Hockenheim qualifying/race report

© GP2 Serie Media Service

Under blisteringly hot temperatures, still in the middle of the European heat wave, the GP2 series moved onto Germany for the second time this season. After a difficult French weekend, Clivio was hoping for much better things and it started out well with a positive practice session.

Qualifying – p16

Feeling happy with the set up of the car and the way in which it was handling, Clivio was very disappointed to ultimately end up 16 th at the end of the 30 minute qualifying session.

“Unfortunately I had to scrap my first flying lap as yellow flags came out for an incident involving Valles, and I was then blocked on my second attempt (and second set of new tyres) by another car which was on its warming up lap. Looking at the individual sector times, the team is confident that without these incidents I would have been in the top six so to be ten places further back is very disappointing. It’s not impossible to have a good result from here but it makes it much harder to move through to a points scoring position. As always though, I will do my best.”

Race 1 – Saturday, 29 th July

Clivio’s best was indeed good enough and he also had a bit of luck on his side as well. He maintained a very good race pace, together with a quick and efficient pit -stop by the DPR team. The 22-year-old worked his way steadily through the traffic in an action-packed race, avoiding all the dramas and incidents which claimed some of his competitors and was running in 9 th towards the closing stages of the race.

Clivio takes up the story, “This is a bit where the luck comes in to racing, and to be honest the chequered flag couldn’t have come at a better time! Nelson Piquet had been running just ahead of me but he had a fuel issue (we think he ran out) and didn’t finish so I was in the perfect position to take 8th and, with it, pole position for Sunday’s second race. I was pretty happy with that!”

Race 2 – Sunday, 30 th July

Unfortunately the pole position didn’t on this occasion translate into a race win for Clivio. The Monégasque led the field away with Lopez and Pantano close behind him but at the third corner, the Hairpin, Lopez went to the inside of the bend and, as Clivio was forced to give him room to pass, he ran wide. Pantano saw an opportunity and dived past him too but unfortunately tagged the DPR car while doing so. Clivio was helpless as the car spun off the track and out of the race. It was a desperate end to a race which had promised so much and a very disconsolate Clivio can now only look forward to next weekend in Hungary for a much better weekend of racing.