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End Of Era Of Caterham Racing GP2 最新:244楼

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 楼主| 发表于 24-7-2011 08:23 AM | 显示全部楼层
Nurburgring Race One
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 1:13am


Both Davide Valsecchi and Luiz Razia drove a determined race this afternoon, demonstrating their pace with some impressive overtaking manoeuvres, but sadly this was not enough to finish in the points today in Nurburgring.
Davide was forced to pit a total three times during the race to repair damage to the front of his car after an incident on the opening lap. With a new front nose he battled on to finish fourteenth, a position that perhaps does not truly reflect his fine performance.
Luiz Razia made a good start but he too had an eventful race. Managing to make up lost places with some skilful driving, he looked set to finish in the top eight, but with just two laps go he was pushed of track which sadly ended his race early.
Phill Spencer: “Both cars had a good pace today. We are a bit disappointed both cars were involved in first lap incident, but these things happen. We had to bring in Davide twice, so we lost a lot of time, but his pace was good during the race so we’re happy about that. Luiz unfortunately lost several places when his pit lane limiter was knocked on by accident, but otherwise his pace was excellent, and he made several impressive overtaking moves. The pit stops were really good, so I am pleased for the guys. Well done. Of course we are disappointed to miss out on a potential pole for tomorrow and any points today. But we will put our heads together tonight and try again tomorrow before moving onto Hungary.”

Davide Valsecchi (Best time1:44.068/ P14): “I am disappointed that we had to come in twice after I made contact with Vietoris at the beginning of the race. I am so careful usually so I am frustrated with myself. I had a bit of under steer here today, but we were not lost compared to the top eight. In the second half of the race we had the pace and I was able to make some good passes. ”
Luiz Razia (Best time 1:43.868 / DNF): “We did not have luck on our side today. The start was ok, but then on corner three Bird touched me and when I corrected myself I pressed the pit lane limiter by mistake and I slipped to P14. After that the car felt pretty good. The pace was there and we did a good strategy with a good pit stop and the car was performing well. I overtook Guttierrez, Leimer and Carroll, and caught up with Sam Bird, but at one point in turn ten I braked and Leimer came up beside me and he pushed me off track. With two laps left that was it for me today. Unfortunately we got no points today, but I had some fun whilst I was out there!”

Humphrey Corbett: “Another eventful race. From where we were we were going to take a few risks with Davide, and use classic pit stop strategy with Luiz, however this went out of the window when Davide collected damage to his front nose on the first lap. We then had to bring him in again after noticing damage to one of his front tyres, but luckily there was a safety car out so we didn’t lose too much time. Meantime Luiz was working himself up the field, having some good battles, but unfortunately he then had a tangle with Leimer and went off. It is very sad because we could have been on pole for tomorrow, he drove very well fighting all the way. Davide drove well too, to finish P14 from last, so overall he did a good job. Tomorrow will be another tough race, but we will regroup and do it all again!”

Sunday race:  1030 (local time) 24 laps
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 楼主| 发表于 24-7-2011 08:02 PM | 显示全部楼层
Nurburgring Race Two
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 7:44pm


This morning’s GP2 sprint race was eventful to say the least and one where strategy was vital. Starting P13 and P21 on a wet grid, Davide Valsecchi and Luiz Razia powered through displaying some terrific overtaking manoeuvres to both sit in the top five in the latter stages of the 24 lap race.
As the track dried Caterham Team AirAsia opted to stay out, as others were called in to change onto slicks. With serious pace Davide lead the field, with Luiz in third, having fought his way from the back of the grid. As the rain held off the team pulled off two quick pit stops, but unfortunately with five laps to go it was not enough time to make up the positions.
Davide’s race was sadly ended early when he collided with an Arden car on turn one, which has landed him a ten place penalty for Budapest.
Phill Spencer: “We are massively disappointed with the results today. We relied on a technology that let us down which is very unfortunate. We stayed out as long as we could hoping rain would come, but in the end we had to bring the cars in late. After Davide’s pit stop he came out and collided with an Arden car, so all in all lady luck was not on our side. On a positive note I am very pleased we have made progress in the wet. Our pit stops were great, and Luiz had a good race, so we will put these results behind us and move onto Hungary.”
Luiz Razia (Best time 1:49.039 / P14): “We started from the back of the grid. I did not get a good start  and I was very careful through turn one not to get tangled up in any incident. Once I had got heat in tyres it was great, I overtook about ten cars, which was a lot of fun. At one point we were running P2, as people came in to change for slicks. We were expecting rain during the race, but it didn’t come and so by the time we came in for a tyre change it was too late. One thing I am very pleased about is that we were competitive in the wet, unlike Silverstone. We found something in the car and tyres which we did not have before, and our pace was good enough to finish in the points. Unfortunately it was not a good weekend overall, with no points which is very frustrating. Looking ahead to Budapest, I have done quite a lot of races at the Hungaroring, including F3000. It is quite a hard track, no long straights and tight corners. But I am looking forward to it, and some hot weather!”
Davide Valsecchi (Best time 1:58.237 / DNF): “The engineer and driver did a great job today. The car was extremely competitive. But we took the wrong decision, which ruined it for us today. We started well, we struggled a bit in the first two laps, but after that the car ran really fast and we gained position after position. We took a risk today which did not pay off, we should have boxed with the race leaders but we didn’t and so we have no points again today. Anyway next time we will be on top, we have learnt a lot, and I am confident the car is good for Budapest.”
Humphrey Corbett: “The set-ups we ran today were very different to Silverstone, and they worked. The drivers were very pleased with the cars in these conditions. We called both drivers in too late, we relied on modern technology too much. There are two things you do, you look at the lap times of those that have changed onto slicks and if you are in a similar position to the leaders you pit at the same time as them. Davide had his problems at the end of the race, but otherwise was very happy with the car. We are a new team and we have learnt our lessons from here and will now move onto the next round in Budapest where it is usually very hot and you need good mechanical grip. We’ll be on the same tyre which is good for us. We are hoping we will get the best out of the cars and as always qualify well.”

Next event:  Budapest 29 – 31st July 2011
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 楼主| 发表于 28-7-2011 10:57 PM | 显示全部楼层
Budapest race preview
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Thursday, July 28, 2011 at 10:35pm


Heading straight to Hungary from Germany, Caterham Team AirAsia have had a tight turnaround to be ready in time for the seventh round of the GP2 Main Series 2011 in Budapest this weekend.
Situated 20km north of the city in a natural valley, the Hungaroring was built in 1985 and hosted its first Formula One Grand Prix the following year. GP2 have supported the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix since 2005, this year racing on the Pirelli Soft compound tyre. Although tight and twisty, this ‘slow’ track can be very demanding on the driver, in addition to the hot summer weather typical for Hungary at this time of year, consistency is key.
Phill Spencer: “Our expectations are to finish in the points. We are getting over a difficult weekend in Germany where we went in with high expectations but didn’t deliver, so it was a little disappointing. We are, however, optimistic as always. Our drivers have a good history here, so there is no reason why they shouldn’t perform well if we can provide them with a good car with a good set-up from the word go. We know Davide has a ten-place grid penalty for the first race, but we can still battle for points. Both cars were quick in the last round so we are optimistic!”
Davide Valsecchi: “I like this track and I’m very pleased to be here. We were a bit disappointed with how Nurburgring went, we were not competitive in free practice, but I cannot complain. We fixed the problem for race one and were competitive. Then in race two we were extremely competitive, but unfortunately our strategy didn’t work and I made a mistake as I came out of the pit lane hitting another car. Our ten-place penalty will make things difficult this weekend, but we have solved the situation we had in Silverstone in the wet, so we made a step in the right direction. For the second weekend in a row it will be difficult to collect points but we will try to do our best. ”
Luiz Razia: “The Hungaroring is a track that Luiz likes a lot! Like a go-kart track it has no long straights and has a lot of sequence corners, keeping the speed is important. I had some great results here in Formula 3000, and in GP2 last season I finished top nine in race one – this is the year to finish on the podium! We performed well in Nurburgring but missed out on any points, I think this time we will catch them! The whole team deserve a good result and it would be great to get that before the summer break ahead of Spa.”
Humphrey Corbett: “I feel a lot more confident going in to this race. We have sussed the wet set-up that we believe will be workable not just for here, as it looks set to be wet on Friday, but also looking ahead to Spa and future races. We also have a demon dry set up now that we will we use and I am confident will work well. Both drivers like the track. We are using the soft tyre again, the same as in Nurburgring, so we know these tyres well. Usually the weather here is incredibly hot, but the forecast for Friday is mixed with thunderstorms, so we’ll see what happens. Davide has got a ten-place penalty, which doesn’t help, so I think it will be difficult for him in the first race. But I think we can make something in the second race. I am sure Luiz can push the car to the limit and have a positive weekend. I would like to clear any doubts that the Monaco win was a flash in the pan, so we have got to perform well here. I would expect Luiz on the podium in race one and perhaps both of them on race two.”

