Driver Database News

After a first day in the highest zone of the timesheets, Scuderia Coloni confirmed themselves at the top of the GP2 field in the second day of the Jerez test. The Italian team closed today’s sessions with the second and fifth quickest time overall, posted by Fabio Onidi and Kevin Ceccon respectively.

Onidi, after a surprising first day in which he was fifth quickest despite being at his debut on the Dallara GP2/11 car, managed to improve to 1’26”843, a staggering performance that was the second best of the whole test and the quickest laptime among the rookies. Ceccon, after focusing on race pace yesterday, was eager to go for some qualifying laps and posted a 1’26”954 that proved to be the fifth quickest lap of the two days, confirming the young italian’s improving trend. In the afternoon both drivers reverted to long-run testing, with Onidi simulating the Race 1 fuel load and Ceccon going for the Race 2 configuration. Both obtained a lot of useful informations on the car behaviour, data that the team will analyze once at the workshop.

Paolo Coloni: “We get back from Spain knowing that we are on the right path. All our three drivers managed to extract top performances from the car, confirming both their skills and the competitiveness of our technical package. Also today we did a very good job from every aspect: when we went for performance in the morning the laptimes came quickly, the proof is that both were posted with the first set of new tyres. In the afternoon we went for race simulations, with some very good results”.

Fabio Onidi: “I’m really satisfied of these two days, I knew I could be quick but being in front straight out of the box was amazing, beyond my expectations frankly speaking. Today our day was again split in two: in the morning we did a proper qualifying simulation, with two sets of new rubber and posting our quickest lap with the first set. In the afternoon we went for an high fuel load, in order to give me the chance to understand how the car and the tyres behave when the car is heavy. All in all I discovered that I like the GP2 car a lot, it suits my driving style perfectly and that’s very important, because it means that I can drive with a lot of confidence”.

Kevin Ceccon: “I was looking forward to the morning session in qualifying trim, and I’m satisfied with the outcome. My feeling with the car is getting better and better compared to my early season races, now I can really drive the GP2/11 on the limit. The fifth quickest time of the two days is a good result, and we could have been even quicker: with the first set of tyres I found some traffic, while with the second I did a pair of mistakes that prevented me from improving. Then in the afternoon, with a lot of fuel, we were ninth which is again very good, considering that we were the only ones in the top pack not using new tyres”.

Carlin’s GP2 driver Max Chilton got his first taste of F1 machinery this week when he took part in a straight-line aerodynamic test for the Force India F1 team. The 20 year-old Briton impressed the team with his mature attitude during the test at Kemble
yesterday.

Standing in for the team’s race drivers who were otherwise engaged, Chilton helped the team carry out much of its programme and gathered valuable data which will be used in Singapore, although the day was cut short due to an exhaust problem.

Force India’s Oliver Knighton, who is race support engineer said, “We were able to record the important aero data, which we will analyse over the next few days.

“I’d like to say a special ‘thank you’ to Max, who enjoyed his first taste of an F1 car today. He prepared himself very well and adapted quickly to the procedures and systems on the car, all of which allowed us to make good progress with the programme.”

Chilton was delighted to have been given his first taste of F1, adding, “It was an amazing experience and I’d like to thank Force India for giving me the opportunity and for making me feel so comfortable in the car. I think I was able to help the team gather some good data – which of course was the priority. Getting any amount of seat time in an F1 car is a privilege and I’m extremely grateful for the experience.”

Photo by GP3 Media Services.

Kevin Ceccon’s apprentice period in GP2 is proceeding in the best possible way. In Valencia, in the first race of the GP2 weekend, the Italian drove another amazing race, and only bad luck stopped him from clinching an impressive result.

Kevin was starting from P23 but his first lap was amazing: first he was extremely good off the line and then he found the right gaps in the first corners: he crossed the line of lap 1 in 14th place, an amazing 9 places better than his spot on the grid. Then Kevin kept an impressive pace and after his pit-stop he was even ahead of team-mate Herck, but an impact with some debris left on track by a contact damaged one of his tyres, causing a pressure drop. Ceccon, who couldn’t communicate with the team due to a radio malfunction, hung on until 12 laps to go when he did let Herck by and then stopped to change the tyres again. Once the problem was solved the Italian driver showed all of his quickness again, posting the second fastest lap of the race in 1’49”751.

Kevin Ceccon: “Obviously been stripped of a good performance by bad luck isn’t good, but I’m here to gather experience and from this point of view this race was useful anyway. The track is a city circuit but despite this it has nothing to do with Monaco and I don’t like it too much. Anyway I was very quick in the first laps, so I hope that tomorrow my race will be clear from misfortune, a good result could be in our reach.

Paolo Coloni: “Kevin deserves to be praised, because his first lap was just amazing and so was the first part of his race. Then bad luck decided to strike, but with the lap he posted at the end when his tyres were again ok, Kevin confirmed that his learning process in GP2 is going in the best possible way”.

