Stefano Coletti takes dominant victory in GP2 Sprint Race in Abu Dhabi

Stefano Coletti took victory in the Sprint Race in Abu Dhabi as the GP2 season concluded with a rather tame affair.

The Monegasque driver seized the lead into Turn One as he capitalised on an overly aggressive defence from poleman Arthur Pic on the fast starting Stephane Richelmi to sweep around the outside of both. That would be the last the pack would see of the Racing Engineering driver as he took a dominant win.

With the championship decided in Russia the focus was on the fight for second between McLaren junior Stoffel Vandoorne and Sauber-bound Felipe Nasr. The Belgian had moved into the runner-up spot with victory on Saturday and held a nine point advantage over the Brazilian heading into the race. 

Nasr jumped from fifth to third in the opening sequence of corners and would make that second at Turn 11 with a late move on Pic. Vandoorne meanwhile hadn’t been as aggressive and was languishing on the outskirts of the points in seventh – his one gain coming as Jolyon Palmer spun out of the race trying to avoid the rear of Mitch Evans’ Russian Time car.

Vandoorne set the fastest lap of the race on lap 16 to pick up four bonus points and make Nasr’s task even more difficult. “You can either win or set the fastest lap,” the Carlin team told the Brazilian over the radio.

However, with two laps to go Vandoorne cemented his runner-up spot with a lovely move on the brakes around the outside of Johnny Cecotto to take sixth at Turn Eight.

It rounded off an impressive rookie campaign for Vandoorne who could now be an outside bet for a McLaren race seat in 2015, although another year in GP2 seems more likely.

GP2 Sprint Race – Abu Dhabi
1) Stefano Coletti (MON) – Racing Engineering – 41:37.752
2) Felipe Nasr (BRA) – Carlin - +3.787
3) Arthur Pic (FRA) – Campos Racing - +5.357
4) Stephane Richelmi (MON) – DAMS - +9.288
5) Mitch Evans (NZL) – Russian Time - +12.701
6) Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL) – ART Grand Prix - +13.764
7) Johnny Cecotto (VEN) – Trident - +18.708
8) Raffaele Marciello (ITA) – Racing Engineering - +19.217
9) Sergio Canamasas (ESP) – Trident - +24.383
10) Takuya Izawa (JAP) – ART Grand Prix - +29.345

Selected others
14) Jon Lancaster (GBR) – Hilmer Motorsport - +36.411
Jolyon Palmer (GBR) – DAMS – Not classified

Drivers’ Championship
1) Jolyon Palmer – 276
2) Stoffel Vandoorne – 227
3) Felipe Nasr – 224
4) Mitch Evans – 172
5) Johnny Cecotto - 138