Schedule:
Friday 29th July
11.55 – 12.25      Practice Session
15.55 – 16.25      Qualifying Session
Saturday 30th July
Race 1:   
15.25 / 15.30- Pit Lane opens /closes  -  Grid                    
15.40- Race Start                           
39 laps (excl. formation)/ 60 mins
Sunday 31st July
Race 2:   
10.15 / 10.20-Pit Lane opens / closes  -  Grid   
10.30- Race Start                           
28 laps (excl. formation)/ 45 mins
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 楼主| 发表于 30-7-2011 09:28 PM | 显示全部楼层
Budapest Qualifying
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Saturday, July 30, 2011 at 2:35am


Luiz Razia drove a faultless qualifying session for Caterham Team AirAsia to give the team its maiden GP2 pole position this afternoon following a fine qualifying session in Budapest, ahead of Luca Filippi and Marcus Ericsson.
The Brazilian set the pace early on before the field returned to the pit lane for fresh rubber. With the rain that had been forecast nowhere to be seen, both drivers went out for a second run in the dry. Unfortunately for Davide Valsecchi he struggled to find clean air, getting stuck in traffic for most of the 30 minute session. Unable to complete an uninterrupted lap the Italian qualified P14 but will start tomorrow P26 following penalties handed to him by the stewards.
In the closing minutes of the session Luiz managed to consolidate his quick lap of 1:30.411 to place him P1 for Saturday’s race, and with twenty cars covered by just one second it promises to be a race not to miss.
Phill Spencer: “I am so pleased for Luiz. His car crew have stuck with it all year and his engineer Chris has done a brilliant job. Luiz came here with a positive attitude and it shows. He not only went P1 once but twice during the session today. This is our first pole so we can tick another box! It is a shame for Davide, he will start P26 but it is not impossible for him to get a good result, you never know what’s going to happen so we will stay positive and look forward to an exciting race tomorrow.”
Luiz Razia (Best time 1:30.411 / 12 Laps: P1): “This is my first time in pole position so I feel great! We did a good job during both free practice and qualifying today. I was not very happy with the balance of my car this morning so we made a lot of changes and it now seems to be working well here at the Hungaroring. It has been quite complicated to set up the car for each track. Each circuit has different characteristics so it is difficult to get it right in just half an hour, so I am really pleased we got it right today. I am looking forward to a good start tomorrow and staying out in front!”
Davide Valsecchi (Best time 1:31.080 / 13 Laps: / P14): “First of all I would like to congratulate Luiz and the team for the pole position, I’m really happy for him and for everyone in Caterham Team AirAsia. For me, the session was not incredible we were unlucky and found a lot of traffic. We seemed to be in the wrong place every lap and I just couldn’t put a lap together so considering our grid penalties we will go out try our best to gain some positions tomorrow.”
Humphrey Corbett: “We are a little shell shocked, but in a very good way! We had only hoped for something like this, so I am incredibly pleased as well as a little speechless! We have had a difficult few days so this is very satisfying. Setup here is so important and everyone has done a good job - the car ran faultlessly. You get a lot of traffic problems here and there is an element of luck needed to put it all together as well as getting out onto the track at the right time. This is what happened to Davide today-he was not able to put his times together in his first outing. I am obviously a bit disappointed for him but he’s not down hearted and we know he is capable of moving up through the field. Tyre degradation will be quite high here but we have got a good setup for that. For the time being though we are just ecstatic to be on pole!”

Saturday race:  1540hrs (local time) 39 laps
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 楼主| 发表于 1-8-2011 09:32 PM | 显示全部楼层
Budapest Race Two
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Monday, August 1, 2011 at 9:14am


This morning’s eventful GP2 sprint race saw the Caterham Team AirAsia car of Luiz Razia pit twice twice during the wet-dry 28 laps around the Hungaroring. Unfortunately it was a difficult and fruitless race with Luiz just missing out on a points finish in seventh place at the chequered flag after two four- tyre changes.

Starting from sixteenth on the grid team mate Davide Valsecchi went out on wet tyres and pitted just once. Moving up the field Davide reached P7, but when a safety car was deployed during his change to slicks, it spoiled any chance of him gaining positions. Staying out on slicks the Italian struggled with tyre degradation in the closing laps of the race to finish fourteenth.

Now with a three week summer break the team will regroup and refocus before the Belgium round next month.
Phill Spencer: “It went from wet to dry to wet today! It’s disappointing not to have scored any more points, but I am pleased with the pit stops they were very good. I am also pleased Luiz and Davide brought the cars home in one piece in such conditions. It was a difficult race for everyone, we were on the wrong part of the track with Davide but we made a gamble and left Davide out for the last seven laps instead of bringing him back in, but we will learn from this and move on. ”

Luiz Razia (Best time 1:50.742 / P7): “My start was ok, I think I lost one place but the first part of the race was good. Then we changed to slicks and ran third when it started to rain again we changed back to wet tyres. Some people took the gamble and pitted earlier and it paid off. It was very difficult conditions today and I almost lost the car several times during the race. In the end there were just three drivers including myself that started at the front and finished up there too. We will now need to look into the strategies, but overall I am quite pleased with our choices, sometimes you just have to take the risk. During the summer break I have a lot of media meetings and I will be training hard to be prepared for Spa. I think it is my favourite track so I am really looking forward to the race there next month.”

Davide Valsecchi (Best time: 1:52.360 / P14): “We were unlucky with the strategy today. We pitted, only to find a safety car deployed which didn’t work in our favour. From a set up point of view we deserved P7, but it was a difficult race for the team to make the calls with the changing conditions and safety cars. We were not as competitive as we have been, but we will work hard during the break and try to make a good weekend in Spa, and return to the top five positions.”

