Bahrain 2 Race 2 - press conference

Giacomo, congratulations on this superb win today. You were untouchable!

Giacomo Ricci: Unbelievable day for me and my DPR. We did a really good job. My car was really fast and I made a very good start. I was first after the first corner. And then I pushed really hard to make a little gap with Sam Bird. I slowed down a bit in the middle part of the race and then I pushed hard again for the end. I extended my lead, enough to be safe for the end of the race.

You made it look so easy today. How was it in the car?

Ricci: You know, the last five laps I thought “Wait! I’m leading!” That was the first time in GP2… I tried to not make a mistake, but the good thing was that I had no one behind, so I was not under pressure. But I’m so happy with the team, my mechanics and the engineer. And I am glad to race with DPR.

You lost second place in the Series for just one point…

Ricci: In any case, I’m happy like this. I was not expecting to be third to begin with. I’m really happy like this.

DPR have made great progress this season. Have you found something on the car?

Ricci: Honestly, I don’t know what change we’ve made on the car. I think, the real important change is the team in general. It’s completely different now. Our owner made some decisions and here are the results. Everybody work really hard on both cars and that’s really good. Let’s hope we can keep the momentum for the European season!

Sam, congratulations on your first podium. You took second place at the start and after that you couldn’t catch Ricci…

Sam Bird: First of all, it’s great to get my first podium. I’d like to thank the team for a good job this weekend. I thought I had the ultimate speed. However, I used the tyres a bit too quickly. It’s a shame I couldn’t go for the win. I would have liked to, but a first podium is good. Now we are looking forward to Europe.

It’s been an uneven season for you. You showed strong pace in the first event in Abu Dhabi. Then you had two challenging events until you came back stronger this weekend. How can you explain that?

Bird: I’ve been there all along. It’s just that I’ve had some slight drama along the way. In the second round, I got crashed into the first corner at the first race and in the sprint race the clutch went. Two weeks ago, the car was really difficult in the first race. I was 8th most of the time and then I dropped off. In the second race, I came fourth. I’ve been there all the time, but a couple of drama stopped me from performing a bit better. Had they not had happened; I would have finished higher in the standings. But I think it’s good to make mistakes now and learn from them before the European Series.

Do you think the Asia Series was a good training ground for the European Series?

Bird: Exactly. I’m bonding with the team very well. I’m learning and we are learning how we work together. We keep on improving and improving. I think we’ll be strong in Europe now.

Alvaro, you must be thrilled to be back on the podium today…

Alvaro Parente: Yes. This is a fantastic result! I am very glad that Coloni called me to join the team. We had some problems two weeks ago and we were a bit unlucky, but the pace was there and it was just a matter of adjusting things a little bit. That’s what we did this weekend and finishing fourth yesterday and third today is very satisfying. Especially after the tough couple of months I’ve had with losing the third drive at Virgin, it is fantastic to be at the wheel of a GP2 car again and get strong results.

During this race, you took third in the first corner and after that Bird was too far away while Valsecchi was never a threat…

Parente: I had a good start and after that he pace was there enough to keep Valsecchi at bay, but not enough to threaten Bird. It was still a tough race: staying on the pace, looking out for the tyres and not make any mistakes. I’m very happy with this result and for Coloni as well. I hope this will help me for this season.

Can you tell us your plans for 2010?

Parente: Well at the moment, it’s very difficult. I’m talking to people and I’m trying very hard to find solutions… But what’s really great is that I have received and keep receiving amazing support from Portuguese people. They are always behind me and trying to push and help me. I am very grateful to them and I hope they will continue to show me this support. I need it and I really appreciate it.