Arthur Pic looked odds-on to score a first GP2 Series victory around the streets of Monte Carlo this weekend (May 21-23) before a well-executed strategy and his weekend as a whole were compromised by a mid-Feature Race Virtual Safety Car period.

But despite his undoubted frustration, the Frenchman still left the Principality buoyed by a performance that included race-winning pace, two points finishes for fourth and sixth, second fastest time in his qualifying group and P1 in free practice.

Having topped the times on a dry Thursday morning, Pic headed into qualifying confident of mounting a challenge for pole. And despite heavy rain necessitating late set-up changes, he was still able to record the second fastest time in his group – a remarkable feat given that his best time came after bending a track rod against the barriers.

Monaco’s unique qualifying procedure meant the Campos Racing driver actually lined up third for Friday’s 40-lap Feature Race, and a solid start helped him maintain that place into Sainte Devote on the opening lap.

It wasn’t long before race leader Raffaele Marciello, Alexander Rossi, Pic and Stoffel Vandoorne were running nose-to-tail out front having broken clear of the chasing pack. While Rossi and Vandoorne’s prime tyres would allow them to run much longer, both Pic and Marciello’s softer rubber required an earlier tyre change.

That was the case on lap 13, when a swift stop allowed Pic to leapfrog his Italian rival through the pit sequence. Although now nowhere near the leaders on track, a series of fast laps brought the gap down from around 30 seconds to 24, less than the required time to stop for tyres.

That suggests Pic would have been well placed to grab the lead had Rossi and Vandoorne pitted under race conditions. But the intervention of a Virtual Safety Car on lap 20 offered the lifeline they required to get in and out in plenty of time.

Not only did that ruin Pic’s chances of victory but it also compromised his podium bid as a number of drivers he would have easily leapfrogged emerged ahead. Sergio Canamasas’ well-timed lunge on much fresher and faster tyres at Sainte Devote only compounded Pic’s frustration further en route to an eventual fourth place.

That translated into fifth on the reverse grid for Saturday’s Sprint Race which, without pit-stops, is often a processional affair at Monaco. And so it proved for Pic who, after being clattered by Rossi at the first corner and losing a place as a result, was powerless to make any progress through the field.

“There’s no doubt we had the pace and strategy to win the Feature Race,” said Arthur afterwards. “The car performed very well on both tyre compounds and I had the gap down to a point where I knew we’d jump the leaders when they pitted. There’s always a good chance of a Safety Car at Monaco but you can’t factor that into the strategy. A proper full caution would have actually worked in our favour but unfortunately the Virtual SC swung the advantage back the other way. It cost us around 15 seconds in all. There was nothing I could do.

“The Sprint Race is often processional and, after being hit at the start, I knew there was little chance of passing Julian Leal without taking a big risk. Sometimes it’s better to keep what you have. In the end I preferred to set the fastest lap and take the additional points for that, but I just missed out. It was worth a try and less risky than a pass.

“Naturally I’m disappointed not to have won on Friday but at least we can look back on a job well done. Both the team and car were fantastic, and we’ve scored our first ‘big’ points of the season. We’re in a good place ahead of Austria, where we went well last season.”

Round four of the 2015 GP2 Series takes place at the Red Bull Ring on June 19-21.

For more information on Arthur Pic please visit www.arthurpic.com