Humphrey Corbett: “It was a difficult race for us. Luiz finished just outside the points, which is a shame. Other teams took some big risks and today it paid off. When you are looking at a points finish you tend not to take such big risks, and with Luiz we didn’t seem to have the pace of the other people. Race winner Coletti took the risks from the start and benefitted, so well done to them. Davide’s race was sadly disrupted when he was in the pit lane whilst the safety car came out. When teams started to pit for a second time in the latter part of the race we decided to leave Davide out as it would have meant him coming last. It just didn’t work for us today. We will move on & hopefully have a better race in Spa.”
Next event: Spa, Belgium 26th – 28th August 2011
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 楼主| 发表于 25-8-2011 10:45 PM | 显示全部楼层
Spa Preview
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 8:57pm


Caterham Team AirAsia has arrived in picturesque Belgium ahead of the eighth round of the GP2 Series 2011 where they will be running on the Pirelli medium and soft compound tyres, following a three week summer break from racing.
Among the most historic circuits on the Formula One calendar, Spa Francorchamps still retains much of the magic of the days of the ‘old’ 14.9km layout. Now just over 7km it provides a mix of long straights and challenging fast corners, including the famous Eau Rouge, making it the longest and one of the most technically challenging circuits visited by the GP2 Series.
Ranked as a favourite up and down the paddock, the whole team is looking forward to getting back on track.

Phill Spencer: “As always I am optimistic. Most of the team have had a holiday during the summer break so we have come back fresh and ready to get going. The weather plays a massive role in proceedings here in Spa but we are confident we have setups for all eventualities. Both Davide and Luiz like it here, tell me a driver that doesn’t enjoy driving around this place! It would be great to continue scoring points with both cars in both races and see the end of the season out on a high note.”
Davide Valsecchi: “I have spent some time at home during the break which has been nice, and now I arrive in Spa very excited! This is a very important round and I really, really want to be on top. The last two weekends have been quite tough for me not scoring the points we had hoped for, so we are focussed and we will try and do our best to stay on top and fight with the leading drivers. This has got to be my favourite circuit in the world! Eau Rouge in the rain is very exciting and quite risky and the double left corner in turns ten and eleven are high speed in fifth gear and are great parts of the circuit. It’s legendary so it’s always a pleasure to drive and if we can get some good results this weekend....even better!”
Luiz Razia: “Hungary’s results gave us a boost so I feel very good coming into this round. In just three weeks time the season will be over, which I feel a little sad about actually as it has gone by so quickly, so now is the time to score as many points as possible. I like this track a lot, the difficulties lie in the inconsistent weather but hopefully we will get lucky this weekend and we can push and can get some more good results. Sector two is quite challenging as it has the most corners. Eau Rouge is always good fun and the last section is high speed and then you have to brake hard into the last chicane so all round it is a very interesting and entertaining track!”
Humphrey Corbett: “We have prepared in the normal way for Spa. Our setup will be similar to what we have run before with just a few tweaks here and there. We run with slightly less downforce here as there is the long straight after Eau Rouge. You would nearly always have to run slightly stiffer through Eau Rouge because the compression forces the car down and you don’t want the floor to touch – that’s something to watch out for. The weather is my biggest concern and the forecast is not looking great - intermittent showers are predicted all weekend which can cause a lot of stress during the sessions. The last three races have been pretty unsettled weather wise, so it would be nice to have steady conditions, but knowing Spa that will never happen! It is not particularly heavy on braking, but it is quite a ballsy circuit! Sector two is the most important to get right, it is the longest and has largest amount of corners, so you can make up good time if you are strong through there.”
Schedule:
Friday 26h August
11.55 – 12.25 Practice Session
15.55 – 16.25 Qualifying Session
Saturday 27th August
15.25 / 15.30 - Pit Lane opens / closes  -  Grid
15.40-Race Start
25 laps (excl. formation)/ 60 mins
Circuit Length:  7.004 km
Race Distance: 174.976 km
Sunday 28th August
10.15 / 10.20-Pit Lane opens / closes  -  Grid
10.30-Race Start  
18 laps (excl. formation)/ 45 mins
Race Distance: 125.948 km
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 楼主| 发表于 27-8-2011 09:36 AM | 显示全部楼层
Spa Qualifying
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 3:22am
After a four week break from racing the GP2 Series got underway again this afternoon in Spa for the penultimate round of the 2011 season. Sadly for Caterham Team AirAsia the day ended with a frustrating result, finishing a very wet qualifying session with Luiz Razia P20 and Davide Valsecchi P26 after he was handed a penalty from the stewards for setting a best sector time under a yellow flag.
The team hope mixed weather conditions tomorrow could make for an eventful race tomorrow and create some opportunities to gain positions on track as well as during the pit stop.
Phill Spencer: “We are all disappointed with our results today. We have looked through some data and have an idea where we went wrong. We used a similar set up to what we have used before in the rain, but unfortunately it didn’t seem to work at all well here, and to make matters worse Davide has been given a ten place grid penalty for setting a best sector time in a yellow section. Looking at the positives, in tricky conditions we have got two cars back in one piece so tomorrow we will just have to look at the weather conditions and make the necessary alterations and stay optimistic. You can make good progress here with a fast car so for sure all is not lost”
Luiz Razia (Best time 2:22.895/ Laps: 12 / P20): “In the dry practice session this morning our car was quite good, but unfortunately the decisions we made for the wet session this afternoon did not work, as a team we did something wrong, so now we must analyse all the data and move on. We have had a roller coaster season, sometimes we have been very competitive and then other times we have struggled, but we are not far from the path. Small changes can sometimes make a big difference especially here at Spa which is a big track. Today’s qualifying positions say a lot but we can still have a good race tomorrow, we will fight very hard tomorrow to finish in the points.”
Davide Valsecchi (Best time 2:23.364 / Laps: 12 / P26): “It has been a difficult day for us. Unfortunately we missed something today and our set up just did not work well. The first few laps felt good and I was competitive but as the session progressed everyone improved and I could not. We will do our best to resolve our issue ready for the race tomorrow and hope I can take advantage of any situations take might come about during the race. We need the performance, if we can get that right I will try to get a good start and drive a smart race so we can finish in the points. It will be difficult, but not impossible! ”
Humphrey Corbett: “I am at a loss as to why both our cars are at the back, neither driver complained about the balance, a little under steer maybe but not to this degree. We have a few theories that might affect performance but we have got to look through all the data and hopefully learn from it. Unfortunately Davide also has a penalty for setting a best sector time when he shouldn’t have so he will now start from last place on the grid. I know both drivers are capable of putting it on pole, so we’ll just have to see what we can do tomorrow. We are very disheartened but as always we will try our best tomorrow. I hope we have a similar situation to Budapest when it rained early on in the race but started to dry, it mixes things up and I think this will be our only chance at getting both drivers up there tomorrow. The forecast is very inconsistent so if this is the case I think we can still salvage some points.”
Saturday race:  15:40hrs (local time) 25 laps
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 楼主| 发表于 28-8-2011 10:29 PM | 显示全部楼层
Spa Race One
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Sunday, August 28, 2011 at 3:18pm


This afternoon Davide Valsecchi made a good come back in the GP2 Spa- Francorchamps race starting from twenty-fifth on the grid he gained fifteen positions to finish tenth.
As heavy rainfall disrupted the session Caterham Team AirAsia made a fine pit stop to aid the Italians pursuit on track. Davide drove an intelligent race managing his car well to bring the car home in unpredictable conditions.
Unfortunately for Luiz Razia his race was over too soon when a car behind lost control and collided with the Brazilian on his second lap. Damage to his rear wing sadly forced Luiz to finish there and then ruining his race.
Looking ahead the team have not ruled out a points finish in what looks set to be another eventful race tomorrow morning.
Phill Spencer: “Davide got a good start today gaining several positions in the first lap. As things progressed into the second lap Pic made a risky move down the inside and went straight into the back of Luiz unfortunately putting an early end to his race. Meanwhile Davide stayed out there and kept it on track. He used his head during the race and brought the car home tenth with his sights on a points finish tomorrow. Luiz will have another tough race in the morning starting from the back of the grid but we will give him the best car possible and go from there!”

