2015 GP2 Mid-Season Review

GP2 gears up for the second half of its campaign, starting in Spa-Francochamps

GP2 kicks off again in Belgium with Vandoorne hoping to perform at his home circuit. However; the drivers have had mixed seasons up until now and with only 5 rounds still to go, who will prove themselves to be the star of 2015.

Formula One's support series has seen another season where one driver has taken the initiative to run away with the championship, as Vandoorne leads the way by 85 points, but he'll need to keep up his form or he could be in danger of "doing a Coletti" and losing his significant lead over the course of the year. The McLaren young driver is being rumoured to join the main team next year if he can perform well. However; a seat in F1 is not confirmed and being GP2 champion hasn't helped his compatriots in the last 5 years.

Behind him are his rivals, who, like the ART GP driver, all have a point to prove. With the new Haas F1 team being set up, the request of an American driver seemed to be a certain seat for Alexander Rossi, but he's played it down since then, with Haas focusing more and more on his need for experience in the team.

There have been two surprise performers this year. Rio Haryanto and Sergey Sirotkin. The Indonesian is in his fourth year of GP2, which for many, does seem to be the magic year. Whether he can get an F1 seat seems tangible, but his dedicated fan base could help him get a role, like Kobayashi did in 2014. While Sirotkin has come a long way since his Formula Renault days. Many thought he'd be competitive, but after a slow start to the season, he seems to be on the best form to challenge Vandoorne.

On 85 points, Alex Lynn has become a "best of the rest" behind the championship contenders, but will remain confident after his win in Hungary. While team mate Gasly and Marciello seem to have also found their form after a slow start. While the man on form will be Japanese F3 champion; Matsushita, who won the Hungarian Sprint race.

Some drivers will be hoping for a return to form though. Evans and Pic have not have the season they were hoping and as a result have started to look at series away from GP2 and Formula One. While Richie Stanaway will also be hoping for a return to form having impressed by winning the Monaco Sprint race, but his finances may mean he'll be unable to progress.

Arden and Carlin have had a year to forget with both their drivers not performing as they'd hope, and with 5 rounds still to go, the season is likely to liven up as every result matters. A return to Bahrain will also be interesting, with Vandoorne having dominated the round at the season start, could we see him clinch the title before we reach Abu Dhabi.

 - | RacingRecaps | -

2015 GP3 Season Preview

Barcelona Prepares for the Noise of GP3

With GP3 starting this weekend, I look ahead at the drivers and teams competing in this years championship and what there chances are. However; if the first round has taught me anything about my GP2 predictions, it's that, I don't always get things right.

Barcelona is usually quite hard on tyres. This will be even more important as the first race will be extended and there will be more emphasis on tyre management.

Carlin
They are the defending champions, but with the quality that ART have brought in, as well as the lack of pre-season pace, it might be hard to keep up, especially in the early season. However; they have brought a good line up that should bring the necassary talent.

1. Antonio Fuoco -- Prediction - 4th
The Italian was one the first to be signed for the new season having get a contract at the end of last year, but the car may be his biggest obsticle, while former rivals, Ocon and Gilbert will join him from EuroF3. I expect him to be fighting, but his pace may be inconsistant and wins will be vital.

2. Jann Mardenborough -- Prediction - 5th
An impressive debut season in GP3 saw him become a strong competitor and finish 9th with one victory. Like a few of his rivals, he'll be hoping to improve on his resuts and become more competitive, even if his future does seem to be in endurance racing. Not bad for a kid starting on Playstation.

3. Mitchell Gilbert -- Prediction - Midfield
His season wasn't all that impressive last year, however; he was a consistant performer within his own team, he deserves to improve, but whether this will actually help him is up to fate. Gilbert should be aiming for podiums and points but shouldn't expect too much, especially against class team mates.

ART Grand Prix
They managed to be the only teams champions for 4 years, however they lost out last season. I feel they've got a much stronger chance this year with two highly competitive drivers. They've definetly know how to perform but whether they can prevent team rivalry will be the biggest factor.

4. Alfonso Celis, Jr. -- Prediction - Lower Midfield
While he might have the title of team leader, I would be surprised if he was. Celis, Jr. will also commit himself to FR3.5 this year, so it may be hard for him to focus on GP3. As a result his reuslts may continue to struggle, despite the good team.