After a one-month break, waiting for F1 to go to Canada and come back, GP2 is ready to get back on track in Valencia, where the Dallara cars will race between the walls surrounding the circuit built in the streets of the America’s Cup harbour.

After Monaco another city track, where Scuderia Coloni will aim to get the first points of a season that until now confirmed the competitiveness of the Italian cars but also so the team get an high share of bad luck, with the injury to Davide Rigon as the lowest point of the season.

In Spain, as in the two previous events, Michael Herck will have Kevin Ceccon as a team-mate: the Italian driver in Barcelona and Monte Carlo followed the learning path set for him by the team, showing the right attitude in tackling a difficult task as a GP2 debut can be. So, together with the team, he decided to continue this experience.

Paolo Coloni: “After Monaco we face another city track, even if very different from the Principality. I expect some exciting and hard-fought races, where we will aim for the points that we didn’t get until now. We worked hard with our drivers and now it’s time to make the most of that job. Michael last year got a 3rd place finish in Race 2, so we know he likes the track and we expect him to deliver. Kevin doesn’t know the track, but despite this we’re sure that he will keep improving”.

Alvaro Parente will race with Carlin’s GP2 team in Valencia this weekend, making a welcome return to the team who took him to the 2005 British F3 title. The Portuguese racer, who has race winning experience in F1’s strongest feeder series, will race alongside Max Chilton on the Valencia street circuit this weekend.

Parente has competed in four GP2 races so far this season, taking two top ten finishes, including a podium in Monaco. Parente makes a welcome return to Carlin this weekend, having raced with the team in 2004 and 2005 in British Formula Three, taking the 2005 title. In 2006, Parente raced in the Carlin managed Victory Engineering Formula Renault 3.5 team, taking six podiums and three wins in his rookie season in the series.

As well as being an experience single-seater driver, Parente is now part of the McLaren GT driver line-up for its 2011 development programme.

Speaking about his return, Parente said, “I’m excited to be back with Carlin. I spent three great years with Trevor and the team from 2004 to 2006 and it’s nice to back, so thanks to the team for giving me this opportunity. I’m also really happy to be racing in GP2, it’s the category closest to F1 and it’s a big challenge for the drivers. I must say a big thank you to McLaren, not only for giving me an opportunity in the McLaren MP4-12C GT3, but also for allowing me to race in GP2. I’m extremely happy and very excited about helping Carlin in their first season in the series.”

Parente joins Max Chilton in Valencia, who is aiming for some more good results, following two top seven finishes last time out in Monaco. “I think we’re doing a great job just three rounds into our first GP2 season. Without some really bad luck in the opening race in Istanbul I could have scored points there, so I think it’s been a positive start to the season for the team. Valencia is a great track as well, it’s possible to overtake and it doesn’t really feel like a street circuit. It’s a one off circuit really, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Trevor Carlin added, “We have great respect for Alvaro, and know from experience what a talented and quick racing driver he is. We’ve shown in the last couple of races what we’re capable of as a team and with Max and Alvaro we’re expecting to make further progress this weekend in Valencia.”

Great Race 1 for Scuderia Coloni in Monaco: Kevin Ceccon and Michael Herck both boasted an impressive recovery, finishing respectively in P11 and P14, after starting from 11th and 12th row of the grid. Starting behind on a track were overtaking is nearly impossible as Monaco the key aspects were a flawless performance by the drivers and a good team strategy, and Scuderia Coloni had both: the team chose to split the drivers’ strategies and opted for an early pit-stop with Herck and a late one with Ceccon. The Italian driver showed an amazing performance, managing tyre wear in the first half of the race and being able to extend his stint until lap 21. This allowed him to have fresher rubber in the final stages, while his rivals were struggling with worn tyres. In the last ten laps Kevin lapped as fast as the leaders and in doing this he passed his team-mate and Fauzy, then taking advantage of the mistakes from other drivers to clinch P11, an incredible result for a 17 year-old driver at his debut in Montecarlo.

Also Herck contested a great race, and as his team mate he did no mistake at all in a very difficult race. Anyway, his early pit stop strategy meant that in the final laps his Pirellis were suffering a lot, and so he couldn’t attack.

Kevin Ceccon: “Eleventh on my debut in Montecarlo starting from P21 is way beyond my expectations. I think I did a good job in the first half of the race, coping with traffic and managing my tyres, and I’m really satisfied with the second part, as I had a great pace after the pit-stop. As soon as the track was clear in front of me I improved my laptimes a lot and catching the guys in front was quite easy. With this pace I can have good hopes for tomorrow, if we stay out of troubles as today.”