Davide Valsecchi (Best time 2:04.024 / Best Lap: 8 / P10): “The race was really good today. I got a good start and went quite well in the dry and even better in the wet with set up we used. It was unfortunate we didn’t get much time to fight in the wet conditions under the safety car, but that’s just the way things go. I was eleventh when the safety car came in and with just one lap to go I gained a position, so overall we are happy with how the race went having gained a lot of places. We are in a good position tomorrow to score some points, so I hope we can be lucky and do just that. ”
Luiz Razia (Best time 2:17.974 / Best Lap: 1 /DNF): “My start today was not great and I lost two positions in the third corner. I found some clear space as I began my second lap, but as I braked into the first turn I was hit from behind by Pic. Having watched the replays it looks like he spun by himself and I was in his path, it’s just bad luck. As for tomorrow, it’s very difficult to know what we will do yet as we do not know what the conditions will be. Spa is very changeable as we have seen yet again today, but it’s a short race so it will be difficult from the back of the grid. If it starts raining and there are pit stops it could make things interesting! We will see.”
Humphrey Corbett: “This was a race of epic proportions! I wish I could be happy for both our drivers at the same time, but it seems to be one or the other this season. Unfortunately it was Luiz’s turn to get caught up in someone else’s incident when an Addax car spun and went into the back of him. There’s not a great deal of damage but it was enough to end his race early today. As for Davide, from almost last on the grid he made his way up to tenth, which is a good effort. We got him in at the right time, the guys did a brilliant pit stop and he drove well under tricky conditions. During the long safety car period towards the end of the race cars were dropping out and having problems with their engine temperatures, so they went into what’s called a safety mode. Davide managed his car very well and in return he gained some places, so we are well within a shout of collecting some points in the race tomorrow.”

Sunday race:  1030hrs (local time) 18 laps
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 楼主| 发表于 28-8-2011 10:31 PM | 显示全部楼层
Spa Race Two
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Sunday, August 28, 2011 at 8:37pm


Caterham Team AirAsia concluded the penultimate round of the 2011 GP2 season this morning in Spa with a top ten finish after a difficult race weekend.
The team’s Italian racer Davide Valsecchi drove a solid race maintaining his tenth grid position in the dry session after finding a lot of speed in the long straights of the circuit.
Luiz Razia got off the grid well sticking to the inside of the track and gained a position in the first lap. He held his own and made a number of clean manoeuvres to sit P14 mid race, managing the degradation of his tyres well. He passed Ericsson on the restart, following a safety car period, only to have a race-ending accident for the second time this weekend on lap twelve.
The team now moves on to the final round of the 2011 season in two weeks time where they hope to be able to fight for points.
Phill Spencer: “It has been a very difficult weekend for us, we have been missing something. Davide said he had a good car but unfortunately today he could not pass anyone. On the other hand Luiz was able to make lots of moves on other cars, but again he got pushed off and ended his race early, which is such a shame as he was doing well. It has been a long hard season getting the team up and running, but we will keep on smiling, move on to Monza and hope we can have a better race there in couple of weeks time.””
Davide Valsecchi (Best time 2:02.119 / Best Lap: 15  / P10): “It was another difficult race for me today. I was fighting all the time, the car was very fast and I was gaining time in the straights but then losing it again in the corners, it was a bit frustrating. I was able to defend my position, but once again we go home with no points. I am of course looking forward to racing in Monza in my home country - I love the circuit and hope we can have a much better time there to finish the season.”
Luiz Razia (Best time 2:02.072/ Best Lap: 5/ DNF): “I made a very solid start and my car felt good. I overtook a few people at the beginning and was moving forward all the time. The safety car was deployed and when it came in I overtook Ericsson but then as I braked into turn one I was hit from behind and lost control of the car completely. It was a big shame. I was happy with the car and the balance and even though I had a bit of tyre degradation it was not as much as the cars around me. This weekend and this season has been long - I hope we can go to the last race of the season in Monza and finish 2011 with a positive performance.”
Humphrey Corbett: “We have had problems this weekend and come away no points. Unfortunately we just couldn’t get our drivers up there. Once again one of our drivers was knocked out by somebody else, which is very sad - I feel sorry for Luiz as he has been very unlucky here. Davide found it difficult to overtake today so we have a bit of work to do with him to find out why. He started tenth and finished tenth but we were hoping for a little bit more so we are coming away a little disappointed. But we will do our normal turn around and hope for better performances in Monza.”
Next event:  Monza, Italy 9th – 11th September
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 楼主| 发表于 8-9-2011 09:15 PM | 显示全部楼层
Monza Race Preview
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 8:02pm


Caterham Team AirAsia has arrived in Italy to conclude not only the 2011 GP2 Main Series championship this weekend, but also the team’s first ever season in the F1 feeder category.
Regarded as one the finest circuits on the calendar, and set within the royal park, the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza combines speed with skill. The GP2 Series will race on Pirelli P Zero hard compound tyres, chosen to endure the high speeds and hard braking of the fast straights and tight chicanes at Monza.
The 2011 title was successfully secured by DAMS driver Romain Grosjean  at the last round in Spa, but with points still up for grabs, Caterham Team AirAsia, currently sixth in the Teams’ Championship, aims to end the season on a high with a positive performance from local Italian driver Davide Valsecchi and team mate Luiz Razia.

