Disappointment for RDD drivers at Barcelona
Renault Driver Development squad members Jose Maria Lopez
and Lucas di Grassi both endured what can only be called ‘character
building' days in the first GP2 race at Barcelona on Saturday.
Jose was involved in an accident that was not of his making,
while Lucas was delayed by pit and strategy mishaps.
Jose qualified the Super Nova car a respectable seventh.
He lost a couple of places on the first lap and soon found
the car was lacking speed, especially on the two critical
final corners that determine your speed onto the long main
straight. That made him vulnerable to attack from behind,
and at the start of lap 23 he was hit by Gianmaria Bruni,
who lost control while setting up a passing move. Both men
ended their races in the gravel trap.
Lucas started 19th in the Durango entry, and gained a few
places on the first lap. He too was happy with the car, but
he was also hampered by radio problems and delays in the pit.
He made his stop on lap 9, which was later than most of those
around him. He was eventually classified 13th. Lucas has yet
to score a point this year after a series of troubled races.
Both men are hoping for better luck on Sunday, when Lucas
starts 13th, and Jose 21st.
Jose Maria Lopez (Super Nova): ‘There's
not much to say! We were really slow and couldn't do anything.
I knew it was going to happen and it's not bad luck, and if
it wasn't Bruni, it would have been someone else. I had massive
understeer in the last few corners so I was slow onto the
straight. I didn't see what happened behind me or whether
it was his fault. I really wanted to finish, because some
people say I'm quick but I don't finish, but I think I've
shown everybody that even if the car isn't good enough to
be top 10, I've been scoring points. For sure we're going
to try some big changes for Sunday to see if we can improve
the car, because there's no way to score strong points from
where we are.'
Lucas di Grassi (Durango): ‘It was
not a good day. The car was not even close to being perfect,
we screwed up on the strategy, and the radio didn't work properly!
We lost a lot of time in the pit stops. I did what I could,
the best possible in the circumstances. I know I am a rookie
and I need to improve and learn a lot, but the team also needs
to improve.'
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