5. Marvin Kichhofer -- Prediction - 1st
Him and Stoneman were the only drivers close to Lynn at the end of 2014 and the young German has already won the ADAC Formel Masters and German F3 title. A path for F1 seems to be opening up, like it is for Vandoorne in GP2. His biggest concern may be his team mate and his tendancy to be a little inconsistant.

6. Esteban Ocon -- Prediction - 2nd
Fresh off beating Verstappen and winning EuroF3, the Lotus (now Mercedes, as of today) Young Driver will want to prove himself after not being included as the Lotus teams reserve driver. It may take some time to get use to the car, but as long as he keeps up his good qualifying performance, he should be able to challenge Kirchhofer.

Status Grand Prix
Status used to have a history of one good season, one poor season. They look likely to put that to bed after a good pre season performance, while it might be hard to win the team championship, they will hoping not to go backwards after such a competitive 2014.

7. Seb Morris -- Prediction - 6th
He has either won or been very competitive in virtually every championship. This will be a chance for him to keep that record up. He has strong long run pace and was impressive in Abu Dhabi at the end of last year. He will need to prove himself now that he's no longer part of the Caterham Youth Team.

8. Alex Fontana -- Prediction - Upper Midfield
One of GP3's longest serving drivers. He's competed in GP3 in 2011-2014 and was an early favourite last year. However; he struggles to perform when it matters, which may be a problem in the current grid.

9. Sandy Stuvik -- Prediction - Midfield
While he did have an impressive year in EuroFormula, the pre-season performance has been unconsistant. He remains a promosing talent, but may need to return in order to win the championship. However; the Thai people will be imperitive as time goes on.

Koiranen GP
A revolutionary year for the young team will hoped to be followed up by another one. Stoneman, proved to be very comfortable in the car, proving that they just need the right driver. But with pre-season performance, they seem to stuck in an upper midfield rut.

10. Adderly Fong -- Prediction - Lower Midfield
In 2 years, the Asian driver has scored 2 points. This hasn't been an amazing record and one he'll be hoping to put right. However; after the F1 test and the Lotus signing, will he be in a good position to build on a solid foundation?

11. Jimmy Eriksson -- Prediction - 9th
At one point last year, Eriksson was under 10 points behind Lynn, but a poor end of season has not helped. He did show good pace during the pre-season tests, but it may be another season where he struggles to keep up. However; if there is one thing Eriksson does right, it's surprises.

12. Matt Parry -- Prediction - Midfield
He achieved success with FR2.0 NEC in 2013, but a poor 2014 has meant he'll be hoping to get back on track in his career. He may not be a championship contendor, but will be hoping to prove himself in order to continue his performance after a promosing pre-season.

Arden International
Evans and Kvyat may have been champions within the team, but a decrease in form last season, in GP3 and GP2, doesn't look like it will improve in the short term, despite this, they've put support behind experienced drivers as they look to bounce back to the top.

14. Kevin Ceccon -- Prediction - Upper Midfield
Ceccon is a driver with experience, but has struggled to find a home in GP2 or GP3, as a result he'll know that consistancy will be the most important thing. Like Kirchhofer, he had a good end to last season, scoring in the points regularly. But with new talent coming through. How will he fair.

15. Emil Bernstorff -- Prediction - 3rd
You wouldn't know he was a rookie last year. While he was overshadowed by team mate Lynn. A win and a 5th place was quietly not noticed. Like Evans in GP2, he is the quiet championship contendor. Emil will be on for good results and he could easily take the fight into his own hands. He's consistant, but can he win.

16. Aleksander Bosak -- Prediction - Near the Back
His pre-season pace showed little promise. Struggling to keep up with most of the midfield will mean that he could become the perenial back row dirver. But promise in the final test, suggests there might be more to come.

Jenzer Motorsport
They decided to focus heavily in Swiss Motorsport and will likely promote themselves as "team Switzerland" after also venturing into different motorsports. While there realistic aim has to be points. Only a few podiums should be expected and a win is unlikely.

20. Pal Varhaug -- Prediction - Midfield
Varhaug will go down in GP3 folk lore for being their first victor, but the success ended there. He scored no more points throughout 2010 and had an unsuccessful GP2 career. He hoped to "restart" his career last year and struggled for pace. It's likely that his on-off pace will remain.

