Issue 85 - GP2 Series

FOLLOWING YOUNG DRIVERS ON THEIR WAY TO THE PINNACLE OF MOTORSPORT
85
ISSUE 3
2015, May 27
MONTE CARLO
ROUND 3
ROCK
SOLID
Vandoorne grabs third win
whilst Stanaway enjoys
maiden victory.
85
CONTENT
ISSUE 3
2015, May 27
Monte carlo
ROUND 3
ROCK SOLID
FOLLOWING YOUNG DRIVERS ON THEIR WAY TO THE PINNACLE OF MOTORSPORT
P4
Vandoorne grabs third win whilst
Stanaway enjoys maiden victory.
P8
P6
NEWS FLASH
GOOD WEEK
BAD WEEK
STATS TO CHAT
Size Matters
P10
P14
P12
BEST BITS
Stats from Monte Carlo
LIGHTNING ROUND
DIALLING IN…
Artem Markelov
P18
P20
EXTRA
FAN ZONE
Norman Nato
P24
PIRELLI
#HitMeWithYourBestShot
Q&A with former F1 driver Martin Brundle
P28
GAME ZONE
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Nick Yelloly
P22
Sergey Sirotkin & Robert Visoiu
P26
P16
OUR GRADUATES
Rosberg handed victory in Monaco
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NEWSFLASH
5
of motorsport ever since being appointed as
the exclusive supplier to Formula One and
GP2 Series in 2011.
SIZE
MATTERS
L
ast Friday, at Monte Carlo, minutes
before the feature race and in front
of the F1 paddock and media, former
Formula One driver Martin Brundle
took to the track at the wheel of the GP2
development car to demonstrate 18-inch
race-ready Pirelli tyres.
This new tyre was based on the supersoft
compound in a similar size to the 18-inch tyre
Pirelli has tested the new tyre through 13 days
of development completing over 5,000km in
Europe and in the Middle-East, and recording
laptimes that are equivalent to the current
13-inch
tyre
without
compromising
degradation.
that already made an appearance ten months
ago on a Lotus Formula One car, at the official
test following last year’s British Grand Prix.
The new GP2 18-inch tyre was designed
as a showcase for Pirelli’s technology,
highlighting the Italian firm’s capability to
react to whichever future regulations may be
requested, and demonstrating the proactive
approach that Pirelli has taken to the top levels
Brundle said: “This is a very good, positive
initiative and it was really interesting to drive
the Formula One circuit in a GP2 car with
these tyres. It actually felt completely normal:
by the second lap I was able to push the car a
bit; I had my foot flat to the floor occasionally!
Initially, I was expecting the car to feel a lot
stiffer with these tyres, but that wasn’t the
case at all. There are a few things to get used
to – for example it’s harder to see exactly
where the apex is – but as a driver your job is
to adapt. I wish I could have done a few more
laps.”
Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery,
unveiling the new tyres to the media together
with Brundle at the Monaco Grand Prix,
commented: “These tyres are competitive and
ready to race, so we wanted to show them to
people now to make the point that we are ready
to adapt ourselves to whichever regulations
may be adopted in future, in a timely and
proactive fashion. We’re open to what the
sport wants to do. Most of the championships
we supply – nearly 300 of them, all over the
world – actually use 18-inch tyres so this
wouldn’t be such a big jump for us.” n
WATCH the demonstration in the streets
of Monte Carlo here.
GOOD
WEEK
BAD
WEEK
STOFFEL VANDOORNE
The McLaren F1 test driver can do no wrong: he may not
have claimed pole position last week, but the ART Grand Prix
man won from fourth place. On the same tyre strategy than
poleman Alexander Rossi, Stoffel past the American during
their simultaneous pitstops. The Belgian is still leading in the
drivers’ standings, now 44 points clear on Rossi.
RICHIE STANAWAY
Is there a better place to get your first GP2 win than in Monte
Carlo? Richie doesn’t think so! The lovable Kiwi was all smiles
on Sunday following his and Status Grand Prix’s maiden
victory. Richie drove flawlessly from start to finish with a
display of calm and maturity. The first of many…?
ALEXANDER ROSSI
Alexander was gutted after his feature race: despite a brilliant
qualifying session, the poleman lost the win in the pitlane when
Vandoorne had a slightly quicker pitstop. But a second place on
Saturday (his third podium of the season) and a seventh place
on Sunday have promoted the American to second place in the
drivers’ standings.
ARDEN INTERNATIONAL
For the first time this season, the British squad failed to score
points. Norman Nato was definitely expecting more on a track
just a few kilometres from his home, but a time penalty in both
races ruined his hopes.
