It is on this same Losail international circuit that the drivers of the CIP-GREEN POWER team met to compete in the second meeting of the season.
Despite a sometimes violent wind which brought sand onto the track, Kaito Toba once again distinguished himself on Friday by going directly to Q2 to start from 11th place on the grid.
In the leading group from the start, Kaito Toba led the proceedings on several occasions. But at the end of a fierce race during which aspiration played a crucial role, he arrived in fifth place, just over half a second behind the winner.
Maximilian Kofler, who started from the seventh row on the grid, had a breathtaking race. Ranked 14th, the Austrian finished 2.2 seconds from victory. A performance which was enough to delight Maximilian as he passed under the checkered flag.
The two CIP-GREEN POWER drivers will now meet in ten days on the Portimão circuit for the Portuguese GP.
Kaito Toba (5rd) : " It was a good week. On Friday we started well, but the conditions were quite bad. It was windy, very windy. On Saturday, in qualifying, I managed to adapt to these conditions, but I was not able to set a good time. I made a mistake and ended up starting from 11th place. In the race, I had a good feeling from the start and I tried to push every lap. In the last three laps I was sliding a lot. I tried to get on the podium, but it wasn't enough. It was a good race with very good sensations. I can't wait for the next meeting and continue working. "
Maximilian Kofler (14th) : " Today was a pretty good race. We managed to score two new points. I had a little trouble halfway through. I couldn't keep up the pace, but at the very end I was able to get closer to the leading group and finish just 2.2 seconds behind the winner. I managed to gain 20 seconds compared to last week, which is a big step. I'm pretty happy with that and I hope to continue working like that. »
Alain Bronec (Team Owner) : “ Another excellent weekend from the CIP-GREEN POWER team. Despite difficult conditions during practice, Kaito was able to qualify in 11th position and Maximilian set the 20th fastest time. The race was very competitive with some great battles. Kaito came out on top several times. We are very satisfied with his attitude during the race and it shows a great ability to adapt. He took 6th place in the world championship. Maximilian, for his part, gained places to move up to 15th position, then 14th. Maximilian's very good performance lies in the fact that he finished just 2.2 seconds behind the first. We are leaving Qatar satisfied since our two drivers scored points at the end of both events despite sometimes extreme conditions. See you in Portugal! »