Phill Spencer: “I am optimistic. We have had a bit of a bad run recently but both drivers have had good results here so there is no reason why the drivers cannot do well here, but we will find out when the cars turn a wheel here in free practice tomorrow. The engineers are experienced and have been here many times in the past so they know what they are doing. I am a little anxious but I am happy to be here. The first time I came to this circuit was in 1979 and not much has changed really, just a little at the first chicane. With the long straights and monster braking, drivers like it. The high speed makes it an exciting track to drive but it is the braking that will make up all the time here.”
Davide Valsecchi: “It’s an incredibly good feeling being here this week. Monza is close to home so I have friends and supporters with me which is really nice. It is a lot of fun racing here, there are long straights, strong brake points and lots of chances to overtake, so I hope the team and I can qualify well and have a good weekend from the front. I hope the hard tyres will not be a problem. We had a good, competitive result when we used them in Barcelona, so considering this and the good weather forecast I am feeling positive. The team always do a good job I want to make a faultless race so we can finish the season well.”
Luiz Razia: “It is a pleasure to be here in Monza! I won the sprint race here in 2009 with Di Grassi and Hulkenburg behind me which was a great feeling. It is good fun to be on the track where the hard tyres, low downforce and high speeds mean you are on the edge all the time. The atmosphere is always great here too. Since Silverstone we’ve had very wet, difficult conditions but hopefully here will be dry so we can work through the weekend and have a good consistent weekend. If the weather is stable of course everyone else is in the same situation, so competition will as always be tough but that’s good. I really like the Ascari chicane and Parabolica, the change of direction through these are very quick. We used the hard compound tyres in Barcelona and we had a good race, our aim here is to work on the qualifying so we can start the weekend in a strong position.”
Humphrey Corbett: “I’m looking forward to this weekend. There’s no chance of rain at the moment and it would be nice to have a stress free weekend unlike we have had in the past few races. We have got two drivers that have done very well here, we have a good set-up and will be using the hard tyres which we like so we are confident of a good result. To have a good chance at doing well here you need good braking, good stability under braking, low downforce and to be reasonably good over kerbs. I am sure both drivers will go for it this weekend. We have nothing to lose but we can climb up the championship so let’s go for it!”
Schedule:
Friday 9th September
GP2    11.55 – 12.25 Practice Session
GP2    15.55 – 16.25 Qualifying Session
Saturday 10th September
15.25 / 15.30  Pit Lane opens / closes  -  Grid  
15.40   Race Start:    30 laps (excl. formation)/ 60 mins.
Circuit Length:  5.793 km
Race Distance: 173.481 km
Sunday 11th September
10.15 / 10.20  Pit Lane opens / closes  -  Grid
10.30   Race Start:  21 laps (excl. formation)/ 45 mins.
Race Distance: 121.344 km
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 楼主| 发表于 10-9-2011 09:35 AM | 显示全部楼层
Monza Qualifying
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 3:42am
In a very close qualifying session this afternoon Italian racer Davide Valsecchi finished P14 for Caterham Team AirAsia, just 0.2 seconds ahead of team mate Luiz Razia who qualified P18 after 14 laps.
Unfortunately the Brazilian was held up in traffic on both sets of tyres and was unable to pass and put a quicker lap together before the scorching 30-minute session ended. Davide improved from free practice but a small imbalance in his car meant he will start midfield for the race tomorrow.
At the fastest track on the race calendar both the team and drivers are confident that with only minor changes to their setups a points finish is achievable.
Phill Spencer: “We came here for the final race weekend of our first season hoping to go out with a bang and obviously qualifying helps that, so we are a little disappointed with the results today. On the other hand we can still race well tomorrow and both cars are in good shape. The times around here are so close, we just seemed to be on the wrong part of the track at the wrong time today, but the drivers feel ok and they know what to do. We need to work hard tonight to give them a better car to race with – It’s a fast track, you need a good top speed, good braking and be strong through the chicanes, so the engineers are looking at everything to find a good balance so we can have a good day tomorrow. ”
Davide Valsecchi (Best time 1:33.019 / 12 Laps: / P14): “We were not able to stay in the top ten today so it has not been the best qualifying for us. We improved the car a bit after free practice this morning but it was not enough. We are working in the right direction and we need to make a few decisions for tomorrow. There was not that much degradation in the tyres today and although it will be risky starting from the middle of the grid, I hope we can be strong and finish the race in the points. It is possible so this is our goal.”
Luiz Razia (Best time 1:33.206/ 14 Laps: / P18): “We didn’t start very well and when a yellow flag came out early on we decided to stop and at that point we didn’t have a good time, so the pressure was on to get a good time on the second set of tyres. The balance was a little out and I went off at Parabolica, so I had to improve on my last lap, which I did, but it was not enough to get in the top ten like we were this morning in practice. We have to fight tomorrow, look for the right time to pit stop and find a way to work up the field. We were hoping for better today so I am a little disappointed, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen, especially when the times are so close. We are not far from the right set up, these cars are very sensitive on the aerodynamics so we’ll just have to make a few adjustments for tomorrow race.”
Humphrey Corbett: “Luiz was up there this morning and we thought we could get him up there again this afternoon, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. He had difficulty getting a clear lap on both his outings and could never really put it together. The grid here is covered by such a small margin three tenths would have put him up ten places up the grid. A good tow off the cars in front helps a lot here but again he could not get it so he is a little disappointed. Davide had a different problem with an imbalance in his car, but he did improve his times as the rubber was laid down. We will be quite conservative with Davide’s set up for the race tomorrow and he needs to pass people so it will be a different car to qualifying. There are certainly three good places to overtake here, we need a good car under braking, keep behind the cars in front, keep on the kerbs and create the best chances to overtake. We can make it happen, so as always we will do our best.”
Saturday race:  15:40hrs 30 laps
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 楼主| 发表于 11-9-2011 10:30 AM | 显示全部楼层
Monza Race One
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 4:02am
Luiz Razia gained eight positions to finish in the top ten in the scorching GP2 race today at Monza, aided by a fantastic pit stop by the Caterham Team AirAsia pitcrew.
After a chaotic start to the 30 lap race both Caterham Team AirAsia cars completed the race, but unfortunately Davide Valsecchi was called in for an unscheduled nose change after suffering damage in the chaotic start to the race. The Italian set some blistering lap times in front of his home crowd and finally finished P20 after making two pit stops.
With just one more Sunday race left of the season, the team's competitive pace and securing a points finish will solidify sixth place in the GP2 Teams' Championship, an outstanding achievement in its debut season.
Phill Spencer: “Luiz made a good start and overtook a few people but unfortunately he was tangled up with other cars in the first chicane. Davide also suffered at the start and clipped his front wing, bringing him in for an unscheduled pit stop. Which cost him thirty seconds, forcing him to play catch up for the rest of the race. He put in some very fast lap times compared to the cars in front so it is a shame he couldn't finish higher in his home race. Luiz had a strong race with good pace to finish tenth from 18th on the grid, so we know we have two good cars for tomorrow. We know what we need to do to fine tune the cars, and with Luiz starting P10 he has every chance of finishing in the points.”
Luiz Razia (Best time 1:34.185 / Best Lap: 16 / P10): “I got a good start and gained a couple of positions but then in the first lap I lost a place which ultimately made a difference to my finish position, so I am little frustrated about that. But anyway the team did a great pit stop and I pushed really hard and as others pitted late, I gained positions and set some very quick laps. It’s a shame we could not fight for eighth position but starting from tenth on the grid is a good enough position, hopefully we can do a good job and finish in the points, maybe even a podium finish.”
Davide Valsecchi (Best time 1:33.837 / Best Lap: 24 / P20): “It is a big shame we couldn’t finish the race on top today especially because we had the pace. We had a good start but then we were unlucky in the first chicane and I got some damage to the left side of the front wing. I could feel the downforce drop off in the straight so we had to come in for an additional pit stop. I was so disappointed but I kept focused so we could learn as much as we could from this race. It is unfortunate but we can still have a great race tomorrow. I will be aggressive and the car will be quick like the good times!”
Humphrey Corbett: “Both Luiz and Davide touched other cars at the beginning of the race, Luiz was able to continue but unfortunately it was a little bit more serious for Davide and we had to bring him in - from then on it was damage limitation really. Thereafter we were hoping for a safety car so we could gain time for Davide’s second compulsory pit stop but unfortunately it didn’t happen and we brought him in again on lap 18. Looking at the positives, his race pace was very competitive in the final stages and he finished P20. Luiz did a very good job from 18th on the grid. Both drivers were happy with the balance so there will not be too much changed for the early race tomorrow. It will again be very hot but we will go for it and hopefully score some points so we can hold onto our sixth place position in the Teams' Championship.”
Sunday race:  1030hrs 21 laps
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 楼主| 发表于 12-9-2011 09:32 AM | 显示全部楼层
Monza Race Two
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Monday, September 12, 2011 at 12:24am
GP2 Main Series – Race Two
Sunday 11th September 2011
Luiz Razia – P9
Davide Valsecchi – DNF
Caterham Team AirAsia claimed another top ten finish with Luiz Razia today finishing ninth in the Monza GP2 season finale, concluding the team’s debut season in a respectable sixth place in the Teams Championship.
Starting from tenth on the gird Luiz drove a solid race to overtake Super Nova’s Adam Carroll in a swift manoeuvre at the halfway point to claim his ninth position at the flag. Davide Valsecchi had a disappointing race, starting from twentieth on the grid he made contact with another car into the first chicane. The Italian continued and managed to work his way up to sixteenth before he made a mistake whilst overtaking Cecotto in the last corner which saw him lose control, sadly ending his race prematurely.
As a new entrant this season sixth place in the GP2 Championship is a fantastic result, reflecting the team’s commitment and drive to compete at the highest level, and on behalf of the team we would like to thank everyone involved for making this possible.
Phill Spencer: “We learned from practice and qualifying and set the cars up accordingly, Davide’s was a little more extreme because we had everything to gain with him starting from the back, but both Davide and Luiz really liked their cars today.  Luiz got a good start but got caught up in a bit of traffic on the first lap. Davide also got clipped and went up in the air but continued until seven laps from the end when Davide overtook Cecotto, pushed a little too hard, touched the white line and lost the car -It is a shame he didn’t get to finish today. The best part about it all is we have maintained our sixth place in the championship against some of the more established teams which is definitely something to be proud of – the whole team should be delighted with their performance this season! It’s been a fantastic first year for us.”
Luiz Razia (Best time 1:33.336 / Best Lap:20 / P9): “The start was good but then I caught up with Filippi and Pic in the incident in the first corner. After that my pace was good and I was able to attack and overtake. In the middle of the race I passed Carroll and got some clear air where I was able to show our pace was comparable to the front runners. It was good for me to complete both races in the final round of the season, especially in such a tough category. It’s a shame we didn’t getting any points but overall I am happy. It’s has been an excellent year with the team, we have made a good impression as newcomers and got some good results and for me it was great to help bring Caterham Team AirAsia to life. ”
Davide Valsecchi (Best time 1:33.639 / Best Lap: 11 / DNF): “The car felt good today, the set up was just right and we ran at a very competitive pace. I am just really disappointed not to have finished again, but unfortunately we had contact in the first chicane which in ended up compromising my race. The first part of the season was great. We avoided the incidents and had a strong car but unfortunately we were not so lucky here. We were performing well but we just were not in the right position to challenge for points so we took some risks and I made a mistake at the exit of Parabolica which ended my race today. It is always better to complete a race so I am sorry about that, but overall it has been a great year with the team. I think 2012 will be even better for us after such a good first year.”
Humphrey Corbett: “We tried something different on Davide’s car today and he was happy with the set up. In hindsight maybe we could have done that earlier on in the weekend but we have learnt a lot for the future. His accident was unfortunate - he just made a small mistake and that was it for him. Luiz did a very solid job, making up several places but in the end just couldn’t pass other cars and progress as much as he’d like to finish in the points. Looking back at the season if someone had said at the beginning of the year we would finish sixth and win in Monaco I wouldn’t have believed them, so I think we have proved what we can do. Everyone has worked from scratch and incredibly hard to get here so congratulations to all the team. Here’s to 2012!”
Next event: 2011 GP2 Final– Abu Dhabi –11 -13th November 2011
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 楼主| 发表于 28-9-2011 12:12 AM | 显示全部楼层
Caterham Team AirAsia To Test Four Drivers in Jerez GP2 Test
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 11:33pm


