We’ve reached the half way mark of the GP2 Series 2010 season and one man is running ahead of the pack: Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado has taken a commanding lead in the Series title fight after a strong start to the season and has pocketed two race wins already. Together with teammate Luiz Razia, he has put his quad Rapax at the top of the Teams’ standings, but the other contestants have it all to do to catch up in the second half of the season.
While all eyes were on Addax’s Sergio Perez who seemed to be the best fitted to scupper Maldonado’s perfect plan, it is his teammate Giedo van der Garde who, through pace and poised skills, has managed to climb to third in the Drivers’ standings while Perez and Racing Engineering’s Dani Clos failed to capitalised on a great start of the season. In Valencia, if Perez had mixed bad luck with technical gremlins, Clos managed to salvage a few crucial points in an otherwise challenging race weekend. The Mexican has dropped to fifth in the classification, behind Razia who failed to score points for the first time this season.
Silverstone hosts this weekend the fifth round of the championship. The fast, flowing and abrasive circuit, known to be very tough on tyres, will be quite the challenge for all the drivers. The new layout of the venue will also surely make for close racing as local hero Oliver Turvey explained.
“Silverstone is a great track and I have had many great races there. It’s a really fast, flowing track, and with Copse and Becketts you’ve got one of the best first sector combinations of any track out there. Abbey, the first corner on to the new section, used to be a chicane but it’s now very quick. There’s also a tight little complex that looks quite interesting in terms of offering chances to overtake or try different lines. I think it should add a different aspect to the track, and I’m looking forward to it. The key to a quick lap at Silverstone is really commitment, particularly in the fast corners. Becketts especially is a place where you’ve got to get your line exactly right. Having prior experience of that area is very useful. It has four sections, and if you’re slightly out in one section it affects you all the way through, so you’ve got to be really precise and committed.”
Schedule
Friday 9th June | 11.55 – 12.25 Practice | 15.55 – 16.25 Qualifying
Saturday 10th June | 14.40 Race 1
Sunday 11th June | 09.35 Race 2