GP2 SeriesOpen Wheel

Bird On Pole After Van Der Garde Is Penalised

1 Mins read

Just like one week ago in Barcelona the polesitter for the GP2 Series feature race at Monaco was decided after the session, as Giedo van der Garde was penalised, handing pole position to Sam Bird.

Van der Garde topped a chaotic qualifying session, where the Addax driver recorded the fastest time in the final moments having run into the back of Oliver Turvey only a few minutes earlier. Van der Garde would be handed a five-place grid penalty for the incident, dropping him to sixth on the grid.

Bird, who entered the Monaco round tied for the points lead with van der Garde, was also caught up in an incident, with iSport teammate Marcus Ericsson hitting him in the rear through the swimming pool towards the end of the session. The Swede was also handed a grid penalty that drops him to P20 on the grid.

Another big name driver to get in trouble was Romain Grosjean. The DAMS driver collected his teammate Pal Varhaug at the Rascasse, and qualified at the back of the grid as a result. He was handed a five-place grid penalty, though obviously this won't affect his starting position.

Jules Bianchi, who had his pole position taken away from him in Barcelona, will line up alongside Bird on the front row, with Davide Valsecchi third and Alvaro Parente fourth. Monegasque racer Stefano Coletti will start fifth, just ahead of van der Garde, with Josef Kral and Max Chilton rounding out the top eight.

1882 posts

About author
Peter joined the TCF team in September 2010 and covers GP2 and GP3 along with WTCC and Formula Two. You can find him on twitter at @PeteAllen_
Articles
Related posts
IndyCarOpen WheelOpinion

OPINION: Exhibition races have a place in IndyCar. The Thermal Club wasn't the right choice.

2 Mins read
IndyCar is racing this weekend, but not for points. That’s a sentence that hasn’t been written since 2008.
IndyCarOpen Wheel

Dale Coyne Racing adds Harvey, Braun and Siegel in split 2024 schedule

2 Mins read
After months of speculation, DCR announced its 2024 driver lineup on Tuesday, just three days before cars are on track for the first race of the IndyCar season.
IndyCarOpen Wheel

Marco Andretti returns to the #98 for 2024 Indy 500

1 Mins read
IndyCar veteran Marco Andretti will attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 this year the same way he has for the past three: as a one-off affair with Andretti Global’s (formerly Andretti Autosport) #98 car.