After finishing sixth in the GP2 2011 Teams Championship two weeks ago Caterham Team AirAsia is now turning its focus to the forthcoming GP2 tests in Spain, in Jerez and Barcelona. The team will test on Wednesday and Thursday this week in Jerez and then in Barcelona on 19th & 20th October, before the last GP2 race of the season in Abu Dhabi which will support the F1 Grand Prix in November.
This week in Jerez four drivers will share the wheel of the Caterham Team AirAsia cars – Portuguese GP3 driver Antonio Felix da Costa, managed by Tiago Monteiro and former F1 rookie driver Yelmer Buurman will test on day one. Alexander Rossi, lead driver in the AirAsia Team Lotus Driver Development Programme and Team Lotus test driver Ricardo Teixeira will be driving on day two.
Riad Asmat, Team Principal: “Caterham Team AirAsia has come a very long way in its very short life but today’s announcement is exactly what we are here to do. We want to reward young talent with the chance to develop their skills and the drivers we have taking part in this test are all here on merit. We will make them work – they will be put under the same pressure our race drivers are, and that is the best way for them to learn, so we give them the chance to shine, and I am sure they will repay our faith in them by performing to the best of their abilities.”
Team Manager Phill Spencer: “We are really looking forward to giving all four drivers a decent run in the cars. We have a very busy programme lined up for them at the test in Jerez and we will be pushing them hard to see how they respond, in and out of the cars. All four of the drivers testing with us this week have shown great potential and it will be good to see not only how they perform, but also how they can help us set ourselves up for the Abu Dhabi race, and for next year.”
Antonio Felix da Costa: “I am very excited to be testing with Caterham Team AirAsia. They achieved some really solid results in their debut season and have a strong connection with Formula One through Team Lotus. It will be the first time I drive the new generation GP2 car but I am confident and will work hard to make the most of this great opportunity.”
Yelmer Buurman: "I am very eager to drive in the GP2 Series car again and I am grateful to Caterham Team AirAsia for providing me with this chance.  My objective is to perform in a consistent and productive manner and show I am quick enough to achieve the maximum results for me and the team.  The GP2 Series remains the best route to Formula One and it would be an excellent opportunity for me to continue to race in the series by achieve the goals I have set myself."
Ricardo Teixeira: “It will be great to get back into a GP2 car, particularly with my friends in Caterham Team AirAsia. We have been working together with Team Lotus since the beginning of the year, so it already feels like a big family! I will go out there and give 100% so we can learn as much as possible from the test, as well as enjoying it. I am really looking forward to it and hopefully I can make the most of this fantastic opportunity and continue the association with the team. ”
Alexander Rossi: “I would like to thank Tony, Kamarudin, SM Nasarudin and Riad Asmat for giving me this opportunity with Caterham Team AirAsia. I am very excited about working with a team who I have seen progress throughout the 2011 GP2 season from literally nothing to a race winning squad who mirror the professionalism, passion and commitment their colleagues in Team Lotus bring to work every day, and I will do my best to absorb as much as I can and repay the faith the Team Lotus shareholders have show in me by doing the best job I possible can over the four days on track.”
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 楼主| 发表于 29-9-2011 09:30 AM | 显示全部楼层
Jerez Test Day One
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 3:52am
With two new drivers in the car Caterham Team AirAsia made fantastic progress today finishing the afternoon session P2 with Dutch driver Yelmer Buurman. The former F1 rookie made a strong impression from the start finishing this morning P6 after a total 60 laps and a lot of good feedback for the team.
GP3 driver Antonio Felix da Costa made a positive step up into GP2 today. The Portuguese racer rounded off the top ten this morning finishing P10, but could not get the best out his tyres this afternoon to finish P18 after a total of 64 laps.
The team are delighted with today’s results and will be back on track again tomorrow from 09:00hrs for a second day of testing in Jerez with a new pair of drivers – Alexander Rossi and Ricardo Teixeira.
Phill Spencer: “Both drivers did a very good job and to finish the day with a P2 is just great! Both Yelmer and Antonio were very professional and gave good feedback so I am very pleased with how things have progressed - it has been a pleasure working with them.  We hope to have another strong performance tomorrow.”
Yelmer Buurman ( Best Lap: 1:27.786 / Total laps: 60): “It’s been a great day! This is the first time I have been in the new GP2 car and it was a nice introduction, the difficult part for me was to learn the new Pirelli tyres but I think we did a good job. This morning we were P6 and then P2 this afternoon so I am really happy with that. Most teams seemed to go at least half a second slower this afternoon, but we were able to maintain the same sort of times as this morning which is very positive. We have learnt a lot during the day so I am very happy!”
Antonio Felix da Costa (Best Lap: 1:28.090 / Total laps: 64): “It was a pleasure to jump into a proper racing car today! It’s been a good environment with the team and overall a good day. I had hoped for a little better this afternoon session, but we improved during the day, my driving and the development of the car so I am really happy to have worked with the team”
Humphrey Corbett:  “I am very happy with the results today. The cars are in one piece, the drivers didn’t put a foot wrong. Both are very nice guys so it has been a pleasure to work with them. We tried a few different things today, Yelmer has some GP2 experience so he was able to adapt quickly. Rookie driver Antonio was getting used a more powerful car and did a good job. He couldn’t get the most of his second set of tyres but it will come, it’s a shame we couldn’t have him for another day, but overall we have made a lot of progress and learned from today so we will use the same sort of program for tomorrow and go from there.”
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 楼主| 发表于 30-9-2011 12:11 AM | 显示全部楼层
Jerez Test Day Two
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Friday, September 30, 2011 at 12:02am


