The GP2 Asia Series prepares for another exciting race weekend and flew to Sakhir where the third round of the season will take place on Friday and Saturday. After Shanghai and a shortened round in Dubai, Toyota F1’s third driver Kamui Kobayashi is leading the championship ahead of Piquet GP Roldan Rodriguez and Durango’s Davide Valsecchi. Dam’s Japanese ace was the manon whom all eyes were in Dubai after he failed to deliver in the season’s opener in China: although he had been untouchable throughout test sessions and practice, he lost the pole position and the win to Rodriguez before having to retire from the sprint race on the following day.
However, Kobayashi did not miss his aim in Dubai: with one pole position, a fastest lap and a splendid win, he scored 13 points overall and took the lead of the drivers’ classification from Rodriguez who finished third in the feature race. Second in an eventful and action-packed event,Davide Valsecchi, at Durango, is now standing third in the championship, jus seven points away from Kobayashi, and hence joins the battle for the title between the only three race winners of the season so far. However, with the likes of Barwa Campos’ Petrov and Perez, GFH iSport’s van derGarde, Meritus. Mahara’s Bamber, or even ART’s rookie Hülkenberg – to name a few – the threeleaders better be ready to fight tooth and nail in order to keep their distance from the rest of the pack.
GFH iSport racer Hamad Al Fardan is looking forward to the next GP2 Asia event. He should be –it’s in his native Bahrain. Al Fardan’s experience of the Bahrain International circuit means he has a good idea of what to expect this week. “I know the track well and it is good to be back home in frontof my own people”, he says. “Racing at home does put extra pressure on me, but there is always pressure in racing. “It’s not a very hard circuit to negotiate, but there is always dust on the track from the desert, so the grip levels are low, which can cause problems. I like the track, but one of the best things about Bahrain is the facilities you get around the circuit. “As well as the F1-level facilities, the venue should also provide some good, close racing. “The first corner will be the main overtaking place because it’s after a really long straight, so you can get a tow, and it’s a really big stop,” Al Fardan says. “Maybe passing at turn eight will also be possible in GP2 cars. There is along straight that leads into a very technical section and in my experience you can overtake on the inside or the outside. “Because of the dust it’s also easy to make a mistake. If you’re chasing someone down you can afford to wait for an overtaking opportunity.”
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