Driver of ART Stoffel Vandoorne won Saturday’s race in the GP2 Series at Monza. For the Belgian who comes into the program of support for young drivers of McLaren, is the second victory in Saturday’s race – he also won the first race of the season in Bahrain. Driver of Russian Time Mitch Evans finished third.
After yesterday’s qualifying on the grid, there were two changes: Johnny Cecotto lost three places for blocking Jolyon Palmer, and Palmer, who is leading in the championship, was excluded from the protocol for the insufficient amount of fuel in the tanks and started the race last.
After the lights went out, two cars, Artem Markelov and Simon Trummer, stayed on the grid. But if Trummer eventually still able to go in the race, missed the entire peloton, – Markelov lost a lap. Rafael Marchello also fell back, who started the race from fourth place, but slowed down on the starting line.
Leaders kept the positions. Stephane Richelmi came out to fourth place. Fifth and sixth places occupied Carlin’s drivers Julian Leal and Felipe Nasr. In the second chicane there was contact between Daniel Abt and Andre Negrao in the battle for the seventh position. There were no serious consequences, but the incident appeared on consideration stewards.
Already on the second lap in the first chicane encountered Daniel De Jong and Kimiya Sato, and because of this – Rene Binder and Takuya Izawa. Marchello was forced to turn into gravel, where ultimately remained. Binder went into the pits. Sato and Izawa gone from the race. After a few more turns stopped de Jong.
Thanks who went off and good start Palmer won back a number of positions and climbed to 15th place. Already on the sixth lap, drivers began to conduct the pit stops – the first turned into the pits Abt and Sergio Canamasas, lap later – Adrian Quaife-Hobbs. Getting fresh tires, laps of drivers were about half a second faster than other, which allowed win back the positions.
At the lap 12th off to the pits race leader Stoffel Vandoorne. At the 13th – his pursuers Pic and Evans. All pit stops have been no problems, so after returning to the track order of the drivers did not change. However, Evans went to the track right in front of staying a little earlier Richelmi, and throughout lap of holding back his active attacks.
Meanwhile, the stewards are still a lot of work. Sergio Canamasas was fined for wrong location of car on the grid. Pierre Gasly and Rio Haryanto – for speeding on the pit lane. In the second half of the race a bitter struggle with involved Coletti, Abt, Nasr and Leal, was ended with contact and departure Abt off the track. Later Leal was fined for this incident drive through the pit lane.
By this time, Palmer already reached into top ten and continued to attack. He was ahead of Leal more before he went to the pit lane serve his penalty, but for 5 laps to go attacked and outstripped Coletti. Thus, he was on eighth position, which gives the right in Sunday’s sprint start from pole position. In addition, he showed the best lap in the top ten, having received the two additional points.
