoring a brace
of points in Valencia.
Perhaps their new
inflatable Torito
was to thank.
BARWA ADDAX
Both Johnny Cecotto
and Josef Kral were
disqualified from the
Feature race over tyre
irregularities. In the
Sprint race, Cecotto
crashed out and Kral
finished out of the
points, making it a
weekend to forget.
DAVIDE
VALSECCHI
Left Valencia with his
lead in the championship
cut to just one point after
racking up zero points for
the first time this season.
8 Scuderia Coloni 43
more
news

gallery //
The insider view
New gp2
tyre regs
for britain
preview
// Britain // SILVERSTONE
// 6-8 JULY
Esteban
GutiErrez
LOTUS GP
‘I wouldn’t
be here
without...’
...First of all, I don’t think
I’d be here without the help
and support of my parents,
my brothers, my sister, my
family, my friends and of
course, my sponsors… but
the one person above all
with whom I couldn’t have
got as far as I have is God.
I believe that I am here
because as a family project,
we have some kind of a
mission to achieve. It is
important to not only be
here for ourselves and to win
races, because success is not
just measured in numbers...
at least, that is my view.
Success can be measured
by many other things, and
only one part of this is to
win races. The other thing
is to share with people and
to make a difference to other
people’s lives and to benefit
other people with the same
success that I have enjoyed.
click here for
esteban’s profile
With conditions warm and
sunny in Valencia, it seemed
like a perfect opportunity to
gather together some of the
stars of the 2012 GP2 season
for a photoshoot on the streets
of the city. We snapped all the
winners so far, including (from
top left) Luiz Razia, James
Calado, Johnny Cecotto, Jolyon
Palmer, Tom Dillmann, Davide
Valsecchi, Giedo van der Garde
and Luiz Razia (again!)
valencia //
The stats
9.501
TIME COVERING
POINTS
SCORERS IN GP2
SPRINT AT THE LINE
A fifth set of Pirelli tyres will
be provided to the drivers
from Silverstone onwards, it
was announced this week.
In line with the Series’
philosophy of using
compounds as close as
possible to those in F1, it
has been decided that from
Silverstone onwards, each
driver will be provided with an
additional set of Option tyres,
bringing the total sets of dryweather
tyres allowed to five.
Three sets of ‘prime’
specification and two sets
of ‘option’ specification will
be allocated to each driver
before the start of the free
practice session. Once used
in free practice, one set of
‘prime’ must be returned to
Pirelli before the start of the
qualifying practice session.
Each driver will still have
four sets – two Primes and
two Options – to use during
qualifying and the races.
GP2 Series CEO Bruno Michel
said: “Our main goal in GP2 is
to prepare our drivers for the
next step. Adding a fifth set of
tyres is a fantastic opportunity
for our teams and drivers. As in
F1, it will entice the teams to
use two different compounds
in Saturday’s race and will add
to the excitement of the show.”
Pirelli Racing Manager
Mario Isola said: “By adding
an extra set of softer tyres to
the weekend allocation, we
are giving the drivers more
options in terms of strategy
and more experience of the
tyres. This will allow them to
have more information with
which to plan a strategy over
the course of the weekend.
With more opportunities
to show their skills, we look
forward to helping the next
generation of champions
emerge from GP2.”
click here for
full story
tyre strategy
reflects GP2’s
path to the top
Since its introduction in 2005, GP2 has
established itself as the principal feeder
category to Formula One – and Pirelli is proud
to be part of this important tradition. With
the Italian firm supplying tyres to GP3 as well,
there is now a ladder of talent that extends all
the way up to the pinnacle of the sport.
As an example, two of the drivers who
starred in GP3 with Pirelli and are now GP2
frontrunners include Esteban Gutierrez –
Pirelli’s inaugural GP3 champion in 2010 was
victorious in Valencia – and James Calado, who
qualified on pole in Valencia and won Pirelli’s
GP2 scholarship last year in Abu Dhabi.
Looking at the broader picture, some of
the GP2 stars who have gone on to shine in
Formula One include Lewis Hamilton, Nico
Rosberg, Heikki Kovalainen, Vitaly Petrov,
Romain Grosjean, Pastor Maldonado, Timo
Glock, Bruno Senna, Sergio Perez, Charles Pic
and Kamui Kobayashi. Pirelli test driver Lucas di
Grassi also came up through the ranks of GP2,
having finished in the top three of the highlycompetitive
series three times.
“GP2 has always been incredibly
competitive, and to get an idea of the quality
of the racing, it’s enough to look at the list of
drivers who have made it through to Formula
One,” said di Grassi. “I feel fortunate to have
raced there, and the Series definitely helped
me to perfect my skills as a driver. It’s the
established route to Formula One now.”