Michael Herck: “In Monaco being quick is just half of the job, the other half is making no mistakes and I managed to do that brilliantly. I’m happy for the positions I gained, things are looking better for tomorrow now, but we have to work a bit on both pace and tyre wear to be really competitive.”

Carlin’s Max Chilton finished in a very strong seventh place in the GP2 Monaco Feature race today, following a chaotic race around the Principality. Team mate Oliver Turvey finished seventh on the road, but was later handed a 30 second penalty for not having taken a drive-through penalty. Turvey’s penalty meant he was classified 15th, the position he will take on the grid tomorrow. Chilton will line up second in tomorrow’s reverse grid race, taking Carlin’s first front row start in GP2.

A brief rain shower a few minutes before the race this morning caused a few moments of concern for the GP2 drivers, but the sky soon cleared and the sun emerged. Lining up on the grid for race one, Chilton was seventh, while Turvey was 15th.

As the lights went out the stalled car of pole sitter Sam Bird provided an immediate obstacle for Chilton, who was forced to swerve to the left to avoid him. In the melee both Jules Bianchi and Esteban Gutierrez managed to get through. In the run down to the first corner Chilton was wheel to wheel with Jonny Cecotto, but the young Brit held his ground and kept the position. At the end of the first lap Chilton was eighth.

After a compromised qualifying session yesterday, Turvey started in the middle of the field and was boxed in at the start. The Racing Steps graduate lost out to Luiz Razia and Dani Clos and by the end of the first lap was 17th, just ahead of Romain Grojean.

By lap seven, Chilton was still eighth behind Gutierrez and holding a comfortable two second gap from Cecotto in ninth. Turvey meanwhile was 15th.

Chilton pitted from eighth on lap nine, the Carlin team changed both rear tyres, with the 20 year-old returning to the track in 14th, just behind Bird and in front of Charles Pic. Bird pitted a lap later elevating Chilton to 13th.

By lap 14, Chilton had cleared both Bianchi and Gutierrez during the pit stop window and was 10th. Turvey meanwhile was making his way through the field and had climbed to third when he made an unexpected pit stop on lap 16. With his radio broken, Turvey was unable to tell his team he was pitting, but the Carlin mechanics did well to return Turvey to the track in a promising ninth place. Almost immediately the team were notified of a drive through penalty for Turvey who was deemed to have jumped the start.

With no radio contact with his team, Turvey was unaware of the penalty and continued to race, and was running seventh on lap 24, with Chilton just behind him in eighth.

The safety car was deployed on lap 34 to clear away debris following an accident between Marcus Ericsson and Sam Bird, with Ericsson’s rear wing lying on the exit of the tunnel. The racing resumed on lap 36, with both Turvey and Chilton still holding onto position in seventh and eighth respectively.

At the chequered flag Turvey was seventh with Chilton eighth, which would effectively have given Carlin a front row lock out in tomorrow’s reverse grid race. However, Turvey was handed a 30 second penalty for not having taken his drive through and was finally classified 15th . That elevated Chilton to a very strong seventh place, which will give him a front row start on the grid tomorrow.

Speaking about his race, Chilton said, “It was a great race, although it felt quite long! I made a good start but had to find a way past Bird and Bianchi made a good start and got past me. In the early stages I had a good pace and was able to stay quite comfortably ahead of Cecotto. In the second half of the race, the team had told me that Oliver had a drive though, so I didn’t want to risk anything trying to pass him, especially as he is my team mate. Then the safety car closed us all up again, but I held my place at the restart. I think we did a good job as a team today, I’m pleased to have taken some points and we’re in a great position on the grid tomorrow.”

“It was a very exciting and challenging race for the team and drivers with a major element of confusion thrown in due to radio failure on Oliver’s car. This affected our ability to inform him of his drive through penalty and as importantly to notify him when to pit. Under the circumstances the mechanics did a fantastic job. Max drove a faultless race and richly deserved to score points this morning. Oliver was unlucky in that his car moved slightly when he put it into gear on the grid and it wasn’t a jump start as such, but rules are rules.”

He is only at his second weekend on the GP2 car and at his debut race in Monaco, but Kevin Ceccon already showed that he can aim for great results together with Scuderia Coloni. The Italian driver contested a very good qualifying session, closing in P21 after boasting a very consistent drive and showing a steady improving trend. Hampered by slowing-down cars, as often happens in Monaco, Kevin had only a traffic-free lap and in that one he posted his best laptime in 1’23:913. Anyway, the split times realized in the rest of the session were good for an ideal laptime close to the top ten, an impressive potential for a rookie driver.

Also Michael Herck had problems with traffic: the Romanian passed the whole session looking for a “clear” lap, but in the final minutes, when he finally had the space to push a bit more, he lost the car in the Swimming Pool chicane, hitting the armco.

