DAMS doubles up!

DAMS ended the 2012 season in a blaze of glory! Thanks to the fifth and seventh places of Davide Valsecchi and Felipe Nasr in the final race of the season, DAMS won its first title in the GP2 Teams’ Championship. After the drivers’ crown clinched by Valsecchi yesterday, this new trophy is a fitting reward for the efforts and consistency of the French team, which has dominated the championship for two years.

DAMS was in a favourable position at the start of the final round as it had a 2-point lead over Lotus GP. All the more so as Felipe Nasr was in third place on the grid and Davide fifth with Esteban Gutierrez in seventh. Felipe fluffed his start when the lights went out and was overtaken by seven cars. Among them were Gutierrez and Valsecchi who shut the door on the Mexican under braking for the first corner.

The leaders of the two French squads were glued together for the rest of the race, even after the safety car period. Valsecchi again showed proof of his maturity by never leaving his rival the slightest opening. Behind, Nasr put on yet another of his last-minute charges and finished the race on Gutierrez’s tail. This helped clinch the second title of the weekend for DAMS.
After the team’s brilliant season in 2011 crowned by Romain Grosjean’s title, the French squad achieved an even higher-quality performance, namely: doing even better the following year. And in style. Rendezvous in 2013 for fresh adventures!

Jean-Paul Driot: “And there’s the cherry on the cake! Once again I would like to thank the whole team from the depths of my heart. Today it obtained a well-deserved reward for its incredible work. Also a big thank you to our two drivers who began today’s race with a real sense of team spirit. They showed their character, their talent and their strength and helped us to score our first team’s title in GP2, something that was missing from DAMS’s results. I think that the cohesion between the drivers, engineers and mechanics was what made the difference.”

Davide Valsecchi: “I’m really very happy to have given the team its second title. It deserves it as it has been the best this season. For me I cannot think of a better way to show my gratitude after winning the drivers’ title thanks to all their efforts.”

Felipe Nasr: “I’ve got mixed feelings. Obviously, I’m pleased about the teams’ title; it’s a great reward for the engineers, the mechanics and everybody in the team. I’m very frustrated at not having taken advantage of my position on the grid in the last round. The anti-stall system cut in and I was stuck on the spot. I was able to fight my way back but I wanted a better result. I’ve learned an enormous amount in GP2 this year and I hope to be fighting for the title next season.”

First test session for the 2013 season on the Montmelo circuit (Barcelona) on 30-31 October.