Pic of the bunch - Arden rookie grabs pole in Abu Dhabi

Arden International made a fine start to the second round of the 2009/10 GP2 Asia Series at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi. The team's 19-year-old Frenchman Charles Pic put in a late 1m 52.497s lap during the floodlit qualifying session to secure pole position for tomorrow afternoon's feature race. Pic, who has already signed to contest the main GP2 Series with Arden in 2010, was just 0.02s clear of fellow rookie Oliver Turvey (iSport), with championship leader Davide Valsecchi (iSport) an in-touch third.

Charles Pic (FRA, Arden International) celebrates his pole position Credit: Alastair Staley/GP2 Media

Completing an excellent day for Arden, its new Spanish recruit Javier Villa, 22, will line up sixth.

"This was easier than the last time I drove here. Back in November I had to learn the car and the track, but today I felt more comfortable. My engineer and I analysed my driving and we improved the car for the qualifying session. I have to say a big thank you to the team for dong such a great job. No matter how well today went, though, I do not anticipate an easy race. I had a few problems at the start last time we were here, but I will do my best tomorrow. I'm confident we can find a good race set-up and after that it will be down to me."

"I am very happy with my qualifying performance. It was not easy, because the circuit was still very dirty after the earlier sandstorm and there was lots of traffic. I only managed to find one good, clear lap but that was enough to showcase our potential. I am sure things will be even better tomorrow and I am confident that my first race with Arden will be a good one."

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