In Great Britain, weather conditions often prove unpredictable, and the GP2 Main Series qualifying at Silverstone hasn't been an exception. At the British venue, it's been rain to change the outlook of qualifying and as it turned out, the starting grid proved highly conditioned by it. After having scored the 4th fastest laptime in practice, Davide Valsecchi couldn't manage more than 12th in the PM timed session. The grid was actually shaped up in the first 8 minutes, because then the rain intensified and prevented everybody to improve their marks.

“It's been a tough session – explained Davide – but I was looking forward to a chance to qualify on one of the front rows. Unfortunately, we paid an high price for the decision to start the session on old tires, as we subsequently lost the chance to profit from the new ones. It's a pity but we got a long weekend, and I hope to recover some spot on Race Day.”

The weekend scheduled at the British venue will continue saturday with the running of Race 1. The start is set for 15:40 CET, as the race will unfold on a 29-lap distance (with live TV coverage in Italy by RaiSport1). The Silverstone event will be rounded out by Race 2, set for Sunday at 10:30 (RAI2).

The results scored at Silverstone have not been the same expected by Davide Valsecchi at the start of the championship's British round. After the hard luck suffered yesterday in qualifying, the car's race 1 performance hasn't been perfect due to a set-up which did not suit the tough weather conditions that hit the venue. The race started under a thick rain, with wet tires, but then the track started to dry, forcing everybody to move to slicks, but the situation didn't improve.

“We suffered from lack of traction with all kinds of track conditions – said Davide – on the wet I kept losing tons of seconds compared to the fastest drivers, and when we moved to slicks the situation did not improve. In the final laps I saw that the tire thread was almost intact and that proved the set-up was too conservative and we didn't take advantage of the full potential of the tires. It's a pity, I thought I could have scored some much better results this weekend.” The closing race of the Silverstone weekend is scheduled for tomorrow on a 23-lap distance, with the start set for 10:30 CET. Davide will take-off from the 14th spot. The RAI network will provide live coverage of the races in Italy.

It's been a tough weekend for Davide Valsecchi, as he ended up race 2 of the GP2 Main Series weekend at Silverstone. In the closing race of the British round, the car's performance was far from optimal, with virtually no chance to fight for a points spot.

“Today's problem has been the same as yesterday, the lack of grip. Something quite big didn't work this weekend and I'm disappointed to have missed the chanche for a points spot. After practice, the overall performance started to fade. I hope everything will be alright for the next round...”

The GP2 Main Series will be back on-track in two weeks on the German Nurburgring racetrack, for the sixth round of the 2011 season.