21. Matheo Tuscher -- Prediction - 8th
Tuscher was GP3's youngest driver last year and at 18 y/o will only improve. He performed exeptionally in F2 and is expected to improve this year. He showed promosing pace pre-season and should aim for a few more podiums. However; this success will only come true if he has a car that can perform.

22. Ralph Boschung -- Prediction - Upper Midfield
After a mediocre performance in Formel Masters, I didn't rate the driver. However; his impressive pre-season pace has been in line with his team mates and other front-runners. Could it be a case of a driver only getting the result in a car he likes.
  Campos Racing
This will be there first year in GP3 as the team expands after their return to GP2 and other racing. The failed Formula One bid may have been a burden, but if there's one thing to learn from last year in GP2, it's that they are competitive. This could be a promosing gamble for the drivers.

23. Zaid Ashkanani -- Prediction - Near the Back
Unlike the other drivers, he hasn't worked his way through the European background. However; he did achieve great success in the middle east. He has struggled during pre-season testing, it will take some time to get used to the new cars.

24. Alex Palou -- Prediction - 7th
If there's one man who shocked me during the pre-season, it's Palou. I didn't expect him to even beat Stuvik (his old championship rival) but, instead, set the quickest times and turned many heads, while this could be put down to his knowledge of the Spanish tracks, could this also show a rise of an unlikely star, is 7th too low him?

25. Samin Gomez -- Prediction - Near the Back
Campos decided to leave her signing to the last minute but she did get plenty of time in the pre-season tests, even if she struggled to perform.

Trident
The Italian team will want to forget 2014, but improvements in GP2 could pay off. They've shown good pace in testing and this could be their year to shine. But only time will tell.

26. Artur Janosz -- Prediction - Near the Back
Another driver who struggled in testing. He might need to step up performance if he expects to keep his seat. He'll probably aim for consistant finishes and small points in the first few races.

27. Luca Ghiotto -- Prediction - 10th
He wasn't able to show his true pace last year, but did give the team an unexpected pole. While this might not happen again, the points are up for grabs. He will be hoping his season in FR3.5 will have helped his chances.

28. Oscar Tunjo -- Prediction - Lower Midfield
Another driver coming from FR3.5, his performance hasn't had excessive success in his career. But will be hoping to create a name for himself against his team mates. Some points, may be on the cards.

No teams will fill the space left by Manor as the cars will change to the new design next year and the FIA do not feel it necassary for a team to invest for 3 cars for 1 year. 

Good Luck to All

-|RacingRecaps|-

Is Rio Haryanto a future star?

The Indonesian Driver collected a second and first place at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

After the Bahrain Grand Prix, it was clear that Vandoorne had the advantage. A poor weekend for the DAMS drivers as well as Marciello, Sirotkin, Evans and Pic meant that many of the Belgium's expected championship contenders were now on the back foot. After collecting pole, a win in race 1 and the fastest lap. It looked set up for him to do a clean sweep, but narrowly missed out, coming second.

What was clear was that no-one could match the pace of Vandoorne all weekend. All but one man...

Before 2015, Haryanto's best GP2 result was a second place at Silverstone in 2013, but had never finished higher than 14th in the championship. He now moves into his fourth season of the Series. Haryanto did not show much speed during pre-season testing, but ultimately it's all about the result on the day. Having collected his first GP2 victory on the Sunday, his performance even got a mention on the national Indonesian news.

He is undoubtedly Indonesia's best driver in a generation, but is he ready to step into F1?

As I said before, he hasn't shone in GP2 in previous seasons and had limited pace in testing, but is this simply his coming-of-age, after all, the 2014 champion; Palmer won the title after 4 years. At 22, he's certainly young enough to make the leap the F1 or other higher formulas.

He hasn't been exceptional in other series either. He did win the Formula BMW Pacific championship in 2009, but this is small to average achievement considering the calibre of his competitors who have competed and been successful in FR3.5 and European F3. While his 2 years in GP3 saw him collect just 3 victories but did earn him a test drive for the Marussia Formula One team.

Finishing well in the first weekend doesn't always mean that drivers become championship contenders. Leal managed a personal best 2nd and 3rd in last years Bahrain GP, but struggled as the year went on, scoring 2 points in the second half of the year and falling to 10th in the final standings.