Caterham Team AirAsia successfully concluded the first of the two post-season tests today in Jerez with another fine performance from two new drivers Alexander Rossi and Ricardo Teixeira
Rossi, lead driver in the AirAsia Team Lotus Driver Development Programme, familiarised himself with the new GP2 car this morning and completed 37 laps. The American followed up with another 31 laps this afternoon to improve his time on a new set of tyres to finish the day in an impressive P6
Team Lotus test driver Ricardo Teixeira tested in Jerez two years ago and today worked closely with the team to run through several test programs to complete a total of 54 valuable laps, finishing P21. Satisfied with the outcome of this test the team will now return to the factory for two weeks before taking their new data to the final test of the year in Barcelona on 19th - 20th October.
Phill Spencer: “We’ve had a very good day today, albeit in very hot conditions! Both drivers are pretty happy with their days work. Alexander improved this afternoon - He run a set of tyres in the hottest part of the day and improved his lap time whilst most other people set their quickest laps earlier on, so we were happy to get P6. Ricardo also did well to get used to the car and the team and performed well on all his runs. We are pleased with all four drivers we’ve had this week, we have worked through the test methodically and have learnt a lot so we have achieved our goals.”
Alexander Rossi ( Best Lap: 1:27.897 / Total laps: 68 ): “This afternoon was much better than this morning. It’s been a big adjustment for me to get used to the GP2 car – to say it’s different from a World Series car is an understatement, but once we’d figured out the balance it was good fun. We are missing a little time but I think that it will come. I like this track, it’s difficult on tyres especially in these hot conditions but at the end of the day we came out looking quite good and I am looking forward to the next test in Barcelona. These cars are quicker than World Series, so as a driver you got to love that!”
Ricardo Teixeira (Best Lap: 1:29.788 / Total laps: 45): “It was really nice to get back into a car after a very long time. We had a good run today. The tyres are quite difficult to get used to, they’re quite different from two years ago when I raced in the GP2 Series, but it was fun. I managed to get some speed back which will help me in the Barcelona test for sure. Unfortunately I have a hand injury which was quite painful, but overall it was worth it to be back in the car and working with all the boys!”Humphrey Corbett:  “We’ve had a good day, a good week in fact! Alexander is a very gifted driver and very professional, he worked well with Chris his engineer and adapted to the new GP2 car and Pirelli tyres well. He was not afraid to go for it and in the end he was sixth which is very promising –especially as we didn’t manage do our quickest times when the track was at its best, so we are happy with that. Ricardo was suffering with an old injury to his hand, but he did put in a very solid day of running despite that. Unfortunately a red light came on when he was starting his best lap, so through no fault of his own he didn’t get the best out of his new tyres. I have been very impressed with him though, he did some useful tyres test for us and hasn’t put a foot wrong. They have all done very well this week and we have learnt a great deal, a lot of which we will take to the Barcelona test next
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 楼主| 发表于 13-10-2011 09:21 PM | 显示全部楼层
Barcelona test driver announcement
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 7:04pm


