Alvaro Parente on a cloud

Alvaro Parente, by taking pole position on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, was not sure of anything this Saturday. After Lucas di Grassi's penalty, demoted on the grid from 2nd to 5th place, Nico Hulkenberg on the heels of the Portuguese. The latter could expect a difficult race, knowing the speed of the German and the performance of the ART Grand Prix team. But the Ocean Racing Technology driver was able to show astonishing consistency. “ Everything went perfectly, declared Parente after the race. We were unbeatable today as demonstrated by the fact that I was constantly faster than my opponents. At one point there was oil on the track and I felt there was no need to take unnecessary risks, so I eased off. But everything else about the race was perfect, including the pit stop. »

The reward is great for Ocean Racing Technology, which is experiencing its first season in the GP2 Series. The team's directors, Tiago Monteiro and José Guedes, were also pleased with this success, which highlights the small Lusitanian team. “ All members of the team, drivers, engineers and mechanics, fought to achieve this victory, confided the two men. This is a fabulous result for our first year in this championship where our performances have reached an excellent level. » For the second race, Ocean Racing will have to expect a more difficult test, with a start in eighth position for Alvaro Parente and a seventeenth place for Karun Chandhok.