Dean Stoneman produced two strong GP2 performances in Bahrain as he continued to adapt to life in the F1 feeder series.

The Red Bull Junior, who finished sixth in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series last month, arrived at Bahrain eager to build on a solid GP2 debut in Sochi, where he picked up points in his first outing in the Carlin car.

Stoneman made a stunning start, making up five places only to be hit and spun from behind at turn eleven by former World Series rival Oliver Roland.

Roland apologised after the race, but this didn’t lessen the frustration for Stoneman who battled his way back to finish 21st.

The 25 year-old from Bishops Waltham said: “It was frustrating to get hit, especially after such a good start. My tyres were all but gone by the end of the race which prevented any hope of finishing in the points.”

Starting from 21st on the grid for race two, Stoneman again got a great start and stayed out of trouble in an incident-packed first lap.

From there, the Red Bull Junior steadily picked his way through the field, overtaking many established GP2 drivers to finish an impressive 12th.

It was another step towards understanding the GP2 car and lining himself up for the next race in Abu Dhabi this weekend.

“We have made some good progress,” he said. “I’ve been working hard with the team to overcome a couple of set-up issues to get the car to my liking.

“Carlin have been great and it’s good to be with a team with so much experience at this level.”