No points for DAMS at Silverstone

This weekend, DAMS raced in the fifth round of the 2010 GP2 Series Championship on the Silverstone circuit in Great Britain.

The layout of the famous British track has been slightly modified, and the final section of the lap that is longer and quicker, required a period of adaptation. It was also slippery and dusty all weekend giving a low grip level.

Unfortunately, despite promising free practice sessions, the team was unable to optimise its performance in qualifying. Jérôme d’Ambrosio set the twelfth-fastest time, while Ho-Pin Tung damaged his car on Friday morning, and was not able to take to the track again until Saturday’s race. Despite pushing hard the drivers did not score any points. D’Ambrosio finished eleventh and Tung ran into mechanical problems.

On Sunday, things did not work out for DAMS either. The Belgian managed to hold on to ninth in the early laps, after which he dropped back two positions and finished eleventh. His team-mate pulled back nine places and saw the flag in fifteenth spot.

DAMS is now concentrating all its efforts on the next round on the Hockenheim circuit in Germany in two weeks’ time.

Loïc David, General Manager: “We’re really not very satisfied with this weekend’s results. Yet again we started too far back from the front, which is a real penalty in GP2, as the results of the first race determine the grid for race two. Both drivers did their best, but overtaking is almost impossible at Silverstone, and even if our pace in the races was good, fighting up through the field was mission impossible. We hope to get back on the right track at Hockenheim.”

Jérôme d’Ambrosio: “It’s another disappointing result for the team. However, we spare no effort and we work harder and harder at each race to try and reverse the tendency. We mustn’t allow ourselves to become demoralised by our latest results. We’re going to keep our nose to the grindstone and continue working. I’m convinced it’ll pay off in the end.”

Ho-Pin Tung: “A weekend to forget. I damaged my car by going over a kerb on Friday morning and the team had to build up a car around a new monocoque. I’d like to thank them for the huge effort they made. I was unable to take part in qualifying and I had to start from the last row. After a few laps my gearbox began to act up. It’s frustrating as most of the parts in it were new.”