2009 Yas Marina GP2 Asia Series round

The 2009–10 Abu Dhabi 1st GP2 Asia round was the first round of the 2009–10 GP2 Asia Series season. It was held on October 31 and November 1, 2009 at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The race was used as a support race to the day/night 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It was the first of two rounds to be held at the circuit, the other will be the 2009–10 Abu Dhabi 2nd GP2 Asia round. The round was the only one held in 2009, the rest being held in 2010.

United Arab Emirates    2009 Abu Dhabi GP2 round
Round details
Round 1 of 4 rounds in the
2009 GP2 Series
Yas Marina Circuit
Yas Marina Circuit
Location Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Course Permanent racing facility
5.554 km (3.451 mi)
Feature race
Date 31 October 2009
Laps 33
Pole position
Driver Italy Davide Valsecchi iSport International
Time 1:51.964
Podium
First Italy Davide Valsecchi iSport International
Second Italy Luca Filippi MalaysiaQi-Meritus.com
Third United Kingdom James Jakes Super Nova Racing
Fastest lap
Driver Italy Davide Valsecchi iSport International
Time 1:53.341 (on lap 32)
Sprint race
Date 1 November 2009
Laps 22
Podium
First Germany Christian Vietoris DAMS
Second Italy Davide Valsecchi iSport International
Third Czech Republic Josef Král Super Nova Racing
Fastest lap
Driver United Kingdom Sam Bird[a] ART Grand Prix
Time 1:52.070 (on lap 22)

Report

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Feature race

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The first race looked like it was dominated by Davide Valsecchi, who took pole, won race and got fastest lap,[1][2] but he lost the lead at the start when Valsecchi was beaten off the line by GP2 debutant Sam Bird, Valsecchi managed to re-pass him going down the long back straight to turn 8. Bird was also passed by GP2 Asia returnee James Jakes and GP2 veteran Luca Filippi. Filippi found enough pace to not only pass Jakes for second, but also jump ahead of Valsecchi after the mandatory pit stops. A crash between Luiz Razia and Christian Vietoris made the safety car appear and this allowed Valsecchi to close the gap between himself and Filippi. Valsecchi put pressure on Filippi later in the race and finally won the lead battle by muscling through after a very close side by side dice through the Turn 11, 12, 13 and 14 complex. He briefly came under threat when Trident driver Plamen Kralev's spin prompted the safety car again, but had the pace to pull away and secure the win. Filippi managed to fend off Jakes to retain second place, with Alexander Rossi the top rookie in fourth place, followed by fellow newcomers Josef Král and Vietoris. Rossi and Král's former International Formula Master rival Fabio Leimer was unable to capitalise on his excellent third on the grid as his Ocean Racing Technology car stalled before the formation lap. Fifth place qualifier Roldán Rodríguez left another gap when he failed to get off the line at the start. Bird had been on course for fourth until he retired on the penultimate lap with brake problems, which meant his countryman and fellow GP2 debutant Oliver Turvey moved up to eighth in the second iSport car and would therefore start from reverse grid pole for the sprint race, alongside Johnny Cecotto Jr. of Trident Racing.

Sprint race

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For the sprint race, Turvey started on pole, having finished eighth in the feature race. He got off the line slowly and DAMS driver Vietoris burst through from third to the lead at the start, Turvey falling back to fourth behind Král and Rossi into the first corner. Turvey's front row partner Cecotto, Jr. also fell down the order, to seventh behind the feature race top duo Filippi and Valsecchi. Valsecchi was a man determined to get big points, and after a few side by side tussles, managed to pass Filippi. With the momentum, Valsecchi also managed to pass his team-mate Turvey after Filippi had spun trying to avoid Cecotto. The safety car then gave Valsecchi a chance to catch up with the top three, the yellow being required after Will Bratt's Coloni machine had snapped into a high-speed spin at the end of the back straight and collected Leimer on its way to the barrier. Vietoris and Král had pulled comfortably clear of the field before the safety car, with the DAMS driver edging away early on before Král closed back onto his tail at half-distance. But the safety car cost them their cushion, for Valsecchi swiftly muscled past Rossi for third after the restart and then rapidly closed on Vietoris and Král. That gave Vietoris some breathing space, as Valsecchi climbed all over the back of Král before diving ahead into Turn 11 on the last lap. There was no time left to catch Vietoris though, and the German duly ended his first GP2 weekend with victory. Turvey put a late move on Rossi to take fourth, with Cecotto hanging on to sixth ahead of Vietoris' team-mate Edoardo Piscopo and the delayed Filippi. Jakes was forced wide at the first corner and could only finish 10th, the Super Nova driver having spent most of the race trying in vain to pass DPR's Michael Herck.

Classification

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Qualifying

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Pos No Driver Team Time Gap Grid
1 17   Davide Valsecchi iSport International 1:51.964 1
2 8   Sam Bird ART Grand Prix 1:52.183 +0.219 2
3 23   Fabio Leimer Ocean Racing Technology 1:52.236 +0.272 3
4 20   Luca Filippi MalaysiaQi-Meritus.com 1:52.240 +0.276 4
5 24   Roldán Rodríguez Scuderia Coloni 1:52.300 +0.336 5
6 12   Rodolfo González Arden International 1:52.436 +0.472 6
7 14   James Jakes Super Nova Racing 1:52.529 +0.565 7
8 18   Johnny Cecotto Jr. Trident Racing 1:52.557 +0.593 8
9 15   Josef Král Super Nova Racing 1:52.575 +0.611 9
10 27   Giacomo Ricci DPR 1:52.690 +0.726 10
11 2   Edoardo Piscopo DAMS 1:52.792 +0.828 11
12 4   Daniel Zampieri Piquet GP 1:52.816 +0.852 12
13 22   Alexander Rossi Ocean Racing Technology 1:52.827 +0.863 13
14 1   Christian Vietoris DAMS 1:52.830 +0.866 14
15 7   Marcus Ericsson ART Grand Prix 1:52.846 +0.882 15
16 26   Michael Herck DPR 1:52.869 +0.905 16
17 21   Diego Nunes MalaysiaQi-Meritus.com 1:52.907 +0.943 17
18 16   Oliver Turvey iSport International 1:52.955 +0.991 18
19 6   Luiz Razia Barwa Addax Team 1:52.996 +1.032 19
20 11   Charles Pic Arden International 1:53.112 +1.148 20
21 5   Max Chilton Barwa Addax Team 1:53.147 +1.183 21
22 3   Vladimir Arabadzhiev Piquet GP 1:53.628 +1.664 22
23 25   Will Bratt Scuderia Coloni 1:53.711 +1.747 23
24 19   Plamen Kralev Trident Racing 1:58.149 +6.185 24