While in 2013, Coletti managed to build up his lead at the start. After 6 races (3 rounds) he had 120 points, with Nasr on 96, Bird 58 and Leimer 54. Yet despite this large point advantage, it was Leimer who won the title as Coletti scored just 1 more time for the rest of the season finishing 5th. While Nasr also fell to 4th overall.

The point is, Haryanto is going to have to prove he can keep up the pace for the rest of the season if he is to gain respect from the F1 community. Although he was wiped out after only a few laps, team mate, Pic proved the car is competitive. So the pressure is on Rio to see if he can really challenge Vandoorne (and the others), or was Bahrain a one off.

Then again, with Formula One today, it's likely that he could just buy a drive. Or perhaps that's just me being cynical.

See you in Spain.

-|RacingRecaps|-

2015 GP3 Pre-Season Test (Barcelona) Day 2

And the Curtain Closes on Pre-Season Testing

Pal Varhaug topped the Morning and Afternoon sessions

The final day of pre-season testing comes to a close. This gives teams to finalise their cars and drivers before the first round in Spain.

Report
 
It was a sunny start to the day as the cars streamed onto the track. Varhaug had taken an early lead in front of home driver, Alex Palou. Varhaug stepped up his game after an hour and managed to drop into the 1 minute 34 seconds. While Ashkanani had a poor session stopping twice on track.

It had started to calm down towards the end of the session as the teams decided to focus on pit stop practice. Despite this, Fuoco wanted to prove a point by going second. However; as the session drew to a close, it became obvious that no one was going to beat the Jenzer drivers time.

The afternoon session got underway, as the Jenzer's continued to dominate. Boschung at the top was soon displaced by his teammate. But even as the Arden drivers picked up speed and positions, they were unable to beat Varhaug's time.

Being the final session, many of the teams worked on some much needed long run pace. The signs looked good for Arden and Jenzer, but with Trident, Carlin and Status at the back, it may be a disappointing season for some if that pace is representative. This left Varhaug to top both session on a day he'll be happy with.



That's it, the cars have been tested and evaluated. There's nothing more the teams can do. So perhaps it is quite fitting that GP3's "elder statesman" Pal Varhaug leads them away as they prepare for the first race of the season on the 9th May.


Conclusions from Testing

While many expected Carlin and ART Grand Prix to remain at the front, the sessions have been quite open, meaning that it is hard to tell who has the upper hand.

Palou will leave the tests as the surprise driver, having performed in a number of sessions. For a driver that finished 3rd in EuroSeries, he has outperformed, not only his title rivals from 2014, but also his critics and the cars expecations. The only negative he'll take away is his strained neck, but this is likely to heal in 2 weeks.

While their performance has often been sporadic. In general, Carlin have struggled. This could be a serious problem for Mardenborough and Fuoco, who are likely championship contendors. While Jenzer have done much better, with Boschung going through a mini revolution in results.

There is still one seat left, but with Samin Gomez having taken it in the last two tests, it seems more than likely that the spot will remain.

So, who is championship favourite?

Ocon, Kirchhofer, Fuoco, Bernstorff, Eriksson are still the drivers with the experience and ability. But team performance could help drivers like, Varhaug, Boschung, Parry and Palou to fight for a title that may have seemed out of reach at the start.

-|RacingRecaps|-

2015 GP3 Pre-Season Test (Barcelona) Day 1

Mardenborough leads way for Carlin

© GP3 Series

The sky was quite dark as the drivers headed out onto the track. However; little was done at the start with no times set after an hour of competition. In fact Palou and Askanani were the only drivers to have set competitive laps after 90 minutes, these were soon beaten by Mardenborough. He continued to improve dipping into the 1:34's after a few minutes of running.

The other driver attempted to beat his time but were not successful as Gomez stopped her car at turn 5. With an hour to go, the teams went out to improve their times with Kirchhofer and Eriksson being the most successful. However; Jann stayed on top as the GP3 graduates looked on.

The rain came out for the second session as the drivers chose not to do much running. However; returned after the shower. Unsurprisingly, the drivers were about 4 seconds off the pace in the conditions, but quickly improved. 

Under the damp conditions, it was Morris who lead the standings and with half an hour to go, and looked like he was the man to beat. Mardenborough went 2nd, but was unable to beat his compatriot. Unfortunately the session was cut short by Fuoco who stopped out on track, the circuit went live with 1 minute left, but the cars did no competitive running. 

