Jules Bianchi stormed to victory at the opening-race of the 2011 GP2 Asia Series in Abu Dhabi this afternoon. The Lotus Art driver took the lead from Romain Grosjean as the lights went out, and was able to match his compatriot throughout the race, before pulling away substantially in the closing laps.
The start of the race failed to pass without incident, as Luiz Razia and Dani Clos collided heavily before making turn one. Racing Engineering driver Clos stalled his car on the grid, with Razia unable to avoid the Spaniard, taking off into the wall. Pal Varhaug was also a victim of the incident, being forced to retire for his DAMS team.
After a long clean-up procedure, the race got back underway with Bianchi leading from Grosjean at the restart. A succession of strong laps kept Grosjean in contention at the front, but a mistake from the Frenchman saw his early efforts hindered. Despite added pressure, Bianchi was able to hold onto the lead as the race progressed.
Markus Ericsson briefly took the lead when the pit-stop phase arrived, although Bianchi remained in control of the race. Grosjean picked up his pace and was able to apply pressure once again, putting in a strong performance at the front of the field. Despite this, he was unable to find a way into the lead in his DAMS machinery.
A final lap overtaking manoeuvre from Marcus Ericsson moved the Swedish driver up to fourth, after disposing of Giedo van der Garde. Bianchi finished the race almost seven seconds clear at the front, after a strong sequence of laps to end the race. Davide Valsecchi finished in third place, making the rostrum for Team AirAsia.
Saturday's Sprint Race begins at 5.05pm local time (GMT +4)
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GP2 Asia Series
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Jules Bianchi
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  J. Bianchi | Lotus ART | 1:22:04.643 |
| 2. | R. Grosjean | DAMS | +6.681 |
| 3. | D. Valsecchi | Team Air Asia | +12.794 |
| 4. | M. Ericsson | iSport | +14.001 |
| 5. | G. van der Garde | Barwa Addax | +15.198 |
| 6. | J. Kral | Arden | +20.601 |
| 7. | S. Bird | iSport | +24.412 |
| 8. | S. Coletti | Trident | +36.809 |
| 9. | C. Pic | Barwa Addax | +37.411 |
| 10. | F. Leimer | Rapax | +40.252 |
| Full results | |||
| Jules Bianchi | |||
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| More Jules Bianchi photos | |||
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