Filippi closes 2009 with dramatic win
Eurosport - Sun, 20 Sep 16:39:00 2009
Luca Filippi won the final race of the GP2 season in Portimao through a mixture of overtaking manoeuvres and penalties.
The Italian comfortably led home Sergio Perez and Javier Villa after starting seventh on the grid.
However Perez was handed a 25-second penalty after the race for overtaking the safety car and dropped to 11th position, allowing Villa to complete a one-two for Super Nova Racing.
The race winner dropped behind Perez at the first turn while pole-sitter Andreas Zuber led the field away with Davide Valsecchi, Lucas di Grassi and Kamui Kobayashi slotted in behind him.
Further back trouble brewed as Vitaly Petrov failed to get off the line and waved frantically; Michael Herck did not see the gesture and ran into the rear of the stricken vehicle, showering the front straight with debris and prompting a red flag period.
With those drivers undergoing medical checks away from the track the safety car was needed for a solitary lap before setting the field free.
Zuber was too keen to get going and overtook the safety car on the front straight, taking Valsecchi, Di Grassi, Kobayashi, champion Nico Huelkenberg and Pastor Maldonado with him.
A few minutes later all six drivers were handed a drive-through penalty as Zuber streaked away at the front.
Meanwhile Filippi sliced through the field like a hot knife through butter, easily disposing of Perez, Huelkenberg and Kobayashi before the penalties gave him clean air at the front.
He won from Perez by four seconds, with Villa an equal amount further back in third.
Dani Clos held on behind his countryman for fourth and his first points of the season despite constant pressure in the second half of the race by Alvaro Parente, who drove brilliantly in his local race and claimed two points.
Diego Nunes held off team-mate Giedo van der Garde to take the final points position of the year.
Results:
1. Luca Filippi Super Nova 1hr 01mins 55.822secs
2. Sergio Perez Arden +4.141s
3. Javier Villa Super Nova +8.351s
4. Dani Clos Racing Engineering +9.026s
5. Alvaro Parente Ocean +9.436s
6. Diego Nunes iSport +13.646s
7. Giedo van der Garde iSport +13.932s
8. Alberto Valerio Piquet GP +19.357s
9. Davide Rigon Trident +21.674s
10. Edoardo Mortara Arden +21.882s
11. Jérôme d'Ambrosio DAMS +24.031s
12. Andreas Zuber Coloni +30.244s
13. Karun Chandhok Ocean +33.425s
14. Davide Valsecchi Addax +33.869s
15. Lucas di Grassi Racing Engineering +34.790s
16. Nico Hulkenberg ART +35.036s
17. Luiz Razia Coloni +39.546s
18. Johnny Cecotto Jr DPR +50.684s
19. Kamui Kobayashi DAMS +51.728s
20. Pastor Maldonado ART +52.557s
21. Ricardo Teixiera Trident +1 lap
Did Not Finish
22. Roldan Rodriguez Piquet GP 5 laps completed
23. Vitaly Petrov Addax 0 laps completed
24. Michael Herck DPR 0 laps completed
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Comment 1 - 1 of 1
The Portuguese should not be allowed to hold an international race untill the stewards and marshalls get some proper training, they should get the British or Italian marshalls to show them how to move a car from the side of the track and how to operate a broom rather than kicking small pieces of carbon fibre around, also the pace car driver should be told to do just that run at pace and not wait untill the GP2 cars nearly hit him in the rear before getting out of the way resulting in the best drivers getting drive through penalties from the ever interfering stewards whilst Parent (the local boy) suddenly finishes in the points. Thanks you idiots for wrecking the last race of the season.
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