Romain Grosjean's GP2 Asia title success at Imola allowed his DAMS team to take a double title, with the French squad claiming the teams' title to add to Grosjean's drivers' title.
Despite a lack of running in free practice, Grosjean secured pole position for the feature race by going quickest in qualifying. He took a dominant victory in the feature race that gave him the lead in the drivers' standings.
He secured his second GP2 Asia title on the opening lap of the sprint race, as title rival Jules Bianchi was eliminated in a collision. Grosjean finished the race in fourth, though his day was slightly tainted as he was given a time penalty that dropped him to seventh.
This actually promoted teammate Pal Varhaug up into sixth, allowing the Norwegian rookie to score his first GP2 points finish.
The checkered flag also saw DAMS secure the teams' championship. In doing so, the team repeated its double success that it achieved in the 2008-09 GP2 Asia Series when its driver Kamui Kobayashi became champion.
Jean-Paul Driot, DAMS President, said: “In addition to the titles won today, we have the satisfaction of a job well done in the technical and mechanical areas combined with out-and-out performance. Romain and Pal have both fitted into the team perfectly, which has made things a lot easier. But we haven’t forgotten that our sights are set on the main GP2 Series. With this in mind, the titles we’ve added to our laurels here have reinforced our conviction that we’re on the right track.”
General Manager Loic David added: “It’s a great reward for the whole team and I’d like to give them my heartiest congratulations. The dice fell in our favour in the second race, but on Saturday we’d already done was necessary to be in the best possible position. Congratulations too to Pal who opened his score in only his second meeting. Other battles now await us in GP2 and this result has given our confidence a major boost!”
Grosjean said: “I’m over the moon with my second title. Once again I have to congratulate the whole team for doing a superb job after free practice, and I’d like to share this victory with them. It augurs well for the rest of the season in the main series. I can’t wait for it to begin, and I’m convinced that we have every chance of winning another title.”
Varhaug added: “First of all, I’m very happy for the team with the two titles we’ve won today. I’m also thrilled with my race and the fact that I’ve scored my first point. I’m feeling very optimistic for the coming season, and by improving my performance in qualifying I know I can score points for the team on a regular basis in the main GP2 Championship.”