Paolo Coloni: “I think that Kevin did a really impressive job today. He learned the track quickly, and soon he was on the same pace of drivers with much more experience on both the car and the track. Qualifying isn’t telling the real truth as his ideal laptime would have been much quicker than that, but tomorrow we will try to gain positions with a good strategy. Besides his speed, Kevin was again flawless, making no mistakes on a really difficult track. I’m also very sorry for Michael: in Monaco you alway need some luck, and he had none of that today.”

Max Chilton qualified in a competitive seventh place in Monaco today, following a chaotic GP2 session around the principality this afternoon. Team mate Oliver Turvey was 16th quickest, having been taken out mid way through the session by eventual pole man Giedo van der Garde.

A 30 minute practice session this morning allowed the GP2 drivers to familiarise themselves with the Monaco circuit. Predictably, it was a session filled with disruptions, with several yellow flags and one red flag period. Chilton was on the pace in the early stages; the 20 year-old was fourth quickest with ten minutes to go while Turvey was 11th.

The main interruption came with 13 minutes to go, when a red flag was needed to clear debris at turn 16. Heading back out on track after the interruption, Chilton was 12th while Turvey was 19th. Chilton would improve in his final laps to finish inside the top ten in ninth.

If this morning’s practice session was eventful, this afternoon’s qualifying session was chaotic. Several drivers were involved in collisions on track and as the pressure mounted, driving standards seemed to suffer.

Both Carlin drivers were on the pace in the first half of the session and were both in the top ten, with Turvey seventh and Chilton ninth. Turvey was soon the innocent victim of an accident however which effectively ended his session. Giedo van der Garde closed in on the Carlin driver through the swimming pool complex and rammed Turvey off the track, bending his front right track rod in the process.

Several red and yellow flags disrupted proceedings with seemingly an accident every lap at Rascasse. With three minutes remaining on the clock Chilton was 10th while Turvey was 12th, but the times soon started to tumble as drivers tried to make the most of new tyres.

Having been forced to pit for repairs, Turvey saw his qualifying session seriously compromised. With no time to make a full repair, the Racing Steps Foundation graduate returned to the track still with a damaged front right corner and wasn’t able to complete a flying lap on his new tyres and finished the session 16th.

Chilton meanwhile found space on his final lap and improved to 8th, which becomes 7th when Jules Bianchi’s five place grid penalty from Barcelona is taken into account.

Speaking about his qualifying session, Chilton said, “Today’s qualifying session was a really good performance by the whole team. I was well within my target to qualify within the top ten and was able to get a couple of clear laps and push really hard with a good car. It sounds like I was pretty fortunate and missed a lot of incidents this afternoon. There was more and more debris on track with every lap but I managed to stay out of trouble and push when the circuit was green. I’m really looking forward to the first race tomorrow.”

The GP2 drivers will take to the track again at 11.15 local time tomorrow for Race 1.

Max Chilton and Mikhail Aleshin completed another competitive round of the 2011 GP2 Series, following yesterday’s Sprint race at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. Chilton fought hard but was held up in the final stages of the race and crossed the line 11th while his team mate recovered from stall on the grid to finish 18th.

With finishing positions from Saturday’s Feature race setting the grid positions for Sunday’s Sprint, Chilton lined up 12th, with Aleshin 16th on the grid. Chilton made a good start while Aleshin made an uncharacteristic mistake and stalled on the grid. Chilton soon found himself in the middle of the action as he drove into a collection of debris following an accident between front runners Jules Bianchi and Geido van der Garde. With carbon fragments entering the cockpit and Chilton’s helmet, the Carlin driver backed off and lost a couple of places in the run to the second corner.

The inevitable safety car bunched up the pack at the end of lap one, and stayed out for five laps while marshals cleared the track. In contrast to the last races in Istanbul, it was rather a processional race, until the final five laps when the action kicked off again.

Chilton had done well to preserve his tyres in the early part of the race and soon found himself considerably quicker than tenth placed man Rodolfo Gonzalez. Chilton looked threatening on several occasions and tried a move around the outside of turn 1. The move didn’t quite come off however, as Gonzalez squeezed the Carlin man, with Chilton forced to back off to avoid an accident. That allowed two other cars past, but Chilton wasn’t about to settle for 13th.

The British racer kept fighting and passed Julian Leal and Jonny Cecotto to take back 11th and began closing in again on Gonzalez. However, with only a few laps left, Chilton ran out of time and had to settle for 11th place. Team mate Aleshin meanwhile had had his work cut out following his difficult start and crossed the line 18th.

Speaking about this race, Chilton said, “The car felt awesome in race two. It was really good, but unfortunately I got held up by traffic. We were able to manage the tyre wear a lot better in race two which gave me quite a bit of pace towards the end of the race. Pace wise we’re really making good progress as a team and I’m already looking forward to the next round at Monaco this weekend which will be a different kind of challenge.”