Data (GMT+8)ThursdayFree Practice: 16.05 – 16.35
FridayQualifying session: 15.55 – 16.25SaturdayFeature Race: 11.50 – 12.55SundaySprint Race: 11.20 – 12.10
Warm Up // Nabil Jeffri – Arden International “I think one of the most important challenges of Sepang circuit is the weather conditions: it’s going to be really tough as it is a tropical climate with high temperatures. I am used to that weather so I hope it will give me an advantage over the other drivers. Also, I’ve been driving on this track for many years so I know the layout quite well.“There are many opportunities to overtake: there are two long straights where it’s easy for passing. But the layout is also quite tricky with sweeping corners. You have every type of corners: slow, fast and more technical ones so I think it’s going to be a very interesting race.
“Sepang has got everything it takes to make life difficult for the tyres: fast corners with big lateral roads, high temperatures… I think we can expect a lot of tyre degradation. The compounds that Pirelli selected – Hard and Medium are a good choice due to the type of corners.“As it is my home race, my goal is to be in the Top 5 or at least in the Top 10. I think if I do a good qualifying it’s possible to achieve good results in both races.”
The StakesThe GP2 action resumes this weekend at Sepang International Circuit for the penultimate round of the 2016 season. The event will open on Thursday with the free practice session; qualifying will take place on Friday, whilst the Feature and Sprint races will happen on Saturday and Sunday respectively.Three weeks ago at Monza, Series leader Pierre Gasly got one step closer to the crown with a fourth place in Saturday’s Feature Race and a second place on Sunday. The Frenchman strengthened his Series lead after scoring 28 points over the weekend.His closest rival and teammate Antonio Giovinazzi also shined in Italy: the local hero survived an exclusion from the qualifying results which saw him having to start at the back of the grid for the Feature Race. The rookie was then able to slice his way through the field to win. The following day, he was back on the podium for more champagne, pocketing a third place. With 35 points added to his tally, Giovinazzi closed the gap in the drivers’ standings and now lies second, 10 points behind Gasly.Behind the PREMA pair in the standings, Raffaele Marciello retained third place thanks to another podium finish in the Feature Race but he failed to score more points on Sunday. It was a challenging weekend for Sergey Sirotkin: the Russian driver left Monza pointless and with a bruised ego. Both men will surely be on a mission this week in Malaysia where the paddock has set up camp.Sepang is a city known for its tropical climate. The uncertainty of the weather conditions will add to the show and may call for some strategy gambles. Because of the high temperatures and the fast corners, tyre management will again be crucial. Pirelli have selected Hard and Medium compounds.Pirelli’s racing manager Mario Isola says: “Sepang will be a new challenge for most of the young drivers in GP2 Series. In addition to learning the circuit, the heat and humidity will test them, and they will also have to think about how they manage their tyres because the track places such significant demands on them. To allow for this we have nominated the hard and medium compounds in GP2 Series but good tyre management will still be an important key to success as usual. Strategy will of course play a key part by adding an extra dimension to the Feature Race, while the threat of rain could also mix things up. It’s going to be very interesting to see the effect of the new surface on the track, which will make the free practice sessions particularly important.”Season Stats10 Series leader Pierre Gasly leads his teammate Antonio Giovinazzi by 10 points in the drivers’ standings (Gasly: 174 points – Giovinazzi: 164 points). 3 Number of drivers who have won a Feature Race from pole position (Antonio Giovinazzi in Baku – Pierre Gasly in Budapest – Sergey Sirotkin in Hockenheim).119 PREMA Racing leads Racing Engineering by 119 points in the teams’ standings after Round 9 (PREMA Racing: 338 points - Racing Engineering: 218 points). 27 Number of wins scored by Racing Engineering since they joined the Series.
Noteworthy
The last time the GP2 Series raced in Sepang was in 2013. Fabio Leimer (Racing Engineering) won the Feature Race and Stefano Coletti (Rapax) the Sprint Race.
In 2013, pole position was set by Stefano Coletti (Rapax) in a 1:44.280.
The Feature Race will run for 31 laps (171.833 km) and the Sprint Race will run over 22 laps (121.946km).
After Round 9, only 1 point separates Racing Engineering in second place from RUSSIAN TIME in third in the teams’ standings (Racing Engineering: 219 points – RUSSIAN TIME: 218 points).
To date, 6 teams have pocketed a win this season (ART Grand Prix, Racing Engineering, DAMS, Pertamina Campos Racing, RUSSIAN TIME, PREMA Racing).
There will be one driver change this week as Johnny Cecotto moves to Rapax in car #12 to replace Arthur Pic.
Jimmy Eriksson will not take part of the event. Arden International will not enter car #25 for this round.
