Razia on the podium after his victory - Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/GP2 Series Media Service
Luiz Razia celebrated his first GP2 Series win since 2009 in the season opener in Malaysia, declaring it a 'good day', although he was quick to focus on Sunday's sprint race.
“I made a very good start and was able to open a sizeable lead during the first six laps,” said the Arden International driver.
“I tried to maintain a consistent pace, to extend tyre life, and radioed in to make a pit stop just before half-distance, as soon as I sensed that the tyres were starting to go off a little. We just fitted fresh rears, which was the correct call, and after that I ran at a slightly reduced pace to keep my tyres fresh at the end, just in case.
“Davide was very quick in the middle of the race, but less so towards the end and I was able to finish without any pressure. It was still very difficult, though, trying to adopt a sensible pace and monitoring what tyre strategies our rivals adopted.
“It has been a good day and I am now focusing on tomorrow. I hope to make another good start and will see how things progress. It will be tough making a single set of tyres last, so astute judgment will again be critical.”
Teammate Simon Trummer finished his first GP2 championship race in 21st place, having been hit on the opening lap.
“I got away well and had passed several cars by the time I reached Turn Four, but somebody then hit me from behind,” said Trummer.
“That caused damage to the rear of the car and upset the balance, so I made an early tyre stop and we changed all four wheels. My pace was quite good after that. I'm happy to have finished, but less so about the incident at the start. I hope to do better tomorrow.”
