STATUS GRAND PRIX COMPLETES MAIDEN GP2 QUALIFYING SESSION

Sakhir International Circuit, Bahrain – 17/04/15
Qualifying: 20:00 – 20:30
Car # 22 – Marlon Stockinger – P23 – 1:40.995
Car #23 –Richie Stanaway – P15 – 1:40.251
Weather: Air temp 21˚C / Track temp 35˚C – Dry
Tyres: P Zero Soft

With track temperatures in Bahrain tumbling this evening by almost 20 degrees from morning practice and a change from the medium to soft Pirelli tyre, qualifying was always going to be a challenge for Status Grand Prix’s GP2 rookies. Both drivers completed the session without complications and with just over a second covering the top 15 cars in the ultra-competitive Formula 1 feeder series, Status Grand Prix’s maiden GP2 race promises to be one to watch.

The team is pleased with the performance of both drivers and will now concentrate on their race strategy as temperatures are set to soar for tomorrow’s feature race at 13:10 local time.

Marlon Stockinger “My first GP2 qualifying session was quite difficult and I would obviously like to be higher up the grid for tomorrow’s race. I just didn’t expect that we would have so much extra grip this evening, I have a bit to learn about these soft compound tyres and getting the most out of them over one lap. The positive thing is that the balance of the car felt good.

“The race is long tomorrow, anything can happen. If we’re smart there is no reason why we can’t make up positions, so now I’m looking forward to that.”

Richie Stanaway “There was such a huge difference between practice and qualifying which is the hardest thing to adapt to as a rookie. I felt like we had the potential to be in the top half of the field but I just didn’t quite get the perfect lap together.

“I’m not too concerned about starting 15th as I think it’s going to be more about how we manage the tyres in this heat than where we start the race. The team is doing a good job so let’s see what we can achieve in our first race tomorrow”