With hard driving and strategy, Luca Ghiotto delivered a great recovery at Sepang ending up seventh. He will now be on the front row in the Sprint race. Philo Armand showcased consistent improvement, ending up in P19.Completing an outstanding recovery from the sixth row on the grid, Luca Ghiotto secured a positive seventh place finish in the opening race of the GP2 Series event at Sepang. The championship made its way back to the Malaysian venue after two years, and the Italian driver rose up to the occasion. A great race pace and an equally good strategy by Team Trident proved the key elements of his run. The Italian squad decided to use the harder Prime tires in the first part of the race before switching to the more aggressive compoung in the closing run which turned out as an important factor in the late comeback. “After qualifying I was really looking forward to the race” - explained the 21-year-old racer from Arzignano - “Unfortunately, in the crucial part of the session I was slowed down by several yellow flags and by the subsequent red flag after posting my two fastest sectors. I think I would have had a clean shot at the top-6.”

The Italian confirmed his great potential during the race, displaying his passing abilities. And the strategy provided him with a good advantage to rely on: “We definitely went for a brave choice starting with the harder tires and opting for a longer first stint. In the closing part of the race I went for some overtakes that ultimately handed me seventh place. I will be starting from the front row of the sprint race and I will continue to pursuit my goal to get as close as possible to the top-5 in standings”. Ghiotto was partnered by Indonesian team-mate Philo Armand, who provided an extremely consistent performance too. He finished P19 front of the many fans that came to support him from his home country.