Bahreïn, race 1: Kamui wins the drivers' title and Dams bags the team's crown!

Jérôme d’Ambrosio was the man of the race. He started from eleventh place and finished on the rostrum after picking off his rivals one-by-one. He also set the fastest lap in his amazing comeback. He scored 7 points today putting him fourth in the overall drivers’ ratings. He can move up another 2 places tomorrow.

This fantastic result gives DAMS the teams’ title as well. Since the start of the championship DAMS has worn the mantle of favourite and has never relaxed its efforts under pressure. The team has shown a calm professional approach. Today, it managed the race in masterful style and is justly rewarded for its efforts.

Jean-Paul Driot, Team Principal: It’s one of those very special days in the life of the DAMS team that makes it forget the difficulties! Heartiest congratulations to the whole squad, which has coped with this championship very well, and also to our drivers who have integrated themselves perfectly into our team. We’re going to celebrate this result in the manner it deserves! Then another challenge in the GP2 Series begins in two weeks, and we want to start where we left off in the Asian GP2 Series; namely, in front!”

Eric Boullier, team manager: “ Bravo to Kamui and Jérôme and bravo to the whole team for this result that we thoroughly deserve. We knew it was possible to win both titles today, and by not making any mistakes we’ve achieved our aim. That puts us in the best possible frame of mind from a psychological and technical point of view to tackle our next challenge - the 2009 GP2 Series.”

Kamui Kobayashi: 1st on the grid, 4th at the finish, 5th on the grid tomorrow
“At the start I lost four positions and I soon realised it would be difficult to make them up. So I decided to settle for a place and that strategy paid off. I’m delighted to have driven for such a professional team as DAMS, and I’d like to thank them for giving me a competitive car throughout the whole season. Bravo too to all the engineers and mechanics. Today’s double reward is richly deserved. Finally, I’d like to thank all those who’ve backed me in this campaign, in particular the Panasonic Toyota F1 team without whom none of this would have been possible.”

Jérôme d’Ambrosio: 11th on the grid, 3rd in today’s race, 6th on the grid tomorrow
“Given my grid position, it was obvious that I’d have a difficult race. But I decided to push and to seize the slightest opportunity. The car was absolutely perfect. I felt great behind the wheel and I was able to fight my way to the front. My pace, helped by a good strategy, gave me a rostrum finish. But GP2 Asia isn’t over yet and I really will do my best to shine tomorrow in the last race of the championship.”

Race 1 results :
    Pos Driver Team Time
     1. Diego Nunes Piquet GP 59m59.025s
     2. Roldan Rodriguez Piquet GP +4.906s
     3. Jerome D'Ambrosio DAMS +7.905s
     4. Kamui Kobayashi DAMS +15.282s
     5. Giedo van der Garde iSport +20.774s
     6. Sakon Yamamoto ART +31.624s
     7 Davide Rigon Trident +48.010s
     8. Luiz Razia Arden +50.923s
     9. Karun Chandhok Ocean +55.684s
    10. James Jakes Super Nova +55.853s
    11. Giacomo Ricci DPR +57.571s
    12. Sergio Perez Barwa +57.875s
    13. Michael Herck DPR +58.122s
    14. Marco Bonanomi Meritus +1m05.328s
    15. Javier Villa Super Nova +1m15.745s
    16. Davide Valsecchi Durango +1m18.479s
    17. Ricardo Teixeira Trident +1m28.508s
    18. Fabrizio Crestani Ocean + 1 lap
    19. Vitaly Petrov Barwa + 2 laps