MARCO SØRENSEN
It was another difficult weekend for the Carlin ace: a
disappointing qualifying result, a collision in the feature race
and a twentieth place in the sprint race meant that Marco has
left Monaco pointless again.
7
STATS TO CHAT
STATS FROM MONTE CARLO
0.767
Margin between
Raffaele Marciello
and Stoffel
Vandoorne in
Friday’s qualifying
session Group A.
13
Number of pole
positions achieved
in GP2 by Racing
Engineering since
2005.
9
3
First points
scored in the 2015
season by Hilmer
Motorsport thanks
to Nick Yelolly’s
tenth place and
fastest lap.
30
Numbers of laps
led by Richie
Stanaway in
Saturday’s Sprint
Race.
BEST
BITS
BEST
BITS
#TopForm
#Bold
The Russian driver from Rapax enjoyed his first podium finish in Monaco
with a third place in the Sprint Race.
People say it’s impossible to pass in Monaco. Sergio Canamasas
disagrees. The Spaniard overtook in both races and pocketed a third
place along the way.
#Blue
#186
We may have seen the red soft tyres for the first time this season,
but a wet qualifying session meant that the blue Pirelli tyres made an
appearance too.
Fun fact! The top 3 drivers of the last qualifying session are all 186cm
of height.
11
LIGHTNING ROUND
ARTEM MARKELOV
Do you have any nicknames?
I gave myself one: Rain Man.
It’s got nothing to do with
the movie (Laughs)! I just
really enjoy driving in wet
conditions…
Twitter or Facebook?
Facebook because there is
more information.
What song is the most played on
your iPod?
I listen to Club music like DJ
DSK.
Driver #10
RUSSIAN TIME
PS4 or Xbox?
PS4.
Tennis or football?
Tennis.
Left handed or right handed?
Right handed.
Indoor training or Outdoor
training?
Outdoor.
Main course or Dessert?
Main course.
Do you have any pets?
I have cats, but when I was
living with my family, they
have a dog, a cat and a
parrot called Zhora.
Do you have any bad
habits?
I eat too much
candy! Especially
after the race…
Last person you rang?
John Simonyan from
Euroformula Open.
Blondes, Redheads, or
Brunettes?
Blondes.
What word or phrase do you use
often?
I don’t really have
one, but I talk to
myself a lot!
If you could have any
superpower what
would it be?
I’d like to be able to
read people’s mind.
I’d love to hear
what’s in Hamilton’s
head when he’s
driving!
Favourite film?
I like the movie
“Hachiko” which is
about a dog. But I
also like the Ayrton
Senna documentary.
Last person you received a text
from?
From my dad.
What’s the most important
thing in life?
Life and living it to the
fullest.
Soft drink or Bubbly?
Actually, I’m allergic to
soda. I only drink water or
orange juice.
Wet race or Dry race?
Wet of course!
Grid girl or Girl next door?
Somewhere in the middle?
A little bit of both! (Laughs)
Describe your perfect Saturday
evening?
My sister’s wedding.
Everything was perfect.
Best advice you’ve ever
received?
To go into racing. n
13
started karting. I stayed in karting for three
years before I moved to cars in 2009.
HEROES…
DIALLING IN
NICK YELLOLY
IN THE BEGINNING…
Initially, my sport was golf. I started at a young
age. And then I went to a go-kart party when
I was fifteen years old – that was quite late. I
won it and someone told me I should have a
go outdoors. I nagged my dad after that until
he said yes. I was only half a second off the lap
record when I did it. I started racing properly
just before my sixteenth birthday. It was a
very late start, but I loved it immediately. I love
the competition and the speed. I’m twentyfour now so it’s only been eight years since I
Driver #24
Hilmer Motorsport
The person I look up to the most in the
motorsport world is Michael Schumacher
because when I was getting into it, he was the
person that was winning everything. I know a
lot of people say Senna, but I didn’t see him
race that much. He was my dad’s favourite.
For me, it’s Schumacher and possibly even
Alonso because he was the first person who
came in and beat Schumacher. That was just
before I started racing in 2005. I thought he
was a hero then.
Otherwise, outside of motorsport, I look up to
Will Smith. I just think he’s the coolest bloke
on the planet! He’s a really nice guy. My dad
met him once in the Caribbean and said he
was the nicest person he’s ever met. What you
see is what you get.