Caterham Team AirAsia to test three drivers in Barcelona
Caterham Team AirAsia is pleased to announce Luiz Razia, Alexander Rossi and Rodolfo Gonzalez will test for the team in Barcelona next Wednesday and Thursday ahead of the GP2 Final race in Abu Dhabi in November.
The team’s existing links with Team Lotus Third Driver Luiz Razia will continue when the Brazilian ace returns to the car for day one alongside Alexander Rossi who will complete two full days of testing. The young American, who has just returned from Barcelona after finishing third in the Drivers' Championship in the 2011 World Series by Renault - FR 3.5 series, impressed the team in Jerez last month after adapting well to the new GP2 car in his first outing in GP2. Joining him on the second and final day of testing will be Barcelona based Venezuelan driver Rodolfo Gonzalez, who drove for Trident in this season’s GP2 championship.
Team Principal Riad Asmat “We are very proud to maintain and nurture the relationships we have with these young drivers. We have all come a long way this year and our aim has always been to encourage and help develop both their racing skills and our team’s potential to win races and challenge for titles. We had a positive test in Jerez last month and I am confident the drivers we have in the car next week will do a sterling job before we move onto Abu Dhabi for the final GP2 race of the year. ”
Team Manager Phill Spencer “We are very happy and confident with our driver line-up for the test in Barcelona. We have several things we want to run through and a busy program to complete but as always it would be great to top the time sheets at the end of each day! It is very good that we maintain the continuity with both Alexander and Luiz and welcome Rodolfo to the team for his outing – he already has links with us since he tested with our F1 counterparts last year at the Abu Dhabi young driver test. We are in discussions with several drivers for the race seats for Abu Dhabi too, so everything is looking very positive and we are keen to get out on the track again before the year comes to a close.”
Luiz Razia “I am really looking forward to working with the team again next week in Barcelona. I have recently been away in Japan and Korea with Team Lotus which has been fantastic! We have all formed a very close working relationship together over the last ten months so it will be great to pick up where we left off and get back in the car.”
Alexander Rossi “I have just come back from racing in Barcelona with World Series but can’t wait to get back out on track. I really like the Circuit de Catalunya and it’s all fresh in my mind so I feel good about the two days in the car. Carrying over what we leant in the Jerez test, I had to work hard on adapting to the new car and tyres, but now I have a clear idea of what I have to do to maximise my performance on track so I think it’s going to be very positive and hopefully we can just pick up where we left off.”
Rodolfo Gonzalez “It will be great to work with the Caterham Team AirAsia guys, they had a solid season in GP2 this year and have strong connections with Formula One through Team Lotus who I tested with last year. I live in Barcelona so it is my home circuit now - I love the track, there’s a lot of high speed and low speed corners so it’s quite demanding, but I will work hard and make the most of this opportunity. ”
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 楼主| 发表于 20-10-2011 09:30 AM | 显示全部楼层
Barcelona Test Day One
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 12:59am
Caterham Team AirAsia is back in Spain for the final test of the year this week just north of Barcelona at the Circuit de Catalunya.
Young American Alexander Rossi joined the team for the first of two full days of testing. With very little GP2 experience Rossi showed great potential finishing in the top eight this morning, with both cars opting to save a set of tyres for the afternoon session. After lunch Rossi ran for 31laps to end the day P4 just 0.5 seconds the top spot.
Luiz Razia was also reunited with the team to run various programs in preparation for the Abu Dhabi GP2 Final race next month. He completed a total of 50 laps to finish today P19.
Rodolfo Gonzalez will pair up with Rossi tomorrow to conclude GP2 testing for 2011.
Thursday 20th October schedule:
Morning session: 09:00 – 12:00
Afternoon session: 14:00 – 17:00
Phill Spencer: “Both cars were doing a lot of set up work this morning. I believe most teams used two sets of tyres early on but we saved our second sets for the afternoon session with the aim to better our times this afternoon, which in the end didn’t happen but we are pleased to see Rossi P4. The weather has been lovely today but there is a possibility of rain tomorrow so we have were keen to get as much dry running done today as possible. All in all both drivers were happy and the cars have gone well so I am pleased and will look forward to another day of it tomorrow.”
Alexander Rossi (Best Lap: 1:30.140 / Total laps: 49): “It’s been a pretty good day today, a big improvement from Jerez so we are all very pleased about that. As always as soon as you get competitive you automatically set your sights on P1 so a little disappointed we didn’t achieve that today, but in the end it’s been positive. We tried various things from the test plan, some worked some didn’t but that is what testing is all about. We have a good balance for tomorrow so I’m looking forward to going for it.”
Luiz Razia (Best Lap:  1:31.520/ Total laps: 50): “We tested something different things today and were looking forward to improving in the afternoon session but the track seemed to be much slow later on which came as a bit of a surprise. Unfortunately we had a few set up issues to tend to and we were not able to get the best of our new tyres this afternoon because of a red flag so it has been a difficult day, not great in terms of performance but it’s been a good learning curve. We’ll look though the data to see where we could have improved and take it all onboard, but overall it has been great working with the team again, we worked very hard all season to learn as much as we could about these cars and tyres and I think all in all the test today has been very productive.”
Humphrey Corbett:  “We would have liked to have got Luiz Razia up there today, he was happy the balance and he drove well so we are a little puzzled as to why the end results were not better, but we did a few interesting tests with him none the less.  The morning times were quicker today, Tom Dillman who is driving for iSport was half a second quicker so this is what we have got to aim for. Alexander Rossi did well today, we tested some interesting things with him too and got some positive results, he drove very well – I believe if he had put all his best sectors together he would have been P2, but it was very close indeed, just 0.1 seconds between P2 and P5. We have lots to get through again tomorrow. We will have two new sets of tyres for both cars, rain is likely but of course we will run whatever the weather and get through our test program.”
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 楼主| 发表于 21-10-2011 09:43 AM | 显示全部楼层
Barcelona Test Day Two
by GP2 Team AirAsia on Friday, October 21, 2011 at 1:38am
Caterham Team AirAsia concluded testing with a positive performance from American driver Alexander Rossi to finish P2 in Barcelona this afternoon.
The team worked closely with both Alexander and Rodolfo Gonzalez on set up this morning whilst the track dried following overnight rain. Venezuelan driver Rodolfo worked solidly through the teams test program providing valuable information to complete a total of 67 laps finishing P21.
Alexander provided the team with lots of good feedback, happy with his car he finished the early session eighth after traffic held up his new tyre runs. A determined final session this afternoon proved what the American is capable of. With some long race simulation runs he made an impressive lap early on to sit P1 for the majority of the session. His lap time was only squeezed off the top spot in the latter stages of the day by Stefano Coletti to mark the end of post-season testing with a strong P2 position.
The team now have a quick turnaround before the freight leaves next week in time for the Final GP2 race supporting the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix 11th – 13th November 2011.
Phill Spencer: “We spent a lot of this morning working on set ups whilst the track dried after rainfall last night. It was the first time Rodolfo had been in the car, so there was some adjustments to be made but he has worked very well his is engineer Patrick throughout the day. Alexander solidified his relationship with the team today, he has been happy with the car it was just unfortunate that two out of his three runs on new tyres this morning were held up by traffic otherwise he’d have been P2, but he has done a brilliant job finishing the day with a very strong run to finish P2 cementing everything ahead of Abu Dhabi and we are all very pleased with how things have gone here.”
Alexander Rossi (Best Lap: 1:29.808 / Total laps: 73): “I was a little bit disappointed to have missed out on it this morning but that’s the way things go sometimes. We decided to take a bit of a risk this afternoon and went for it as soon as the session went green because we knew temperatures would rise during the afternoon, but it worked out for us so it was a good call. We did some new tyre runs and a race simulation which I was very happy with. I think that was the highlight of the day. All in all this has been a great GP2 experience it’s getting better every time, so I am very pleased and very grateful to everyone who has made this possible.”
Rodolfo Gonzalez (Best Lap: 1:30.944 / Total laps: 67): “Today has been an interesting experience. We had a difficult call to make earlier which didn’t worked as well as hoped on new tyres, but we are not a million miles away from where we want to be. We definitely learnt a lot today and know how improve for next time. Overall I am very happy to have had this opportunity and I would like to thank everyone at Caterham Team AirAsia and Team Lotus.”
Humphrey Corbett:  “It’s been a mixed day today we did a lot of background information work, simulation and tyre work on both cars that will help us for the future. Alexander finished the day P2 which is very satisfying, especially as he did it at the start of the session which was not necessarily the best time to try for but we thought it would simulate a qualifying time period. He drove exceptionally well and he was very happy with the race run we did. With Rodolfo we did some tyre temperature work which was very useful, he kept it on track and drove well so we are happy with that.”
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 楼主| 发表于 4-11-2011 10:03 AM | 显示全部楼层
Rossi to test for Team Lotus in Abu Dhabi
Added: Thu 3 Nov, 2011
Alexander Rossi to contest GP2 finale in Abu Dhabi with Caterham Team AirAsia & take part in F1 young driver test with Team Lotus

Hingham, UK - 3rd November 2011

Alexander Rossi will have a busy end to the 2011 season, competing for Caterham Team AirAsia in the forthcoming GP2 finale in Abu Dhabi and then taking part in the F1 young driver test for the GP2 team's senior counterparts Team Lotus.

The GP2 Series newcomer showed great pace in both recent GP2 tests at Barcelona and Jerez and finished the final test session P2 after just three days in the new car. The team have high hopes for the young American who adapted very quickly, proving he will be a strong contender in the GP2 2011 finale in Abu Dhabi, from 11th - 13th November. He will also be given the chance to take the next step up to F1 with one full day in the post-F1 race at the Yas Marina Circuit, taking place from 15th - 17th November.

Team Principal Riad Asmat: "We are very excited to have Alexander Rossi back onboard for the Abu Dhabi GP2 race and the subsequent F1 test. He worked very well with the GP2 team during the tests in Spain and it will be great to continue that working relationship in addition to giving him more exposure to the F1 environment with Team Lotus. He has shown maturity and confidence on track so the decision to put him in the car for the GP2 finale was a simple one to make and we want to give him the chance to experience the pressure of an F1 environment so the young driver test is the natural place to give him that chance. We are all looking forward to both events and I am sure he will perform to the best of his ability whenever he is on track."

Caterham Team AirAsia Team Manager Phill Spencer: "I am very happy Alexander will be joining our GP2 team again in Abu Dhabi. He has shown great potential in the car and built up a good rapport with the team and especially his engineer during the post season tests. We have come a long way since the beginning of this year, it has been a roller coaster season with some highs and lows but I feel confident that with Alexander we can finish 2011 on a positive note."

Alexander Rossi: "I am very excited to finally announce I will be competing in Abu Dhabi with Caterham Team AirAsia and will have the chance to put more F1 miles on my CV with Team Lotus. After the positive GP2 tests in Jerez and Barcelona I feel we have a good chance of a strong result in the GP2 races and I will definitely be going into the weekend fully focused and motivated for a race win - looking at the team's past results I see no reason why we can't achieve that. For the F1 test I will be looking to learn as much as possible, do the best job I can and soak up every minute, in and out of the car.

"The Yas Marina circuit is really pretty impressive. The track itself has some quite slow corners and not a great deal of overtaking opportunities, but it seems to combine a road course with a circuit course. In the first two sectors you can be quite brave with what you're doing but in the marina section there's very little run-off area as the walls are really close, so you have to restrain yourself somewhat. Every lap requires two different driving styles and that in itself makes it fun and very interesting to race for both the drivers and the engineers."


GP2 Schedule 11th - 13th November:
Friday:     1015 - 1100hrs Free practice / 1455 - 1525hrs Qualifying
Saturday: 1100 - 1205hrs Race 1 (1045 - 1050 pit lane open)
Sunday:   1330hrs Race 2 (1315 - 1320 pit lane open)

F1 young driver test
15th - 17th November
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