| Round details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 2 of 10 rounds in the 2010 GP2 Series | |||
 Circuit de Monaco | |||
| Location | Circuit de Monaco Monte Carlo,Monaco | ||
| Course | Street Course 3.34 km (2.08 mi) | ||
| Feature race | |||
| Date | 14 May 2010 | ||
| Laps | 42 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver |  Dani Clos | Racing Engineering | |
| Time | 1:37.572 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First |  Sergio Pérez | Barwa Addax Team | |
| Second |  Pastor Maldonado | Rapax | |
| Third | Dani Clos | Racing Engineering | |
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | Sergio Pérez[a] | Barwa Addax Team | |
| Time | 1:21.823 (on lap 25) | ||
| Sprint race | |||
| Date | 15 May 2010 | ||
| Laps | 30 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First |  Jérôme d'Ambrosio | DAMS | |
| Second |  Giedo van der Garde | Barwa Addax Team | |
| Third |  Jules Bianchi | ART Grand Prix | |
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |  Sam Bird | ART Grand Prix | |
| Time | 1:22.052 (on lap 6) | ||
The2010 Monaco GP2 round was aGP2 Series motor race held on May 14 and May 15, 2010 at theCircuit de Monaco inMonte Carlo,Monaco. It was the second race of the 2010 GP2 Season. The race was used to support the2010 Monaco Grand Prix. GP2's feeder formulaGP3 does not appear at this event, withFormula Renault 3.5 Series replacing it on the support bill.
Pastor Maldonado was fastest in free practice. This circuit is favorite for the Venezuelan, he won here in2006 Formula Renault 3.5 Series,2007 and2009GP2 Series. Maldonado was ahead ofSergio Pérez andChristian Vietoris by 0.441 seconds.Vladimir Arabadzhiev missed his car in Saint Devote and crashed his left rear into the wall, laterMax Chilton made same mistake at the same corner but he escaped on the track.[1]
Dani Clos claimed the top spot in heavy rain conditions ahead of Sergio Pérez and practice’s fastest man Pastor Maldonado, who crashed into the wall four minutes before the end of the session. This pole was the first in Clos's GP2 career.[2]Davide Valsecchi, who set seventh fastest time in qualifying got a five place grid penalty for his accident with Pastor Maldonado.[3]
Sergio Pérez took his maiden GP2 race win in the feature race at Monaco. TheBarwa Addax driver crossed the line 0.6s clear ofPastor Maldonado, although the margin did not reflect Pérez's dominance around the Monte Carlo streets. The Mexican had led by as much as 5.2s at some points of the race, although that was eroded by a safety car following aHo-Pin Tung's heavy crash at the Swimming Pool on lap 16. Pérez stretched his lead back out to well over 2.0s after the restart, but while he backed off over the closing laps, he never allowed Maldonado to get close enough to attempt at a pass. The pair moved into the top two spots at the start after capitalising on a slow getaway by polesitterDani Clos, although the Spaniard made up for it with a solid drive to third, giving him his third-straight point-scoring finish.ART'sJules Bianchi was fourth, the Frenchman making up a few spots with a well-timed pitstop, but he was forced to keep an eye on his mirrors due to some late-race pressure fromColoni'sAlberto Valerio. It was a less fruitful morning for Bianchi's team-mateSam Bird, who was on track for points until suffering a severe delay in the pits that dropped the Briton back in 15th.Giedo van der Garde was sixth after having early made one of the only passing moves of the race when he overtookDAMS'Jérôme d'Ambrosio, but the Belgian had the last laugh when he crossed the line in eighth behindLuiz Razia, giving himself pole for tomorrow's sprint race. In typicalMonaco fashion there were a few drivers whose race ended at the first corner.Max Chilton removed himself from the race by sailing into the back ofDavide Valsecchi, forcing Valsecchi into the pits for repairs to his rear wing, whileTrident'sAdrian Zaugg was also hit from behind and forced to retire. Valsecchi got back out, only to later tag the wall and bend his suspension, forcing him to park. Having already lost Chilton at the first corner,Ocean Racing had to wait just one more lap before it could begin packing up afterFabio Leimer crashed at Mirabeau, and Coloni'sVladimir Arabadzhiev was also forced to retire with accident damage after a brush with the tyres.
Jérôme d'Ambrosio repeated Sergio Pérez's earlier feat by winning his first GP2 race in the Sprint Race at Monaco. TheRenault Junior Team driver led all the way from pole, but his early efforts to build a lead were dashed when Coloni'sAlberto Valerio andArden'sRodolfo González crashed simultaneously at different parts of the circuit and prompted a safety car. That brought D'Ambrosio back within range ofGiedo van der Garde, and he had the Addax car in his mirrors for virtually the rest of the race, finally crossing the line just 0.3 seconds clear. There was a lot of scrapping behind them for third place, which eventually went to ART'sJules Bianchi after a determined drive and a couple of brave passing moves.Rapax'sLuiz Razia had been on target for the final podium place for most of the race, but after seeing off an early challenge from Valerio (which ended with Valerio hitting the wall at the chicane), he soon found himself under pressure from Bianchi. The Frenchman eventually found a way past, while Razia lost another spot when he made a mistake on the penultimate lap and allowed Trident'sJohnny Cecotto to slip past into fourth. Race 1 winnerSergio Pérez took the final point for sixth. Much like theGrand Prix would be, the race had many incidents, starting withDani Clos ripping a wheel off on the barriers on lap nine and endingRacing Engineering's interest in the afternoon, withChristian Vietoris having failed to make the start due to an engine problem. There was also a number of drivethrough penalties, with the victims includingPastor Maldonado and Rodriguez for a jump start andOliver Turvey,Davide Valsecchi, andFabio Leimer for cutting the first corner at the start. Sam Bird got the point for fastest lap.
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| Previous round: 2010 Catalunya GP2 Series round | GP2 Series 2010 season | Next round: 2010 Istanbul Park GP2 Series round |
| Previous round: 2009 Monaco GP2 Series round | Monaco GP2 Series round | Next round: 2011 Monaco GP2 Series round |
