Photo by: XPB Images
Trident Racing pays the price of first-lap melee
The second round of the 2012 GP2 Series was rounded out today at the Al Sakhir racetrack in Barhain. Trident Racing's Julian Leal ended Race 2 in 17th, while Stéphane Richelmi was forced to retire after a first-lap contact.
Both drivers suffered from a multi-car contact at the first corner and the incident had a strong influence on how their race played out, as they saw their days compromised. Leal somehow managed to get back running, far away from his rivals, while Richelmi retired on the spot.
Trident Racing and the whole GP2 Series paddock won't be back in Europe. In just 4 days, teams and drivers will line-up at Al Sakhir again for the series' third 2012 event. The racing program will start on Friday with the running of qualifying and Race 1, while Race 2 will be run the following day, Saturday.
Stéphane Richelmi
“After the start I got to the first corner and held onto the inside line. I heard an huge bump at the back of my car and I ended up into the runoff area. I was sure that the car would have exited from it with some damage so I got out immediately. After the race I discovered that it was still in one piece, just with the anti-stall system on. I'm sorry for not having profited from the chance to log some kilometers. I hope to strike back in the next event starting in a couple of days here in Bahrain."
Julian Leal
“The first corner has been a mess for me too. I was hit from behind and I ended up spinning, with the resulting damage to tires. In order to get back on-track I brutalized the rear ones even more and I think that it compromised my chances in the second half of the race."
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Ghiotto, Smith headline eight-man Ginetta test roster
Points-leading LMP2 squad faces “tricky situation” at Le Mans
WEC LMP2 field set as Richelmi joins DC Racing
The five key stages in Bortoleto's 2023 Formula 3 title charge
The Alonso protege emulating his mentor by stunning F3
F3 Australia: Bortoleto wins back-to-back feature races
The plot twist that gave Arrow McLaren’s Ward his first win as team principal
WRC looking to add F1-style team radio to TV broadcasts
Formula E’s new Gen3 Evo car breaks cover
Adrian Newey set to leave Red Bull F1 team
Why Alpine’s rigorous training camp yields telling insights into its juniors
Can F2's relaxed title favourite prove a point to Alpine?
Why F1's junior logjam isn't entirely a product of current issues
The brightest lights in F2's departing six-year warhorse
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments