Coloni is ready for Abu Dhabi

Scuderia Coloni is ready to tackle the GP2 Asia restart. The winter edition of the GP2 championship will indeed be back on track this weekend at Abu Dhabi, after a long break that everybody, from managers to engineers and drivers, used to relax in order to come back in their best possible shape.

The race weekend will be again held on the Yas Marina Circuit. The futuristic structure already hosted the first race of the new season, at the start of November, and compared to then Scuderia Coloni’s technical staff will have a better knowledge of the circuit thanks to a full three days of racing. That will be good because in the 5.5 kilometres of its layout, the Yas Marina track includes every challenge a driver can possibly meet on a racetrack: fast sweepers, slow corners and mixed sections, as well as the longest straight of the whole GP2 calendar, 1.2 kilometres at full-throttle followed by a staggering braking for the chicane.

The team staff already showed how well they can cope with the track with a good fifth place in qualifying in November, and that’s why the expectations for the race weekend are very high.

Besides that, the Abu Dhabi event will see the racing debut of Alberto Valerio with Scuderia Coloni. The brazilian driver, who will race with the Italian team also in the GP2 Main Series, will take advantage of the weekend to get acquainted with the way the team works, continuing the process started in the Jerez testing sessions in October.

“Betinho” will join Will Bratt, with the brit expected to keep on with the improving trend showed in the GP2 Main Series testing in Le Castellet.

Paolo Coloni: “The whole team looks forward to racing after the two months break. It will be a two way weekend for our drivers: on one side Alberto Valerio will have a taste of our working method during a race weekend and while doing that he will also have to learn the track, as he wasn’t in Abu Dhabi in November. We expect him to be calm and concentrated, taking advantage of the weekend to prepare for the series last two races. On the other side we expect a very consistent weekend from Will Bratt as his understanding with the team is very good and he knows the track’s secrets. We know what he is capable of, and we are sure that he will be among the top runners”.

Alberto Valerio: “I’m happy to be back in GP2, this time for Asia, and happy to be with Coloni for the first time in a race weekend! We did a great job in Jerez for winter testing and I hope to do the same in this event. This is a good opportunity to learn the track and be closer to the team”.

Will Bratt: “I’m looking forward to the weekend. For me the last race in Abu Dhabi wasn’t good enough, but since then we have had the chance to test in the Main Series car and I was very competitive in Paul Ricard. Therefore, although we are in the Asia car again, I would like to see this weekend a competitive pace and to be able to fight for podiums and to win. That is where we should be so I will work with the team to achieve it”.