Results:

Pos.	Driver	Nat.	Team	Morning	Afternoon
1	Seb Morris	GBR	Status Grand Prix	1:36.158	1:35.740
2	Jann Mardenborough	GBR	Carlin	1:34.910 [1]	1:35.843
3	Matt Parry	GBR	Koiranen GP	1:35.420	1:36.406
4	Alex Palou	ESP	Campos Racing	1:35.340	1:36.578
5	Alex Fontana	SUI	Status Grand Prix	1:36.044	1:36.695
6	Sandy Stuvik	THA	Status Grand Prix	1:36.661	1:36.768
7	Emil Bernstorff	GBR	Arden International	1:35.979	1:36.817
8	Antonio Fuoco	ITA	Carlin	1:35.213	1:36.852
9	Alfonso Celis, Jr.	MEX	ART Grand Prix	1:35.271	1:36.923
10	Matheo Tuscher	SUI	Jenzer Motorsport	1:35.405	1:36.929
11	Pal Varhaug	NOR	Jenzer Motorsport	1:35.004 [2]	1:37.129
12	Kevin Ceccon	ITA	Arden International	1:36.622	1:37.261
13	Esteban Ocon	FRA	ART Grand Prix	1:35.070	1:37.929
14	Aleksander Bosak	POL	Arden International	1:37.349	1:38.201
15	Mitchell Gilbert	AUS	Carlin	1:35.576	1:38.267
16	Zaid Ashkanani	KUW	Campos Racing	1:37.568	1:38.489
17	Ralph Boschung	SUI	Jenzer Motorsport	1:35.013 [4]	1:38.498
18	Marvin Kirchhöfer	GER	ART Grand Prix	1:35.005 [3]	1:38.774
19	Luca Ghiotto	ITA	Trident	1:35.433	1:38.822
20	Oscar Tunjo	COL	Trident	1:35.290	1:39.309
21	Samin Gomez	VEN	Campos Racing	1:38.753	1:39.322
22	Adderly Fong	HGK	Koiranen GP	1:35.337	1:39.443
23	Jimmy Eriksson	SWE	Koiranen GP	1:35.033 [5]	1:39.613
24	Artur Janosz	POL	Trident	1:36.336	1:39.631
The Positions are the results of the Afternoon Session [1] – Position in Morning Session (only top 5 shown)

So whats the Conclusion:

Despite his excellent form last year, Eriksson continues to go under the radar, while he did manage a good time in the morning, he often doesn't carry a lot of pace. This could be concerning with many new young drivers coming through. The same should be said for Varhaug. Considering his experience, he should be at the top, instead he scraps amongst his inexperienced team mates.

Ghiotto is another driver who hasn't performed as well as he should have, after getting pole in his first race, the driver has been nowhere. But; despite this, Morris and Parry are starting to perform after a, so far, mediocre performance.

-|RacingRecaps|-

2015 GP2 Bahrain Weekend Recap

Vandoorne the man to beat as Haryanto Impresses...

An excellent weekend for Vandoorne will see him leave the weekend as the highest placed points scorer.  But many of his expected rivals struggled and will be on the back foot in the title fight.

Practice

Racing Engineering were the first to show their pace during the weekend, with Jordan King taking top spot and Rossi 0.01 seconds behind. While DAMS did show us early pace, this would end up being a highlight to their weekend. Vandoorne had stopped on track with mechanical problems, so the ART Grand Prix driver went in on the back foot.

POS	NO	DRIVERS	TEAMS	LAPS	TIME	GAP
1	7	J. King	Racing Engineering	17	1:42.441
2	8	A. Rossi	Racing Engineering	20	1:42.451	0.010
3	2	A. Lynn	DAMS	18	1:42.509	0.068
4	5	S. Vandoorne	ART Grand Prix	14	1:42.612	0.171
5	14	A. Pic	Campos Racing	16	1:42.948	0.507
6	15	R. Haryanto	Campos Racing	16	1:43.043	0.602
7	1	P. Gasly	DAMS	18	1:43.249	0.808
8	9	M. Evans	RUSSIAN TIME	16	1:43.327	0.886

Qualifying 

Despite his set back during practice, Vandoorne bounced back in fine form to take from Honda prodegee Matsushita. Lynn proved to be their closest competitor. While Pic continued his consistant form. The drivers were on form in the cooler night time conditions, with most personal bests being set towards the end on new rubber. Lynn was the stand out performer, while Racing Engineering seemed to still be in a good position.

