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.
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