TRAINING…
I was relatively physically fit when I started
racing because of golf. I played every single
sport at school: football, cricket… I was
always very sporty. When I first turned to gokarting, it wasn’t too difficult physically. My
training ramped up when I got into cars. The
first time I started training very seriously was
when I jumped into GP3 for the first time from
FR 2.0. That was a big step. Initially, I started
training with a guy called Gerry Convy who
is Paul di Resta’s trainer. He doesn’t live far
from me. I was in contact with him a lot, so
he gave me a big wake-up call to how fit you
have to be. Since then, I have been training
four times a week. On the nutrition side, my
Mum is a nutritionist so I know what to eat and
when to eat. That’s always helped me with my
training as well. I’ve always been quite heavy
so my work is more based cardio-wise than
strength.
RACE DAY ROUTINE…
I don’t really have one. I’m really chilled out. I
remember when I first started racing, I couldn’t
eat in the morning because I was so nervous,
but now I can do whatever and be speaking
to guests, sponsors, fans two seconds before
I get in the car. It doesn’t bother me. I’m not
superstitious. At one stage, I used to get in
from the left hand side and get out from the
right hand side of the car, but now I just get
in from whichever side. As soon as I put the
helmet on, I’m in the zone. It feels like a sort
of switch.
OFF TRACK…
I do a bit of horse riding with my girlfriend
and my sister. Ninety per cent of my time
away from the track, I spend with horses or
animals. I don’t tend to ride too much myself
because I am scared of them! They’ve got
a mind of their own. I don’t have control on
them! I don’t know what I’m doing (laughs).
Other than that, I like to keep fit and go cycling
with my friends. I like to get back in a go-kart
as much as I can because I still think it is the
purest form of motorsport. It’s just so much
fun! You just get in and drive all day… n
15
A
DAY
IN
THE
LIFE
06:00 Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
06:30 Sleeping so well in my own bed!
08:00 Still sleeping…..i need my beauty sleep. :-)
NORMAN
NATO
08:30 Woken up by the sound of WSR Practice, as I sleep near to the track.
Driver #21
Arden International
10:30 Waiting along Ave de Quarantine to go into the F1 pit lane.
09:00 Arrive at the circuit by foot.
09:30 Say hello to all my team and have a meeting with my engineer.
10:00 Exercise routine of skipping, ball tactics then time to get changed for race one.
11:00 In the pit lane – into the car and out onto the track.
11:30 Race! After two delays!
12:00 Fighting on track….too busy to write.
12:30 Race is still on……
13:00 Back to the GP2 paddock.
13:30 Lunch with my sponsors and guests.
14:00 De-brief with my engineers.
14:30 Still talking about the race….what could have been with our good pace!
15:00 Interview with Autosport.
15:30 De-brief again – looking at my race start vs my team-mate Andre.
16:00 De-brief – talking about tyre management.
16:30 Have a chat with my mechanics before leaving
the paddock.
18:00 Back to the apartment had a shower, chill out.
20:00 Go for dinner with my friend.
21:30 Back to the apartment for some sleep!
22:00 Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
FRIDAY
22
MAY
22:30 zzzzz
23:00 Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
00:00 zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
In a dreamworld (this never happened!)…
20:00 All my team go to Rascasse.
20:30 They’re so drunk they fall in the port.
21:00 I have to get help to fish them out.
21:30 They can’t walk so I had to help them.
22:00 They’re lost in Monaco.
22:30 Had to clean the car because there is puke everywhere.
23:00 We party all night.
23:30 We enter at 7am, breakfast and back to work!
17
EXTRA
The GP2 Series was born ten years ago. How time flies! We wanted to celebrate this
anniversary of course. Therefore, we decided to see what this season’s drivers looked
like in 2005. We will reveal new drivers’ in each issue this year. After DAMS and Carlin,
presenting Rapax’s duo: Sergey Sirotkin and Robert Visoiu. How cute were they?
19
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21
PREVIEW
June, 19-20-21
this is a race-ready tyre, which
does the same lap times as
the current 13-inch. It’s hard
to draw many conclusions
from the limited running I had,
but I can certainly believe that
based on what I’ve experienced
so far. I’ve been invited back
for another GP2 test in future,
so hopefully I’ll get to find out
more.
Q&A WITH
FORMER F1 DRIVER
MARTIN BRUNDLE
F
ormer driver and Sky Sports presenter
Martin Brundle demonstrated Pirelli’s
new 18-inch tyres fitted to the GP2
Series development car at Monaco.
While Brundle has demonstrated Formula One
cars fitted with Pirelli tyres recently as part of
his television career, the last time he drove on
Pirelli tyres competitively was when he was a
Brabham-Yamaha Formula One driver, back
in 1991. And the last time he drove at Monaco
was 1996, 19 years ago…
What’s changed since then?