POS	NO	DRIVERS	TEAMS	LAPS	TIME	GAP
1	5	S. Vandoorne	ART Grand Prix	11	1:39.237
2	6	N. Matsushita	ART Grand Prix	11	1:39.545	0.308
3	2	A. Lynn	DAMS	11	1:39.599	0.362
4	14	A. Pic	Campos Racing	11	1:39.630	0.393
5	11	R. Marciello	Trident	8	1:39.645	0.408
6	7	J. King	Racing Engineering	11	1:39.770	0.533
7	21	N. Nato	Arden International	11	1:39.857	0.620
8	8	A. Rossi	Racing Engineering	12	1:39.872	0.635

Feature Race

A close fought Race saw Matsushita make a poor start. The race livened up after an accident between Marciello, Nato, Pic and Gasly while battling for 3rd. As the Safety Car came out, many stayed out, however a few, including Evans, Rossi, King and Lynn pitted for new tyres.

Rossi lead the group as the 2 leaders of Vandoorne and Haryanto pushed in order to get a gap over the others. Lynn and Evans appeared to push their tyres too hard and fell off the pace as it became a Racing Engineering 1-2 after everyone had pitted.

However; an excellent drive from Vandoorne saw him close Rossi down by 3 seconds a lap. Catching him with 3 to go. Haryanto also moved through the order taking 2nd in the final corner.

After the race, Vandoorne told 'GP2series.com "It’s been a really good start to my campaign with pole, win and fastest lap. It could not have gone any better."

 

POS	NO	DRIVERS	TEAMS	LAPS	TIME	GAP
1	5	S. Vandoorne	ART Grand Prix	32	1:01:23.306
2	15	R. Haryanto	Campos Racing	32	1:01:28.362	5.056
3	8	A. Rossi	Racing Engineering	32	1:01:28.803	5.497
4	7	J. King	Racing Engineering	32	1:01:35.628	12.322
5	19	R. Visoiu	Rapax	32	1:01:43.354	20.048
6	9	M. Evans	RUSSIAN TIME	32	1:01:48.849	25.543
7	26	N. Berthon	Lazarus	32	1:01:51.035	27.729
8	3	J. Leal	Carlin	32	1:01:51.769	28.463
9	20	A. Negrão	Arden International	32	1:01:52.808	29.502
10	6	N. Matsushita	ART Grand Prix	32	1:01:52.970	29.664

Sprint Race

An excellent start for Evans saw him challenge Leal for the Lead into turn 1. Leal built a lead as Evans was challenged by Haryanto behind. As Evans' tyres wore down he became vunerable to the cars behind. Haryanto took second and then the lead as Leal had his own issues.

Rio Haryanto built up a large gap as the ART Grand Prix drivers started moving through the order along with Rossi. Meanwhile there was a crash between King and Canamasas.

Leal and Visoiu hit a cliff and fell down as Matsushita took 2nd, however Vandoorne was the driver on the move and soon overtook his team mate. While Berthon also made places past Matsushita and Rossi.
 

POS	NO	DRIVERS	TEAMS	LAPS	TIME	GAP
1	15	R. Haryanto	Campos Racing	23	41:35.490
2	5	S. Vandoorne	ART Grand Prix	23	41:38.494	3.004
3	26	N. Berthon	Lazarus	23	41:41.129	5.639
4	8	A. Rossi	Racing Engineering	23	41:41.748	6.258
5	3	J. Leal	Carlin	23	41:49.435	13.945
6	6	N. Matsushita	ART Grand Prix	23	41:51.413	15.923
7	19	R. Visoiu	Rapax	23	41:55.284	19.794
8	20	A. Negrão	Arden International	23	41:55.649	20.159

Conclusions
 
So at the end of the weekend Vadoorne leaves with the championship lead, but we've been left with a lot of questions. One of the main concerns for people will be the poor performance of many of the championship favourites. Lynn, Gasly, Pic, Marciello, Evans all failed to score. So for them is it all over, or can they still catch up?


-|RacingRecaps|-

2015 GP2 Season Preview

Start Your Engines!

