FIA F2

Abu Dhabi: DAMS event summary

Abu Dhabi: Happy Ending! After a break of several weeks DAMS competed in the last two rounds of the 2010 GP2 Series Championship on the very spectacular Yas-Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. The two races were curtain-raisers to the F1 Grand Prix, and ...

Edited: Nov 17, 2010, 12:06 AM

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Abu Dhabi: Happy Ending!

After a break of several weeks DAMS competed in the last two rounds of the 2010 GP2 Series Championship on the very spectacular Yas-Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. The two races were curtain-raisers to the F1 Grand Prix, and the team's drivers were again Jerôme d'Ambrosio and Romain Grosjean.

This weekend, practice took place in very hot conditions on a circuit that was not rubbered in. The grip evolved very quickly over the three days making the drivers' and engineers' job particularly tricky as the cars' balance kept changing.

The weekend got off to a bad start for Jerôme d'Ambrosio. He had a mechanical problem on his first lap in free practice, and his first taste of the track came in qualifying. It was not an ideal situation and stymied his chances of a place among the front-runners on the grid. He was also penalized by the Stewards and he had to start from the back of the field. In both races he made a great comeback and pulled back fifteen places between Saturday and Sunday.

Grosjean started from the third row on Saturday. He was heading for the podium when a pit stop problem cost him three places. But he was completely unphased by this, and he drove a great race on Sunday scoring third place and finishing the season on the podium.

DAMS is now getting ready to race in the Asian GP2 Series with a new car designed by Dallara. One challenge is over and a new one is about to begin for the French team.

Loïc David, General Manager: "I'm happy with our performances at the end of the season. After a bad patch early on in the summer we modified our approach, and the results were immediate as proved by our performance in the final races. It's a bit frustrating as we could have been among the front-runners in the championship, had we had this level of competitiveness at the start of the season. But it's also very encouraging for 2011. We've had a testing year from a sporting and emotional point of view. I'd like to thank all our drivers Jerôme, Ho-Pin and Romain for their work and commitment. A big thanks too to all the team members. We're already looking forward to the coming season and we're ready to take up the challenge!"

Jerôme d'Ambrosio
Race 1: 24th on the grid, 14th at the finish
Race 2: 14th on the grid, 9th at the finish

"My weekend was compromised right from the start when an hydraulic component failed in free practice. Without any track experience and without running time in the car for several weeks it was impossible to perform miracles. I did my best, though, and I pulled back fifteen places! It's a frustrating result as we had the potential to fight for victory. That's for another time. Thank you to DAMS in any case for its trust in me again this year."

Romain Grosjean
Race 1: 6th on the grid, 6th at the finish
Race 2: 3rd on the grid, 3rd at the finish

"I'm pleased to give the team a podium finish in the last race of the season. That was my aim. I'd like to thank the whole team, the mechanics and engineers who have given me a competitive car, and have helped me to get back racing this year in one of the toughest categories. When I arrived at Spa I found a very professional group of people and I'm leaving Abu Dhabi with a bunch of friends."

-source: dams

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