Photo by: XPB Images
The Hungaroring circuit in Budapest is hosting the 9th round of the 2012 GP2 Series. The weekend entered its decisive stages today with the running of the feature race, the most important event on the schedule. The two drivers of Trident Racing, Julian Leal and Stéphane Richelmi, managed to end the race by cruising respectively to the 16th and 17th spot.
Richelmi, who took-off from the 10th row on the grid, drove a consistent race but paid the price of a first-lap melee due to a stuck car at the start. Leal started from the 22nd spot and immediately started to catch up. The Colombian's race was highlighted by a strategy that featured a late tire change. Julian managed to avoid mistakes in the middle part of his stint, when his tires were wearing out, as he put together a steady drive.
The closing race of the weekend at Budapest will take-off tomorrow at 10:30, with live coverage in Italy by top network RAI 2. Leal will start from the 8th row, followed in 17th by his team-mate Richelmi.
Julian Leal, 16.
"I started really well, but at the first corner I was forced onto the outside runoff area to avoid some cars that had collided out front. So I lost some spots and from the first few laps I started suffering from an annoying oversteer, which worsened as the tires started to wear out. When I caught the drivers who had already changed their tires, I decided to be really careful to avoid mistakes. I believe I defended my second position fairly, and with 12 laps to go I made it back to the pits for the tire change. When I made it back on-track I was fast, but by that time I had lost many positions and it's been impossible to regain a top-10 spot in such a few laps."
Stéphane Richelmi, 17.
“At the start I had a great run, but during the first lap Gonzalez, whom I had in front, touched with another car and I had to brake in avoidance. That cost me at least three positions, but I recovered well as I make up ground on the pack I had in front. I had a good pace although passing was almost impossible. Before the pit-stop I made a mistake that cost me several seconds, but after putting new tires on I recovered up to catch Leal's slipstream."
Source: Trident Racing
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