GP2 2015 Grid - GP2 Series ©

Yes, it's finally here, the 2015 GP2 Season. As the series plans to go into its 11th season, we are likely to be provided with one of the closest and thrilling battles for any championship. With Formula One losing another 2 cars and teams becoming ever more cash strapped it's likely we're going to see a backlog of talent in coming years. While this may be an issue for drivers and F1 teams it's likely to be great for us.

So, the teams and each drivers chances this year.

DAMS
They had an excellent season under Palmer and Richelmi, while they've gone for an equally talented pair this year. However; will their inexperience hold them back and is the pressure too high to win in GP2's top team.

1. Pierre Gasly -- Prediction - 3rd
While he isn't a rookie technically, he's not going to know most of the circuits, however; Vandoorne didn't let this stop him. He'll have a lot of pressure from Red Bull, but with Sainz and Verstappen only recently signed, does he have much chance of progression. The 18 year old may be punching above his weight, but I'm sure he'll manage.

2. Alex Lynn -- Prediction - 7th
The reigning GP3 champion will know the calendar. He was known for being very calculated in his GP3 season, planning what he needed to do to win the championship. It will be harder this year as he plans to go forward with his career without Red Bull. His first goal will be to prove himself against his successful team mate, but many GP3 graduates have struggled before.

Carlin
While they may have only narrowly lost out last season, it may be harder this year for them to get a result, with a car that has mostly struggled during testing. However; they'll be hoping Age wins over youth.

3. Julian Leal -- Prediction - Midfield
Leal had a dream start to the season, managing to keep with Nasr, however, fell off the pace towards the end. Could this be a sign that Leal will struggle to compete with the young talent going through? But now in his 5th year, he is set to be GP2's most experienced driver.

4. Marco Sorensen -- Prediction - 8th
Marco has already started looking into a career in sports cars, having only completed half the season last year, it will be great to see what he can do. However, he already has a win and can prove that he will fight. He'll want to make an impression if nothing else.

ART Grand Prix
GP2's corner stone team has had limited success in recent years, but Vandoorne has given them hope. With a driver from Honda and McLaren's young driver programme, could we see an F1 partnership between the 3 in future years.

5. Stoffel Vandoorne -- Prediction - 1st
All the pressure is on his shoulders this year. With his closest rivals gone and now another year more experienced his aim has to be to win. However, he may fall foul if he encounters the same problem with the sprint race as he did last year. Belgiums hopes lay on his shoulders.

6. Nobuharu Matsushita -- Prediction - Lower Midfield
If Izawa was anything to go by then Japanese drivers struggle in Europe. However; Europe seemed to be the only option for the man who has won everything in Japan. At only 21, he's got a few years to prove himself, but is ART too big of a jump.

Racing Engineering
Both of their drivers have a lot to prove this year and need positive finishes, while they may struggle to compete for the title, as a pairing it's great for the constructors.

7. Jordan King -- Prediction - 10th
The former British F3 champion had a tough year in European F3 alongside big name like Ocon/ Verstappen and Rosenqvist, however; he has talent and with his Marussia deal, it could help secure a future for him, but he'll have to perform if he doesn't want be labelled a pay driver.

8. Alexander Rossi -- Prediction - 5th
Rossi said his only aim is the title. I can see it being close, but it may be tough. Having been out of racing for half a year, it may take time to get back in. However; with Haas F1 entering next year, could this be a chance for the experienced F1 test driver to prove himself.

Russian Time
They've had success in the past, but how will they do under new owners. Having been the only team to retain their line up, can they use it to their advantage.

9. Mitch Evans -- Prediction 2nd
Evans was the dark horse of last season, regularly being at the front. Consistency may be key to this championship and Evans will after an F1 team to pick him up on talent. After all it's unlikely he'll be able to pay to get in. He's one guy, Vandoorne should be concerned about.

10. Artem Markelov -- Prediction - High Midfield
He struggled to meet peoples expectations last year. But he's still young and will now go into the season with knowledge on the car. He's proven he can overtake, but he needs to collect the points.

Trident
Having spent years as GP2's back marker team, have they finally come of age. But will the previous experience hamper or help their two drivers.

11. Rafaelle Marciello -- Prediction - 4th
Like others he's proven he can race and his F3 success is well recorded. But with the F1 world so tough, this may be the year that Marciello has to prove himself to stay at Ferrari. Considering Vandoorne's McLaren connection the two could rekindle their rivalry from Belgium last year.