Everything! Seriously, you get into any modern
car – doesn’t matter if it’s Formula One or GP2
– and you realise just how many light years
better everything is now compared to how it
is was. There are just untold improvements in
every area: chassis, tyres, suspension, engine,
comfort: everything.
How did the car feel?
The car felt great, just normal. Once I had
good temperature in the tyres I was able to
push it a bit: by the second lap there were a
few times when my foot was flat to the floor.
I’ve not driven in Monaco for 19 years but it’s
funny how it all comes back to you. I wish I
could have done a few more laps!
Was the car what you expected?
I actually expected it to be really stiff – there’s
less compliance in the sidewall of the tyre
– but this wasn’t a problem. And apparently
Were there any drawbacks?
The biggest problem I had was
being able to see the barriers
and kerbs, because the tyre
is taller. It was quite a shock
on the first lap, especially at
Mirabeau and Portier. It’s a bit
like a sportscar or a DTM in
that respect, you learn to take
a photograph in your mind of
the barrier and the apex kerb.
Drivers will have to change, but
a big part of the job is always to
be adaptable.
AUSTRIA
SPIELBERG
Red Bull Ring
SPEED
TRAP
2
3
SECTOR 1
5
4
8
SECTOR 2
7
8
6
9
1
CIRCUIT LENGTH 4.326 KM
So do you think that this 18-inch
tyre is the way forward?
I think so, personally speaking.
I like the look of the wheels.
Think of modern road cars,
or look at the renderings of
Ferrari’s futuristic car. Adrian
Newey has done the same
thing too: they’ve all got big
wheels. It seems odd to have
13-inch wheels at the pinnacle
of the sport. n
START/FINISH OFFSET 0.126 KM
ROUND 2
ROUND 4
GP3 SERIES
GP2 SERIES
FEATURE RACE
40 LAPS >> 172.914 KM
SPRINT RACE
28 LAPS >> 121.002 KM
RACE 1
24 LAPS >> 103.698 KM
RACE 2
18 LAPS >> 77.742 KM
TYRES 2015
PRIME: MEDIUM
OPTION: SUPERSOFT
SOFT
POLE POSITION 2014
1:15.312
1:20.585
(206.787 KPH)
(193.256 KPH)
J. Cecotto (Trident)
A. Lynn (Carlin)
2014 GP2 SERIES - FEATURE RACE (40 LAPS)
WINNER’S STRATEGY
F. Nasr (Carlin)
30 LAPS
MEDIUM
10 LAPS
SOFT
GP2 SERIES ROUND 3 - MONTE CARLO
FEATURE RACE TYRE STRATEGY
From Prime: Soft
to Option: Supersoft
From Option: Supersoft
to Prime: Soft
Vandoorne Soft (used) 20 laps // Super Soft (used) 20 laps
Rossi Soft (new) 20 laps // Super Soft (new) 20 laps
Canamasas Soft (used) 20 laps // Super Soft (new) 20 laps
Sirotkin Soft (new) 20 laps // Super Soft (new) 20 laps
Leal Soft (new) 20 laps // Super Soft (used) 20 laps
Stanaway Soft (used) 20 laps // Super Soft (new) 20 laps
Yelloly Soft (new) 20 laps // Super Soft (used) 20 laps
Berthon Soft (new) 24 laps // Super Soft (new) 16 laps
Amberg Soft (used) 23 laps // Super Soft (new) 15 laps
Pic Super Soft (new) 9 laps // Soft (used) 31 laps
Marciello Super Soft (new) 8 laps // Soft (used) 32 laps
King Super Soft (new) 7 laps // Soft (used) 33 laps
Binder Super Soft (new) 10 laps // Soft (used) 30 laps
De Jong Super Soft (new) 7 laps // Soft (used) 33 laps
Lynn Super Soft (used) 7 laps // Soft (used) 33 laps
Gasly Super Soft (new) 8 laps // Soft (new) 32 laps
Visoiu Super Soft (used) 8 laps // Soft (new) 32 laps
Haryanto Super Soft (new) 7 laps // Soft (used) 33 laps
Nato Super Soft (new) 8 laps // Soft (used) 32 laps
Stöckinger Super Soft (new) 7 laps // Soft (used) 33 laps
Cecotto Super Soft (used) 7 laps // Soft (used) 33 laps
Negrão Super Soft (new) 7 laps // Soft (used) 33 laps
DRIVER NOT CLASSIFIED (DNF)
Evans Soft (new) 18 laps
9
SECTOR 3
DRIVERS NOT CLASSIFIED (DNF)
Matsushita Super Soft (new) 7 laps
Sørensen Super Soft (new) 8 laps // Soft (new) 2 laps
Markelov Super Soft (new) 8 laps // Soft (new) 4 laps
2015 MONTE CARLO
FACTS
2015 GP2 SERIES - FEATURE RACE (40 LAPS)
WINNER’S STRATEGY
S. Vandoorne (ART Grand Prix)
20 LAPS
SOFT
20 LAPS
SUPERSOFT
FASTEST PIT STOP
(PIT LANE TRAVEL TIME)
R. Binder (Trident)
29.168 LAP 10
SPEED TRAP MAXIMUM SPEED
(FEATURE RACE)
N. Berthon (Lazarus)
266.9 KM/H
23
25
#HitMeWithYourBestShot
When Saturday May, 23 _ 11:10
Where Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Who Stoffel Vandoorne (ART Grand Prix) & Alex Lynn (DAMS)
Whom Sam Bloxham
With CANON EOS-1D X • EF50mm f/1.4 USM
100 ISO • 50mm • 1/1250 @ F5.0
GP2 GAME ZONE
ENTER THE ZONE TO ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE!
