Rossi completes first GP2 test with new team

Alexander Rossi

The 2015 GP2 Series year kicked off in Abu Dhabi at the Yas Marina Circuit with all teams attending the first of the two pre-season tests.


The first session took place on Monday morning and with the circuit suffering from dusty and windy conditions, most of the teams used the first two hours of the session to work on the set-up of their cars. Towards the end of the first morning Alexander went fastest with a time of 1:50.845s, a positive start to the three day test.

Throughout the afternoon times were nearly two seconds quicker as the circuit became clean and the drivers were more familiar with their cars. Once again both of the Racing Engineering drivers set very competitive times and with less than 30 minutes remaining Alexander put in a 1:49.474s, finishing day one in 9th fastest.



Tuesday’s morning session saw windy conditions again, with most teams concentrating on race simulations, at the end of which Alexander was 6th on 1:50.767s. 



Wednesday, the final day of testing, saw the morning session once again affected by windy conditions as well as two red flags, however the lap times fell further as many of the drivers fitted the super-soft Pirellis and went for some quick performance laps. Once again both the Racing Engineering drivers set competitive times and Alexander finished the session on 1:48.857s and 5th fastest.



The next and final pre-season test will take place at the Bahrain International Circuit from the 1st to 3rd of April.



Rossi in his new Racing Engineering ride

Sebastien Viger, Race Engineer:
"We had three busy days of testing here in Abu Dhabi and we had two new drivers in our cars. Alex topped the time sheets in the morning of the first day, and both drivers adapted quite well and quickly. Overall we worked well with both drivers and I think they were happy with the car, we discovered a lot of things on the car, which is important, and with the implementation of the DRS it will be interesting this year when it comes to strategy."



Alexander Rossi:
"Abu Dhabi was a very successful initial test and I felt right at home very quickly. Throughout the test we proved our pace, and covered a very broad run programme over the three days. Everyone in the team is extremely professional, focused and talented, and it’s a real privilege to drive for Racing Engineering. I'm looking forward to debriefing and training next week in preparation for the second testing session in Bahrain, which cannot come soon enough."