Formula 2 GP2 2014

Didn't follow GP2 in the past 2 years that hard. But i did youtube Canamasas. And I gotta say, I didn't expect to see that many incidents from one driver alone. Think he almost has an incident on every track on the calender.
 
To be fair, Nasr is right to be annoyed that Carlin brought him in for a drive through under Safety Car. Deserve to loose a title for that, even if it was ART/Vandoorne making a mess which finally won it for Palmer.
 
Not taking anything away from Palmer but can't help but feel we'd have had a far better championship fight if Vandorne had done his 'pirelli bedding in' races at the 3 or 4 at the end of GP2 2013 - Marchellio too. Not saying Palmer wouldn't have won it but once those two got up to speed about a third of the way through the season it became obvious they were up there with the best but Palmer had already got a massive lead on them.

Nasr has been throughly beaten this season and gone down in my estimation somewhat. Evans a little too.

Oh and just to keep you all interested in tomorrows race - Sergio Canamasas is starting from 2nd on the grid. Its got carnage written all over it.
 
Because that worked so well, didn't it? :whistle:

GP2 has comprehensively lost the "feeder series" tag that it used to have - if the last 2 champions haven't even had a sniff at an F1 seat, what chance does JP have?

In the unedifying scramble to sign the next Lewis or Seb, you end up with perfectly decent drivers getting canned after 1 or 2 seasons in uncompetitive machinery, while talent-vacuums still manage to hoover up seats that would be better used for the next GP2 champ (I'm looking at you, Pastor, Felipe, Esteban, and Adrian), while we get teenagers touted as "the next Senna" shoehorned uncomfortably into race seats after a season of PS3.

It fair makes me shake my head sadly, so it does...
 
Pastor is a GP2 champ. Esteban a GP3 champ. I get your point though.

There are two things killing GP2. Firstly the Pirreli tyres - gone are the days when a roomoe can come in and dominate all in front of him as the tyres are completely different to anything they race on at any other level. So it takes them a year or so to get the nack of them. Which brings me to point 2 that is killing it. The media and public obsession with instant success and its memory like a sive. In the real world Palmer has dobe things the right way. He's learnt his trade by compeating and getting gradually better. He's got to the point that he is the best in the field and is now ready to go up to the next level. Unfourtunatly because he wasn't an instant winner and because sponsors and the public have goldfish memories he is already being looked at as having missed his chance.

"Congrats on the most dominant GP2 championship in years JP but how come it took you 3 years? What you're in your early 20's? Isn't that near retirement age?"
 
I don't think anyone will disagree that Pastor Maldonado is a talent vacuum - GP2 champ he may be, but only after Hulkenberg had beaten him soundly the year before and graduated to Williams. Can you imagine what it would be like if Canamasas got the same level of PDVSA backing? Gives me cold sweats to think about it...
 
F1 & GP2 need a total restructuring. We need a junior series using similar machinery to F1 where potential racers can prove they have what it takes to handle the machines at the top level. If F1 goes down the 3 car route team then one of those cars must be reserved for a junior driver.

The top 8 drivers in a season of F1 junior will be able to get promoted into the 3rd car of an F1 team, after a season if those junior drivers fail to make the grade they can either drop back into the junior category or out of the sport completely, the same with any current F1 drivers, any seasons where you fail to score any points or prove to be totally inept (I'm looking at you Maldo) then they can face relegation to the junior format.

The idea may need some refining but it will promise to keep a nice rotation of talent coming to the grid as well as weeding out those drivers who are hogging a race seat they don't deserve. Grosjean needed the extra time before his comeback to F1 and you have to admit it made a difference to his style of driving.
 
The problem isn't the junior formulae, in my opinion it's pay drivers (which the smaller teams are forced to take because it's incredibly difficult to stay afloat in F1 at the moment) and to some extent young driver programmes (no matter how good you are Toro Rosso/Red Bull strictly recruit from within their family, for example).

I'm also against three car teams because I think it would destroy the likes of Force India and Sauber.
 
3 car teams seem inevitable, it's only a matter of time until the smaller teams will fold under increasing pressure, without a cost cap they are doomed but while there are vast powerhouses such as Ferrari and Red Bull with massive resources cost caps will always be vetoed.

Pay drivers are a blight on F1, if a team needs to bring one on board then they have to 1st prove themselves quick and capable in the junior series. To make it more financially viable more media coverage will be needed in the 2nd tier of F1 to increase audience numbers and in return more sponsorship deals for the drivers in question.

I believe the next evolution of GP2 cars is due either next season or the one after, this would be a perfect opportunity to make that series closer to the speed of F1 which should help find the best of the junior talent and make them more attractive to the F1 teams.
 
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