Clos wins race, Grosjean takes title
Dani Clos won the GP2 Asia finale at Imola on Sunday, while Romain Grosjean sealed the title with fourth place after Jules Bianchi was taken out at the start
Race winner Clos grabbed the lead straight away, as polesitter Fairuz Fauzy (Super Nova) bogged down when the red lights went out.
Fauzy lost several places, and he then locked up going into the first corner. He ran into the back of Trident's Stefano Coletti, who could not avoid hitting title contender Bianchi's ART car.
Bianchi's retirement guaranteed Grosjean a second Asia series title, leaving the DAMS driver only to worry about fighting for a podium spot.
He was fourth after the first-lap incidents, chasing Giedo van der Garde (Addax), who had made his second very fast getaway of the weekend from seventh on the grid.
Grosjean seemed to have the edge over the Dutchman, but he could not find a way through and eventually had to turn his attention to defending fourth place from ART's Esteban Gutierrez.
The Mexican attacked the new champion into the Variante Alta chicane with two laps to go, but Grosjean held on to the place as both cars went across the grass.
Up front, Clos (Racing Engineering) was unable to break clear of Fabio Leimer (Rapax) in second throughout the race. But every time the Swiss driver closed, Clos was able to respond and get himself some breathing space.
Behind the leaders, the final point for sixth place went to Coloni's Michael Herck, who moved up when Rodolfo Gonzalez retired his Trident car mid-race.
Herck had briefly slipped behind iSport's Marcus Ericsson as well, but the Swede went off after attacking Gonzalez down the outside into Tamburello on lap five.
Results - 25 laps:
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Dani Clos Racing Engineering 37m25.901s
2. Fabio Leimer Rapax + 0.931s
3. Giedo van der Garde Addax + 4.007s
4. Romain Grosjean DAMS + 7.826s
5. Esteban Gutierrez ART + 8.366s
6. Michael Herck Coloni + 15.312s
7. Pal Varhaug DAMS + 27.415s
8. Oliver Turvey Ocean + 29.294s
9. Josef Kral Arden + 29.721s
10. Luca Filippi Coloni + 30.139s
11. Charles Pic Addax + 32.505s
12. Andrea Caldarelli Ocean + 36.006s
13. Nathanael Berthon Racing Engineering + 36.893s
14. Luiz Razia AirAsia + 38.998s
15. Max Chilton Carlin + 39.815s
16. Marcus Ericsson iSport + 40.192s
17. Davide Valsecchi AirAsia + 42.100s
18. Julian Leal Rapax + 1m05.466s
19. Johnny Cecotto Super Nova + 1 lap
20. Mikhail Aleshin Carlin + 1 lap
Retirements:
Sam Bird iSport 20 laps
Rodolfo Gonzalez Trident 14 laps
Stefano Coletti Trident 0 laps
Jolyon Palmer Arden 0 laps
Jules Bianchi ART 0 laps
Fairuz Fauzy Super Nova 0 laps
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