Razia and Trummer face tough first race in Spa

Spa-Francorchamps is known for its fickle climate, but conditions were consistent today as GP2 teams returned to action following their one-month summer recess. Consistent, but horrible...

Luiz Razia

Photo by: xpb.cc

The free practice and qualifying sessions both took place on a treacherously slippery track. The first was red-flagged after Barwa Addax driver Johnny Cecotto crashed and the second began late because there was so much standing water on the circuit. Nor was it just the weather that posed a challenge: Arden International driver Luiz Razia was fourth fastest this morning, but was subsequently unable to match that performance and starts 19th tomorrow as he bids to defend his championship lead. Team-mate Simon Trummer also had a difficult time and qualified 24th.

Luiz Razia comments:

“This hasn’t been the best of days, clearly. This morning the car felt really good in free practice, with a nice balance, and I was confident that would carry over into qualifying. The track was a little bit drier in the afternoon, so we lowered the ride height slightly, but it wasn’t a big change and suddenly the car had massive understeer. We made a few alterations before the second run, but that made it oversteer! We simply didn’t find a balance, but we’ll look at the data and find a solution. On a positive note, overtaking is definitely possible at Spa so a points finish is feasible. That’s my target.”

Simon Trummer comments:

“I have raced at Spa before, but this is my first time here in a GP2 car and conditions were hardly ideal for learning. There was so much standing water that it was difficult to know how much grip was available and it was quite difficult to build confidence. Visibility wasn’t good at times, either, but I’ll put it down as one of those days. I’ve raced well from poor grid positions several times this season and feel sure things will be better tomorrow.”

Source: Arden International