Arthur Pic concluded his debut GP2 campaign with a flourish in Abu Dhabi last weekend (21-23 November) by securing a third podium finish of the year in Sunday’s Sprint Race.

The Campos driver also took eighth place in Saturday’s Feature contest, continuing a fantastic run that has seen him pick up points in six successive races.

Having agreed to continue with the Spanish squad in 2015, Pic approached the season-closing round looking to sign off with another strong performance at the Yas Marina circuit. And he was immediately on the pace, posting the third quickest time in Friday morning’s free practice.

Unfortunately, Pic was unable to maintain this performance during the afternoon’s qualifying session as problems with the super-soft tyres forced him to settle for seventh on the gird.

Come Saturday’s main event he made a strong start and delivered a solid first stint. On lap seven the Frenchman ducked into the pit-lane to take on medium compound tyres after electing to stop one lap after his rivals.

Unfortunately this gamble did not pay off as Pic lost places to Johnny Cecotto Jr. and Stefano Coletti. With the pit-stop phase over, the 23-year-old made the most of his fresh rubber by upping the pace and closing on the Monegasque. The pair fought to the finish, with Pic ultimately taking the chequered flag just three tenths in arrears of the Racing Engineering driver.

Nevertheless he had reason to remain positive, with eighth handing the Frenchman pole position for Sunday’s Sprint Race. But, after warning signs on the formation lap when his car temporarily failed to move off the line, Pic suffered a troubled getaway and was caught out by fellow front row starter Coletti.

A few corners later he found himself under heavy pressure from a fast-starting Felipe Nasr, leading to another engaging on-track duel that the Brazilian eventually edged with a pass on the back straight.

After recovering from this early setback, Pic settled into a competitive pace and delivered a strong and consistent performance, pulling away from the chasing pack while also remaining in touch with the leaders.

Indeed, the Campos driver kept Nasr under pressure throughout the 22-lap race, but with his tyres degrading in the Brazilian’s dirty air he was unable to make the decisive move. He eventually chased the Carlin man across the line to bag his third rostrum finish of 2014.

“I was really happy to conclude my first GP2 season with another podium,” Pic reflected after the race. “Obviously having started on pole meant I was aiming for the win, but my getaway didn’t go as well as expected. The tyres were a bit worn and Coletti took advantage around the outside, although this involved exceeding the track limits slightly. I was then fighting a very aggressive Nasr into Turn 11. From here on in I had a clean run to the chequered flag.

“We made a small strategic mistake on Saturday by stopping a lap too late, but I’d prefer to reflect on the fact that we ended the season with six successive points finishes.

“Overall I’m very pleased with our performance in 2014,” enthused Pic. “After a strong start the real turning point came at Hockenheim, even though we ended up having a difficult weekend there. Apart from Spa, where the rain scuppered our chances, we were always at the front.

“So I want to thank everyone at the team. The year has gone really well and we’re looking forward to taking this momentum into the post-season and then coming back even stronger in 2015.”

Pic ends his maiden GP2 campaign seventh in the drivers’ standings with a win, two podiums and 11 points-paying finishes. In total, the Frenchman secured 124 of the 128 points scored by Campos to ensure their impressive return to the series following a five-year hiatus.

But there will be no chance for Pic and his team to rest. With the dust still settling on an eventful 2014 campaign, they will now take part in the post-season GP2 test held at Yas Marina this week (27-29 November).

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