12. Rene Binder -- Prediction - Low Midfield
This might be Binder's last year in GP2, as he now has to look at his future. Having never finished a championship, or a GP2 race higher than 6th it may be hard for him to keep pace.

Campos Racing
Compared to others their experience is lacking, but Pic proved they can be competitive... in one car. They want better results and their drivers are proof that they want experience.

14. Arthur Pic -- Prediction - 6th
His rookie performance was largely overshadowed and he said he wants to fight for the championship. But Pic often struggled to gain places during races, relying on good qualifying. He'll be competitive and should add at least another win to his tally.

15. Rio Haryanto -- Prediction - Lower Midfield
No-one had any luck in the no.2 car last year. While he did win the Formula BMW Pacific championship in 2009, his GP2 performance has seemed quite stagnant. He might be able to fight for points, but it looks like another tough season for the Indonesian.

MP Motorsport
Another one of GP2's under successors, they will be hoping that this season marks a change for them. With reliability often holding them back last year.

16. Sergio Canamasas -- Prediction - Midfield
Midfield, if he keeps his seat. Having only signed for Bahrain his seat is not safe. However; he was often accused of dangerous driving last season (Monza) so will have eyes on him to take the step up.

17. Daniel de Jong -- Prediction - Near the Back
History is not on de Jong's side. Having not finished higher than 7th in a race and at one point last year, was the only driver to have competed in every race and not scored a point. However; his relationship with MP now enters its 3rd year, so he's got commitment.

Rapax
They have a rich history, but last year was one to forget. As a result they've taken the Sauber approach by completely overhauling their drivers, taking on two rookies.

18. Sergey Sirotkin -- Prediction - 9th
Having at one point being linked with a Sauber drive. He has gone from being a driver with "no talent" to a competitive Formula Renault driver. He's likely to do well, but results may take time, certainly Russia's man to watch.

19. Robert Visoiu -- Prediction - Near the Back
He may be experienced in GP3 but experience doesn't necessarily mean points. Just ask Pal Varhaug. While he might shine in some areas, it's likely he's going to go largely unnoticed.

Arden International
Will be hoping for better this year, but their could hold the drivers back. However; they shone during the testing. Only time will tell if that was for the sponsors or the results.

20. Andre Negrao -- Prediction - High Midfield
While he may struggle against the new talent, it's likely that Negrao will compete for points. But it may result in what circuit is being used. He has the momentum, but he just needs the results.

21. Norman Nato -- Prediction - Midfield
Being the team mate to the FR3.5 champion is not easy, especially when you were 7th. However; with 2 wins, he should be confident going into the year. His testing pace was faster than many expected. Could he beat the critics.

Status Grand Prix
Caterham went into the year as one of the favourites, they ended it with only 1 podium and a financial collapse. It's always hard for a new team, but Campos proved they could be competitive, a lot will need to be expected from them, but they've got the experience with GP3.

22. Marlon Stockinger -- Prediction - Midfield
He represents another FR3.5 refugee, probably spurred on by the new 'points' system introduced in order to get into F1. However; being the Philippines first GP2 driver will mean that the pressure is on to perform for his fans. His record isn't immaculate but should perform well with Lotus backing.

23. Richie Stanaway -- Prediction - Midfield
He was the star of testing. While it is likely much of this is exaggerated, the young New Zealander has titles in many series, including German F3. Whether he can keep up the pace, will be seen, but at 23, he needs to prove himself fast in order to reach F1.

Hilmer Motorsport
Having pulled out of the first race and the GP3 series, it is likely that the team has an unlikely future. If they do get drivers running, the car is likely to be uncompetitive. Only time will tell

Lazarus
The've become GP2's back of the grid team in recent years, however; they had a shake up. They've brought in an ex-Ferrari employee and retained their top driver from 2014, to add, they've had success in testing.

26. Nathanael Berthon -- Prediction - Midfield
While many will argue he has a race win, many other will admit that Berthon has little GP2 success overall. But considering how uncompetitive they were last year, there were many times when he took the unconventional strategy last year and gained points.

27. Zoel Amburg -- Pediction - Lower Midfield
His successes are nothing spectacular, hasn't won a race since 2011 but, like his team mate, put in good performances in the testing days, just might out perform a few critics.

-|RacingRecaps|-