Team AirAsia Abu Dhabi race 2 review

Abu Dhabi International Circuit, Yas Island  GP2 Asia Race Two

Saturday 12th February 2011

Davide Valsecchi: P4

Luiz Razia: P16


P4 for Davide Valsecchi and P16 for Luiz Razia marked the end of a successful second race for Team AirAsia as they completed their first race weekend of the 2011 GP2 Asia Series season in Abu Dhabi. The four month old team now sits fourth in the 2011 Championship.



Davide Valsecchi (Race 2: P4 / total Abu Dhabi points scored: 9): “We had a good race today. I was hoping to fight for the podium; it’s a difficult track to pass on but we still managed to gain one position early on which is great. We’ve scored nine points this weekend so I’m very happy and I hope we can repeat this performance in Bahrain.


 I’m really looking forward to that race as I love the long track there. Before we leave Abu Dhabi I want to thank the whole team for doing such a great job here. We are a strong team and I’m really happy to be here and I hope we’re fighting for another podium at the next race in Bahrain.”


Luiz Razia (Race 2: P16 / total Abu Dhabi points scored: 0): “First of all I have to thank the whole team for all their hard work.  I am very grateful for the fantastic job they did to get my car back together and in race condition for today following the accident yesterday. It was good to finish my first race of 2011 - it’s not a great track to overtake on, but the car felt very good and I managed to pass a few cars throughout the sprint and rose up the grid to 16th.


 We have gained some useful information from the tyres to take a look at, so now I will debrief with my engineers and see how we plan to go about the next race in Bahrain. In our minds we are already preparing for qualifying, with the aim to get on the podium. That’s what we come for and that’s what we will be fighting for all season.”


Humphrey Corbett, Chief Engineer: “I am elated to have two cars finish the race today. Both drivers drove very well and once again we have collected points for the team. The boys have done an amazing job rebuilding the car and after a very long night of hard work the team pulled together to get ready for the race.


 If I am completely honest I was not sure we would finish the job in time, but we did and we have proved ourselves, so I’m very happy and immensely proud of the whole team.”


Phill Spencer, Team Manager: “It is a massive relief to have both cars finish the race today. I am really pleased for Luiz - his times were very good and he drove a very strong race making up a lot of places.


Overall I am really pleased for the entire team. We have had an excellent weekend and put in a lot of hard work and I am grateful to the whole team for the efforts they have made. Looking ahead to Bahrain we will go into those races with confidence. We are on a roll now so we are really looking forward to the next round!”



Riad Asmat, Team Principal: “It has been a good day for Team AirAsia. It was important for Luiz to get straight back in the car after such a big accident yesterday and he did a really good job, pushed hard to gain ten places and finished sixteenth from the back of the grid.


Davide also drove a good race to finish fourth to complete a great weekend all round. As a new team we have shown everyone our capabilities, our professional manner and, importantly, our passion. Now we move onto Bahrain where we hope to maintain those levels and fight for more podiums.”


- Team AirAsia -