eaurouge94
Rookie
Seeing as noone else has started a thread on this I figured I might as well do one. GP2 is the most profilific feeder series out there in terms of bringing drivers into F1. Five of the six champions have gone straight into F1, with numerous others also joining from the series.
The format remains pretty much unchanged for this year, with half an hour practice on friday before a 1 hour qualifying session. This determines the grid for the feature race which takes place on saturday after F1 qualifying. The top 8 finishers in the feature are reversed to give the top 8 for the sprint race on sunday morning, with the remaining drivers lining up in the positions they finished the feature race in.
In the feature race the points are as follows: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1, with 1 for pole and 1 for fastest lap. The points for the sprint race are 6-5-4-3-2-1. A point is also awarded for fastest lap in the sprint race.
Despite the stability in format, there are many other changes this season. The two main changes are the introduction of a new Dallara chassis that was also used in the GP2 Asia series in the winter, and the introduction of Pirelli as the new tyre supplier. These two changes have been enforced to make GP2 mirror F1 even more. The new chassis features aerodynamics that are similar to the post 2009 F1 ones, and the Pirelli tyres are dsigned as the F1 tyres are, to degrade significantly over the course of a stint.
On the teams front there are two new competitors. Carlin, with a rich history of racing in feeder series, and Team AirAsia, founded by Lotus F1 team owner Tony Fernandes, join the fray. They replace David Price Racing that failed in its bid to stay in the series, and Durango, that pulled out at the beginning of 2010.
The driver field is quite strong this year, here are a few to watch:
#1 Fabio Leimer SUI - The 2009 Formula Master champion had a difficult introduction to GP2 last year, winning the sprint race on his debut but otherwise struggling. He moves to last year's championship winning team Rapax for a title assault this year.
#5 Jules Bianchi FRA - A member of the Ferrari driver academy, he finished third on his series debut last season despite not winning a race and was strong in GP2 Asia in the winter. He's won in all series' that he's competed in and has today been backed by last year's champion, Pastor Maldonado, for the title.
#6 Esteban Gutierrez MEX - The inaugural GP3 champion makes the natural progression to GP2, and as Sauber's third driver, is expected to challenge from early on.
#9 Sam Bird GBR - Britain's next F1 star? He was extremely unlucky last year but only finished a couple of points off his highly rated teammate Jules Bianchi. Moves to iSport for 2011 and should fight for the title.
#11 Romain Grosjean FRA - Returns to GP2 for a full season for the first time since 2008, after part time driver in 2009 and 2010, and a failed F1 attempt. Won GP2 Asia in the off-season is one of the favourites.
#15 Jolyon Palmer GBR - Son of ex-F1 driver Jonathan Palmer. The Formula 2 runner-up impressed in testing, and could spring a few surprises.
#25 Mikhail Aleshin RUS - After winning the Renault World Series last season, he has struggled to raise funds for this year. His move to Carlin is only for this weekend at the moment unless he can find backing. If he can afford a sustained challenge, he should be one to watch.
#27 Davide Valsecchi ITA - Won GP2 Asia in 2009-2010, but struggled in the main series last year. Enters his fourth year in the category which is a long time by most people's standards. He desperately needs a good season but obviously has talent, as he has recently been signed as a test driver for Lotus in F1, and showed pretty good pace in his appearance in Malaysian Grand Prix practice.
The season kicks off at the Istanbul Park Circuit this weekend and follows the F1 circus through the season, with every GP2 event being a support event to F1. The final round is at Monza in September, it promises to be a cracking season!
The format remains pretty much unchanged for this year, with half an hour practice on friday before a 1 hour qualifying session. This determines the grid for the feature race which takes place on saturday after F1 qualifying. The top 8 finishers in the feature are reversed to give the top 8 for the sprint race on sunday morning, with the remaining drivers lining up in the positions they finished the feature race in.
In the feature race the points are as follows: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1, with 1 for pole and 1 for fastest lap. The points for the sprint race are 6-5-4-3-2-1. A point is also awarded for fastest lap in the sprint race.
Despite the stability in format, there are many other changes this season. The two main changes are the introduction of a new Dallara chassis that was also used in the GP2 Asia series in the winter, and the introduction of Pirelli as the new tyre supplier. These two changes have been enforced to make GP2 mirror F1 even more. The new chassis features aerodynamics that are similar to the post 2009 F1 ones, and the Pirelli tyres are dsigned as the F1 tyres are, to degrade significantly over the course of a stint.
On the teams front there are two new competitors. Carlin, with a rich history of racing in feeder series, and Team AirAsia, founded by Lotus F1 team owner Tony Fernandes, join the fray. They replace David Price Racing that failed in its bid to stay in the series, and Durango, that pulled out at the beginning of 2010.
The driver field is quite strong this year, here are a few to watch:
#1 Fabio Leimer SUI - The 2009 Formula Master champion had a difficult introduction to GP2 last year, winning the sprint race on his debut but otherwise struggling. He moves to last year's championship winning team Rapax for a title assault this year.
#5 Jules Bianchi FRA - A member of the Ferrari driver academy, he finished third on his series debut last season despite not winning a race and was strong in GP2 Asia in the winter. He's won in all series' that he's competed in and has today been backed by last year's champion, Pastor Maldonado, for the title.
#6 Esteban Gutierrez MEX - The inaugural GP3 champion makes the natural progression to GP2, and as Sauber's third driver, is expected to challenge from early on.
#9 Sam Bird GBR - Britain's next F1 star? He was extremely unlucky last year but only finished a couple of points off his highly rated teammate Jules Bianchi. Moves to iSport for 2011 and should fight for the title.
#11 Romain Grosjean FRA - Returns to GP2 for a full season for the first time since 2008, after part time driver in 2009 and 2010, and a failed F1 attempt. Won GP2 Asia in the off-season is one of the favourites.
#15 Jolyon Palmer GBR - Son of ex-F1 driver Jonathan Palmer. The Formula 2 runner-up impressed in testing, and could spring a few surprises.
#25 Mikhail Aleshin RUS - After winning the Renault World Series last season, he has struggled to raise funds for this year. His move to Carlin is only for this weekend at the moment unless he can find backing. If he can afford a sustained challenge, he should be one to watch.
#27 Davide Valsecchi ITA - Won GP2 Asia in 2009-2010, but struggled in the main series last year. Enters his fourth year in the category which is a long time by most people's standards. He desperately needs a good season but obviously has talent, as he has recently been signed as a test driver for Lotus in F1, and showed pretty good pace in his appearance in Malaysian Grand Prix practice.
The season kicks off at the Istanbul Park Circuit this weekend and follows the F1 circus through the season, with every GP2 event being a support event to F1. The final round is at Monza in September, it promises to be a cracking season!
