Sam Bird GP2 Paul Ricard test summary

BIRD EARNS HIS WINGS IN FIRST GP2 TEST

Sam Bird undertook a day and a half test with the DAMS GP2 team in the first test for the new season at Paul Ricard in France on Thursday and Friday. He was quickly on the pace and finished the first morning in fifth place and top rookie of the session. On Friday morning, he ended up fourth, behind previous race winners Kobayashi, Zuber and Valsecchi.

The BP Ultimate driver completed over 100 laps at the Le Castellet circuit, and thoroughly enjoyed every one. "The two days I spent with DAMS were fantastic. The whole team was very supportive and extremely professional and with their help I was able to get on the pace quite quickly. I gelled very quickly with my engineer and the mechanics, and felt very comfortable immediately. The GP2 car is great to drive, much faster than the F3 car I've been racing this year, and it's very physically demanding. As for Paul Ricard, wow, it's just an awesome facility. It was my first time there, and I thoroughly enjoyed it".

DAMS team manager, Eric Boullier was also impressed with Sam's speed and attitude: "we tested Sam for the first time and he made a big impression on us as he showed both speed and consistency. What's more, he established an excellent relationship with the team right from the start."

Sam concluded: "I'd like to thank DAMS for giving me this opportunity, as well as my management team at CJ Motorsport. It's been a wonderful experience, to prove what I can do in a new car, a new environment and at a new venue. I really believe I have the potential to race in this series and that's what my management and I will be working towards".

-credit: sb