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22/05/13 Racing Engineering is ready to win again in Monaco. Round 4 of the 2013 GP2 Series sees the teams and drivers assemble at that most glamorous of racing circuits, Monaco... |
| Round 4 of the 2013 GP2 Series sees the teams and drivers assemble at that most glamorous of racing circuits, Monaco. Following on from the last round of the Series at Barcelona where luck was not on the side of Racing Engineering both Fabio Leimer and Julián Leal will be looking to be back in the points. Fabio has been very competitive at every round so far and his two wins in the Feature Races at Malaysia and Bahrain see the young Swiss driver lying 3rd in the 2013 Championship. Although Julián was not as competitive at Barcelona as he would have liked, he has shown in the first two rounds that he has a very good race pace and he will be looking for a podium finish this weekend. The tight and twisty Monaco circuit is a special challenge for the teams, as they must optimise the set-up of their cars, and for the drivers it is to race aggressively but without risking contact with the unforgiving Monaco barriers. Practice and qualifying will take place on Thursday with the Feature Race on Friday and the Sprint Race on Saturday. To help with the potential traffic problems, qualifying has been split into two sessions. For this weekend Pirelli will be providing the P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero Red supersoft tyres. This is the first time that the supersoft compound will be used in the 2013 GP2 season. |
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| Below Alfonso de Orléans-Borbón, president of Racing Engineering looks forward to this weekend at Monaco: After winning in Malaysia and Bahrain, Barcelona, Racing Engineering's home event, was not as positive for Fabio Leimer and the Spanish GP2 team. Well, the biggest problem was other drivers running into Fabio. We did not have the perfect car for qualifying in Barcelona, but it was good enough to be near the front. Our race set up was good, but if the car gets hit and consequently has to immediately come into the pits, it is difficult to race for a win. And if you are so far back in Race 1, the possibilities to score in Race 2 are very limited as well. Overall, the team did a good job, a pity about the driving from other drivers... This week sees the 4th round of the 2013 GP2 Series being held in Monaco. What makes Monaco so special and stick out so much compared to other events? It's like going to play at the casino...you just don't know with what you will end up with. Luck plays a big part at Monaco. Sadly, if driving standards stay as they’ve been during the last few races, the risk of seeing big accidents are quite high. Obviously being a street circuit, around a harbour full of mega-yachts, adds to the magic of the place. A win in Monaco is probably the most important win for a driver. Let’s hope our drivers make it to the top step. Another interesting point we have here in Monaco is that we will have the grid split into two for qualifying. Apart from reducing possible accidents, it will also allow drivers more space to attempt their fast lap. Could you talk us through the circuit along the roads of the Principality of Monaco? Which ones are the key areas? Being a very tight and twisty circuit, there are pretty much only two possible places to overtake, at St. Devote and at the exit of the tunnel. Attempting it anywhere else will surely end with various drivers in the barriers. It is a very unique circuit since it has a long tunnel, something no other circuit on the calendar has. It also has the Loews hairpin, the tightest corner of the F1 calendar and finally, the curves around the casino offer a backdrop to rival the portion around the yachts in the harbour. It is an extremely technical circuit, like no other. Even though Monaco is always a bit of a lottery, what are your expectations for the two Racing Engineering boys? We always work on going for a win at all our races, but in Monaco luck also needs to be added into the equation. I believe that if you manage to finish the race that in itself is already a great achievement. Most probably finishing in the points is too. So our main objective is to have both cars finish both races. Where we will end up at the end of the race is anyone's guess, although we have a car that will allow both of our drivers to go for the win.
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