Senna romps to brilliant win in Monaco

Bruno Senna

Bruno Senna scored a well-judged first victory of the season in the opening GP2 Series race in Monaco. He grabbed the lead by making a searing start from the outside of the front row and remained in complete control thereafter. Closest challenger Pastor Maldonado (Piquet Sports) applied pressure to the leader throughout the race, but Senna kept his cool to finish 0.674s clear of the Venezuelan. His most worrying moment occurred on lap 27, when championship leader Giorgio Pantano (Racing Engineering) blocked the track after being tapped into a spin at Mirabeau. The iSport crew kept Bruno informed about the traffic jam ahead and he was able to pick his way through the carnage with minimal loss of time. He also scored a supplementary point for setting fastest race lap and the result has lifted him to second in the championship standings, just two points behind Pantano.

This was Bruno’s first success at the track where his late, great uncle Ayrton scored six grand prix victories – and he promises it won’t be the last.

Bruno Senna sprays the champagne like his late great uncle Ayrton did many times at Monaco

Bruno Senna

“This feels great. My car had good, consistent pace from start to finish and I was able to control the gap to Pastor. He kept coming at me, but I was always able to respond. I was trying to drive as quickly as I could without harming my tires and the tactic worked.

“I had plenty of warning about the incident at Mirabeau: the guys spoke to me on the radio and told me to stay left, because the track was clearer on that side. I was worried about having to stop for too long because the engine temperatures are quite marginal here, but in the end I was only delayed a few seconds. I couldn’t ease up at all, because Pastor was always close, but every aspect of the race worked well and I am grateful to the team for giving me such a good car.

“I’m delighted to score my maiden victory in Monaco. Rest assured, I have every intention of adding to that tally in future."

Results

Fastest lap time: Bruno Senna (iSport International) – 1:21.338 on lap 38