Feature race

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Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 17   Davide Valsecchi iSport International 33 1:07:49.810 1 10+2+1
2 20   Luca Filippi MalaysiaQi-Meritus.com 33 +4.881 4 8
3 14   James Jakes Super Nova Racing 33 +6.174 7 6
4 22   Alexander Rossi Ocean Racing Technology 33 +7.182 13 5
5 15   Josef Král Super Nova Racing 33 +8.220 9 4
6 1   Christian Vietoris DAMS 33 +13.300 14 3
7 18   Johnny Cecotto Jr. Trident Racing 33 +15.460 8 2
8 16   Oliver Turvey iSport International 33 +16.223 18 1
9 2   Edoardo Piscopo DAMS 33 +16.715 11
10 24   Roldán Rodríguez Scuderia Coloni 33 +16.879 5
11 7   Marcus Ericsson ART Grand Prix 33 +21.686 15
12 25   Will Bratt Scuderia Coloni 33 +22.539 23
13 26   Michael Herck DPR 33 +22.881 16
14 12   Rodolfo González Arden International 33 +23.403 6
15 4   Daniel Zampieri Piquet GP 33 +23.786 12
16 5   Max Chilton Barwa Addax Team 33 +25.131 21
17 23   Fabio Leimer Ocean Racing Technology 33 +30.019 3
18 8   Sam Bird ART Grand Prix 31 +2 laps 2
Ret 11   Charles Pic Arden International 28 DNF 20
Ret 3   Vladimir Arabadzhiev Piquet GP 25 DNF 22
Ret 19   Plamen Kralev Trident Racing 24 DNF 24
Ret 6   Luiz Razia Barwa Addax Team 12 DNF 19
Ret 27   Giacomo Ricci DPR 8 DNF 10
Ret 21   Diego Nunes MalaysiaQi-Meritus.com 0 DNF 17
Fastest lap: Davide Valsecchi (iSport International) 1:53.341 (lap 32)

Sprint race

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Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 1   Christian Vietoris DAMS 22 43:18.814 3 6
2 17   Davide Valsecchi iSport International 22 +2.447 8 5+1
3 15   Josef Král Super Nova Racing 22 +3.195 4 4
4 16   Oliver Turvey iSport International 22 +6.616 1 3
5 22   Alexander Rossi Ocean Racing Technology 22 +7.240 5 2
6 18   Johnny Cecotto Jr. Trident Racing 22 +7.711 2 1
7 2   Edoardo Piscopo DAMS 22 +8.237 9
8 20   Luca Filippi MalaysiaQi-Meritus.com 22 +10.136 7
9 26   Michael Herck DPR 22 +10.730 13
10 14   James Jakes Super Nova Racing 22 +11.643 6
11 6   Luiz Razia Barwa Addax Team 22 +11.881 22
12 7   Marcus Ericsson ART Grand Prix 22 +12.315 11
13 21   Diego Nunes MalaysiaQi-Meritus.com 22 +12.893 25
14 24   Roldán Rodríguez Scuderia Coloni 22 +13.303 10
15 11   Charles Pic Arden International 22 +13.777 19
16 12   Rodolfo González Arden International 22 +14.431 14
17 5   Max Chilton Barwa Addax Team 22 +19.485 16
18 8   Sam Bird ART Grand Prix 22 +21.421 18
Ret 3   Vladimir Arabadzhiev Piquet GP 17 DNF 20
Ret 23   Fabio Leimer Ocean Racing Technology 14 DNF 17
Ret 25   Will Bratt Scuderia Coloni 14 DNF 12
Ret 4   Daniel Zampieri Piquet GP 5 DNF 15
Ret 27   Giacomo Ricci DPR 1 DNF 24
Ret 19   Plamen Kralev Trident Racing 0 DNF 21
Fastest lap: Sam Bird (ART Grand Prix) 1:52.070 (lap 22)

Standings after the race

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  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

Notes

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  1. ^ Sam Bird set the fastest lap, but did not finish in the top 10, so was ineligible to be the point-scorer for the fastest lap. Davide Valsecchi was the point-scorer instead for setting the fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.

References

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  1. ^ "Davide Valsecchi claims maiden pole". gp2series.com. GP2 Series. 2009-10-30. Archived from the original on November 2, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
  2. ^ "Davide Valsecchi storms to victory". gp2series.com. GP2 Series. 2009-10-31. Retrieved 2009-10-31.


Previous round:
2009 Bahrain 2nd GP2 Asia Series round
GP2 Asia Series Championship
2009–10 season
Next round:
2009–10 Abu Dhabi 2nd GP2 Asia round
Previous round:
none
Abu Dhabi GP2 Asia round Next round:
2009–10 Abu Dhabi 2nd GP2 Asia round