Monza in Italy marks the conclusion of the 2011 GP2 Series campaign and for Caterham Team AirAsia, their maiden season in the category has been one of highs and lows.
They head to Monza hoping for a final high in the season and for a change in luck, as the last few race weekends have brought mostly back luck to the team.
Pirelli have provided the Hard Compound tyre for this weekend, due to the high speeds and heavy braking of the parkland Monza circuit.
Heading to Italy and Monza, Phill Spencer is in optimistic mood ahead of the final two races of the season.
He said: “I am optimistic. We have had a bit of a bad run recently but both drivers have had good results here so there is no reason why the drivers cannot do well here, but we will find out when the cars turn a wheel here in free practice tomorrow. The engineers are experienced and have been here many times in the past so they know what they are doing. I am a little anxious but I am happy to be here. The first time I came to this circuit was in 1979 and not much has changed really, just a little at the first chicane. With the long straights and monster braking, drivers like it. The high speed makes it an exciting track to drive but it is the braking that will make up all the time here.”
The team are currently sitting sixth in the teams’ Championship but having secured a victory in their debut season as well as a Pole Position, it has been a good season all round.
Davide Valsecchi, who brought the team their first victory at Monaco lives close to the Italian circuit said about the upcoming race weekend: “It’s an incredibly good feeling being here this week. Monza is close to home so I have friends and supporters with me which is really nice. It is a lot of fun racing here, there are long straights, strong brake points and lots of chances to overtake, so I hope the team and I can qualify well and have a good weekend from the front. I hope the hard tyres will not be a problem. We had a good, competitive result when we used them in Barcelona, so considering this and the good weather forecast I am feeling positive. The team always do a good job I want to make a faultless race so we can finish the season well.”
Luiz Razia has previous experience of winning at Monza, as he secured the Sprint Race honours in 2009, for rival team Scuderia Coloni.
He said about the Monza race weekend: “It is a pleasure to be here in Monza! I won the sprint race here in 2009 with Di Grassi and Hulkenburg behind me which was a great feeling. It is good fun to be on the track where the hard tyres, low downforce and high speeds mean you are on the edge all the time. The atmosphere is always great here too. Since Silverstone we’ve had very wet, difficult conditions but hopefully here will be dry so we can work through the weekend and have a good consistent weekend. If the weather is stable of course everyone else is in the same situation, so competition will as always be tough but that’s good. I really like the Ascari chicane and Parabolica, the change of direction through these are very quick. We used the hard compound tyres in Barcelona and we had a good race, our aim here is to work on the qualifying so we can start the weekend in a strong position.”
Humphrey Corbett is hoping for a stress free end to the season after the last few rounds, which have been stressful for all concerned.
He said: “I’m looking forward to this weekend. There’s no chance of rain at the moment and it would be nice to have a stress free weekend unlike we have had in the past few races. We have got two drivers that have done very well here, we have a good set-up and will be using the hard tyres which we like so we are confident of a good result. To have a good chance at doing well here you need good braking, good stability under braking, low downforce and to be reasonably good over kerbs. I am sure both drivers will go for it this weekend. We have nothing to lose but we can climb up the championship so let’s go for it!”
GP2 Monza Weekend Schedule:
Friday, 9 September:
11.55 – 12.25: Free Practice
15.55 – 16.25: Qualifying
Saturday, 10 September:
15.25: Pit Lane Opens
15:30: Pit Lane Closes/Grid
15.40: GP2 Feature Race. (30 Laps/60 Minutes)
Sunday, 11 September:
10.15: Pit Lane Opens
10.20: Pit Lane Closes/Grid
10.30: GP2 Sprint Race (21 Laps/45 Minutes)
Filed under: Caterham Racing, GP2 | Tagged: Davide Valsecchi, Humphrey Corbett, Luiz Razia, Monza, Phill Spencer | Leave a comment »