Pirelli’s GP2 tyres also help to prepare
drivers for Formula One by emulating the top
category’s tyre regulations and characteristics
as much as possible. The GP2 teams and
drivers have at their disposal two different
types of Pirelli P Zero slicks to use during a
race weekend, just like Formula One. The
colour markings used in Formula One are
also applied in GP2 and there are pit stops
designed to help drivers think about strategy,
not to mention tyres that have a degree of
deliberate degradation.
In the GP2 sprint race in Valencia, for
example, the leading cars all closed up on
each other in the closing stages, allowing Luiz
Razia to take a dramatic victory on the final lap.
The tyres were one of the factors behind this,
mirroring the hugely competitive nature of
this year’s Formula One season.
In the GP2 Series, the ability to race hard
and get the most out of the tyres is more
important than ever – just as it is at the very
pinnacle of motor sport.
Medium and hard (below) compounds for Silverstone
TRACK length // 5.901KM
2011 track temp // 26°C
2011 race weather // overcast
2011 SPrINT RACE WINNER
// ROMAIN grosjean (DAMS)
2011 FEATURE RACE WINNER
// jules bianchi (LOTUS ART)

gp2 Gallery
pirelli
GP3
to me:
evans’ day to remember
valencia // race 1 winner: mitch evans // race 2 winner: Patric niederhauser
Mitch Evans will remember his 18th birthday.
The New Zealander had an incredible weekend
in Valencia, with maximum points in Race 1 and
a return to the lead in the championship.
race 1
The race was a masterclass from Evans, who
held off the advances of his championship rival,
Aaro Vainio to win by 2.19 seconds. Team-mate
David Fumanelli had to be content with third
and his first GP3 podium, while behind Ellinas,
Laine, Abt, Ceccon, Niederhauser, Pal Kiss and
Buller completed the points scorers. With the
fastest lap in his pocket, Evans set up a strong
points tally for the weekend.
race 2
The reverse grid saw Evans again on a charge,
fighting through to take sixth place, but the
battle ahead had everyone on their seats.
Jenzer rookie Patric Niederhauser showed
composure to head off Daniel Abt for the
win, with Laine in third showing that the MW
Arden car is now, perhaps, the class of the field.
Fastest lap and the final point went to Antonio
Felix da Costa, who started from the back of
the grid, showing incredible pace to emerge
in the points. Evans now leads Vainio by four
points with a gap already starting to emerge
back to Abt in third. But with five rounds
remaining, there’s still a long way to go.
Luca pignacca
‘
GP3 means a huge
amount to Dallara
because Bruno Michel
appointed us to design
the car. We had done a
good job in GP2, and it
was the greatest thanks
that we as a company
could receive. Now we
are working on the next
generation car to ensure
GP3 goes from strength
to strength.
‘
My Hero...
tio ellinas
Ayrton Senna:
From the beginning of his career, Senna
knew what he wanted to achieve and was
always doing great things. My favourite
Senna race was Donington 1993 when he
came from fifth to first on lap one.
dmitry suranovich
Fernando Alonso:
I have admired Fernando for a long
time. When I was young it was all about
Michael Schumacher, but Fernando came
through and equalled him and I became
a fan. Alonso is fast and there are always
interesting moments watching him.
fabiano machado
Ayrton Senna:
Of course I am Brazilian so I would
support Senna but I loved watching
him. I have seen many videos of him
and I particularly enjoyed his successes
in Monaco. I also liked the fact he was a
simple man but such an amazing talent.
Q+A: patrick niederhauser
Congratulations, your first win in the
GP3 Series, how do you feel?
I am very happy. I didn’t have the best
start, I had too much wheel spin and saw
Daniel passing me. I knew it was all about
the brakes into the first corner because it’s
so important to keep the advantage there.
I was late on my braking but luckily it was
okay. I pushed like crazy in the first few laps
so that Daniel couldn’t attack me. I just had
to stay calm and save the tyres, but after a
very bad qualifying I am so happy today.
How were your concentration levels at a
track like Valencia, with the walls so close
and leading the race under pressure?
The problem in Valencia is that there
aren’t any fast corners. You always have to
brake on the limit otherwise you are slow,
especially at the last corner. I knew I had
the gap at 1.5 seconds, so if I made a
mistake, he would would have got very
close and could potentially have won the
race. I knew I couldn’t make any errors so
I am very happy.
You have now moved up to joint fourth in
the standings, one of the highest placed
rookies in the Series, what are your
expectations from Silverstone onwards?
My personal target is to stay in the top
five which would be good for me. The
upcoming tracks are ones I know more or
less, I hope to do more podiums and more
wins. Ideally I would like to win Race 1 to
pick up more points. Our problem at the
moment is to improve our qualifying, the
Pirelli tyres only allow you one or two laps
and I need to sort this out as I have made a
few mistakes. If I can improve this, my race
pace is good so I need to take it from there.