Ocean Racing Technology - Fabio Leimer (1st) Max Chilton (16th)
Ocean Racing Technology started the GP2 Main Series championship on the right foot in Barcelona (Spain) this weekend by securing victory in the sprint race thanks to Fabio Leimer. The Swiss driver now sits in 2nd place in the drivers' championship, and the Portuguese team is 3rd in the teams' championship. 
Fabio Leimer had an excellent start from pole position and led the race from the first to the last lap and at the half way mark was more than four seconds ahead of his nearest rival. At the end of the race Fabio had to to take it easy on his tyres, which were showing signs of wear, but it was not enough to make him lose his focus and he crossed the finish line  to secure his debut win in the series, the second for Ocean Racing Technology after Spa-Francorchamps in 2009. "To finish my first GP2 weekend with a win is fabulous," Fabio Leimer said, "The car was perfect and it proves the team is doing an excellent job. Our aim is to stay among the best. It is a very special feeling for me and for all the members of the team because the GP2 Main Series is a very competitive championship and the best way to enter F1. I could not be happier."
Meanwhile, teammate Max Chilton endured a complicated weekend but the English racer adapted (well to the car and the team, his race pace getting stronger and stronger. Max Chilton finished the second race in 16th place but the fights he was involved in on Sunday showed that he has unquestionable potential. "I had a good start and the race was more or less like Saturday's. But I had some good fights and I think that some drivers found their match. I am really satisfied with my performance but it's clear it is impossible to secure a good result without a good position on the starting grid and that's what conditioned the whole weekend for me. The car keeps improving and Fabio did a great job with it. Congratulations to the team," Max Chilton said.
For the directors of the Ocean Racing Technology team, Tiago Monteiro and Jose Guedes, this victory confirms that all their hard work is starting to bear fruits.
"We could not possibly have a better start in the championship," assured Tiago Monteiro, "Fabio put on a performance worthy of a champion. He had to deal with tyre wear at the end and he proved to be very mature in spite of the experienced drivers who were chasing him. Max had an important race for his progression but we knew it was always going to be a difficult one because he was at the back of the grid. Tonight, Ocean Racing Technology is one of the most competitive teams and will keep fighting to secure good results."
ART Grand Prix - Jules  Bianchi (DNF/12th) Sam Bird (9th/4th)
ART  Grand  Prix returns  from the opening round of the 2010 GP2  Main  Series, contested last  weekend  in  Barcelona with  six  points  and  a  lot  of  promise  for  the  future thanks  to Jules  Bianchi  securing the first pole  position  of  the  season  and  to some  great come  back  drives  from  both  Jules  and  his  teammate  Sam  Bird,  who  qualified  in  third place on the grid for the first race.  
After a  difficult  start  for both  drivers  in  race  one Jules  became  the innocent  victim in  a first lap crash that left him spinning out of the event. Meanwhile, Sam was forced to take evasive action, going onto the kerbs and into the pits for a new nose. A series of fast laps soon followed and  he drove brilliantly  to work  his  way back  to ninth  place at  the finish, one  position  shy  of  the  top  8  and  pole  position  for  race  two.  However  he  did  secure  a point for his efforts after setting the fastest lap of the race.    
Race  two  was  always  going  to  be  a  challenge  for  Jules  who  started  in  22nd  but  the Frenchman  got  off  to  a  storming  start  to  move  up  to  12th  by  the  end  of  the  first  lap. After  that  he  became  stuck  behind  experienced  drivers  and  even  had  a  moment  when one tried to overtake him on the final lap. 
Meanwhile,  Sam  was  determined  to  get  something  more  from  the  weekend,  pulling  off another  brilliant display as  he fought his way  up  to a superb  fourth  place by  the  end of the day. 
ART GP now heads to Monaco for  the second round of  the season knowing the team and their drivers have the potential and everything it takes to secure poles and victories.  
Jules  Bianchi: From  a mathematical  point  of view, it could not have been  a worse  start but  there  are  a  lot  of  positives.  Firstly,  the  car  is  really  fast.  The team  did  a  great  job after the  winter tests  and both Sam and  I showed we can deliver. I had  my problems in practice but I worked really well with my engineer and qualifying was great; I was happy to  offer ART Grand Prix this  pole position for the first meeting of  the season but I had a so-so  start  which got worse at  the  first  turn.  I  was hit by  several other cars and it  was the end of my weekend but we'll be back in Monaco and I hope I will have a trouble free weekend this time to show what we are capable of.  
Sam Bird: Qualifying went really well and we were optimistic going into the feature race. It's a shame that the first lap ruined our efforts. I tried to avoid other cars but it was just impossible  and  I  had  a  damaged  wing  which destroyed our chances  of  winning  the first race.  The  team  did  a  superb  job  during  the  pit  stop  and  the  entire  weekend.  I  had  a winning car even though in the end we just couldn't win either race. At least we put on a good show and our level of performance is encouraging. I am totally relaxed in the team, we  get  along  very  well  together and  I'm  a  definitely  a  happy  camper  inside  ART Grand Prix. I have  never  raced  in  Monaco  but  it should  be awesome. I'm looking  forward  to it because I have always done well on street circuits.  
        
 
 
        
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