GP2 TRIVIA
Answer our trivia question, work out which 3 drivers’ helmet
designs we’ve mixed up and name that race from the photo. Got it?
NAME THAT RACE
#GP2TRIVIA
#NTRGP2
MIND BOGGLE
#GP2MINDBOGGLE
Recognise these helmet designs? Name the drivers.
27
OUR
GRADUATES
INFORMULA 1
THEY
RAN IN
BARCELONA
TEST
CURRENT STANDINGS
MONACO
Monte
Carlo
Lewis
Hamilton
1st
Nico
Rosberg
2nd
Mercedes #44
126 PTS
Mercedes #6
116 PTS
RACE:
2nd
RACE:
1st M
Nico
Hülkenberg
Force India #27
RACE:
13th
6 PTS
11th
Sergio
Pérez
Force India #11
RACE:
11th
11 PTS
7th
Romain
Grosjean
Lotus #8
RACE:
10th
16 PTS
NC
Pastor
Maldonado
Lotus #13
RACE:
20th
Felipe
Nasr
9th
0 PTS
Sauber #9
16 PTS
NC
RACE:
9th
Marcus
Ericsson
Sauber #12
RACE:
15th
5 PTS
13th
TUESDAY 12 MAY
WEDNESDAY 13 MAY
Pierre Gasly
Toro Rosso Renault TUE
Red Bull Renault WED
Esteban Gutiérrez
Ferrari WED
ROSBERG HANDED
VICTORY IN MONACO
Alex Lynn
Williams Mercedes WED
Raffaele Marciello
Ferrari TUE
Sauber Ferrari WED
Jolyon Palmer
Lotus Mercedes WED
Oliver Turvey
McLaren Honda TUE
Nick Yelloly
Force India Mercedes TUE
29
Things over at Lotus weren’t much better,
either: Romain Grosjean made a lock up in Q2
and picked up a 5 spot penalty for a gearbox
change to line up in P15, while next door
teammate Pastor Maldonado used his usual
Monaco magic to line up in 8th. During the
race, however, the Venezuelan was forced
into retirement 5 laps in due to hydraulic
problem, while the Frenchman was clattered
by Max Verstappen while on for a points finish,
dropping back to P12 at the flag.
N
ico Rosberg claimed his third
successive victory in Monaco, picking
up the win when a mistaken call to
bring in Mercedes teammate Lewis
Hamilton late in the race saw the German,
plus countryman Vettel, blow past to destroy
what would have been a dominant victory in
the principality for the Englishman. Hamilton
out-dragged his front row starting teammate
from pole and had built a strong lead before
he came in for fresh rubber in error, dropping
to third in the process and being unable to
move forward in the closing laps.
Sergio Pérez was delighted with his weekend’s
work, qualifying in P7 with a stunning single
lap in Q3, and then backing it up by holding
position all the way to the end for his best
result of the season. Things were a bit more
torrid on the other side of the Force India
garage: Nico Hülkenberg made a small
mistake in Q2 and wound up on the grid in
P11, and then when Fernando Alonso forced
him into the barriers on the first lap it could
have been the end of his race. However, the
German limped back to the pits for a new nose
before putting in a first rate drive to finish P11,
the best result he could have hoped for under
the circumstances.
Felipe Nasr ended up with the Sauber bragging
rights once again: the Brazilian outqualified
teammate Marcus Ericsson P14 to P17,
while in the race he put in a superb drive to
bring home more points for his team with
a stunning drive to P9, while the Swede got
stuck in traffic and could only manage a P13
finish on the tight streets of the principality. n