Sentul – Asia Qualifying – Petrov Happy in Rainy Weather

Vitaly Petrov may have made the best decision of his young career this Saturday. Perhaps lucky but no less deserving, the Campos driver will start in pole position for the first time in his career, on the Sentul circuit (Indonesia) for the second round of the GP2 Asia season.

The Russian, by choosing to start on slick tires on a wet track at the very beginning of the qualifying session, was able to set the fastest time today, but just a few minutes before the downpour.

His opponents, waiting a few minutes before setting off, were ultimately only able to leave an hour later, as the track officials decided to block access to the circuit, which was flooded in just a few minutes.

« I am very happy, we certainly made the right decision, » said the Russian. « Then I was able to stay in the pits for a good part of the session because the track was so wet, while my colleagues had to do their laps. »

By avoiding the rain and the wet track, Petrov leads the second, Luca Filippi, by more than 3 seconds. Adrian Valles is third, a tenth faster than the Frenchman currently leading the championship, Romain Grosjean.

The French-Swiss driver experienced an eventful session, spinning out and getting his car stuck in the gravel. However, as it was in a dangerous spot, the track marshals helped him get back on track to set his 4th fastest time in the very last minutes.

Herck was also a victim of a spin, causing the session’s second red flag and the withdrawal of the FMS driver, while the other drivers remained very cautious.

The strong contenders after the first round of the championship are currently in 5th and 7th positions with Fairuz Fauzy and Karun Chandhok.

Ben Hanley, who is having his first GP2 weekend, is only 18th with Campos.

GP2 ASIA – Indonesia – Qualification – Top 10