2012 GP2 Silly Season

[ptclaus98]

Seeing as there might be some subs for the Abu Dhabi round, I figured it might be a good time to get this started. Anybody have any news or guesses about it?

[NaBUru38]

The two categories where GP2 drivers should come from are FR3.5 and Auto GP. So let's see:

(I can't watch any here in Uruguay, and wouldn't unless there is some driver I was interested, like Esteban Guerrieri. So I'll judge only by recent results.)

Wickens, Vergne, Ricciardo - obvious choices. I'd go for Wickens, Ricciardo needs a second year in FR3.5.
Rossi - By the career results, I'd give him the thumbs up. But he's too young, I'd make him train one more year in FR3.5.
Costa, Korjus: Dfinitely too young and unexperienced with powerful furmola cars. Jumping from FR2.0 to GP2 in two years isn't a good thing. Let's wait until 2013.

Kevin Ceccon - With 18 years? Definietly not! "In 2009, Ceccon took the substantial jump from karting to F3" (Wikipedia) - terrible way of growing up.
Afanasyev - Not sure. Is he any good?
Tambay - Too young. One more year below GP2.

But since GP3 is the official GP2 feeder, let's see them:

Bottas - Definitely yes.
Calado - Age is fine, powerful car experience isn't.
Melker, Müller - No, need to step up to FR3.5.

No F3 graduates to me.

[p-matt]

What about the calendar? They have said there will be 12 rounds next year, 8 in Europe and 4 overseas. I'm thinking the 8 F1 European races, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and 2 more. Maybe USA and Brazil?

[chunterer]

Sounds like a good calendar (24 races??) as long as we can bloody well watch it!!

Don't agree with the non F3 potentials.

It would seem that Nasr would be GP2 bound on merit, he doesn't seem to be a GP3 runner in the making although not sure why I have that hunch?

The F3ES leading guy I(Merhi?) has been around that level for a while so i reckon he'll step up.

Problem will be that FR3.4 will be extreeeeeeeeemely attractive next season to drivers below that level so we may end up with an even more competitive field for that than we had this season!

The only proper way for GP2 to fend off FR3.4 will be for GP2 to lower their asking prices a bit maybe? Easier said than done I know!

At this stage it's really hard to see clearly who will choose either FR and GP2 from GP2/F3.

However a guesstimate:
Bottas
Nasr
Merhi
Calado
Magnussen
Melker

for starters.

then maybe a few guys who dropped off the radar in 2010 will regroup like Van Der Zande?

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Sounds like a good calendar (24 races??) as long as we can bloody well watch it!!

Don't agree with the non F3 potentials.

It would seem that Nasr would be GP2 bound on merit, he doesn't seem to be a GP3 runner in the making although not sure why I have that hunch?

The F3ES leading guy I(Merhi?) has been around that level for a while so i reckon he'll step up.

Problem will be that FR3.4 will be extreeeeeeeeemely attractive next season to drivers below that level so we may end up with an even more competitive field for that than we had this season!

The only proper way for GP2 to fend off FR3.4 will be for GP2 to lower their asking prices a bit maybe? Easier said than done I know!

At this stage it's really hard to see clearly who will choose either FR and GP2 from GP2/F3.

However a guesstimate:
Bottas
Nasr
Merhi
Calado
Magnussen
Melker

for starters.

then maybe a few guys who dropped off the radar in 2010 will regroup like Van Der Zande?

Bottas - GP2
Nasr - FR3.5 Carlin
Merhi - DTM
Magnussen - British F3 again Carlin
vd Zande - DTM again

[Robbe]

These are all rumours I've read somewhere, but this doesn't mean anything is true!

Current GP2 drivers:
- Grosjean will be gone.
- Vietoris should stay in DTM, at least Norbert Haug was very happy with his performance. Double program again?
- Gutierrez could return to ART or change to Addax.
- Gonzalez should stay, depending on PDVSA.
- Leal should also stay.
- There were rumours of Fabio Leimer getting into F1 with the help of his sponsor Bautro, but there are few free slots and he hasn't had his best year. Maybe it would be better to stay in GP2. Seems he will be at the rookie test for F1, let's see.
- There were also rumours about van der Garde in F1, with the help of McGregor. He's been in junior formula series for ages...

GP3:
- Bottas should step up, maybe with ART?
- There were rumours about Haryanto and Arden.
- Cordeiro eyes a GP2 drive, he must have good sponsors...

WSbR:
- Red Bull is not really known for bringing their drivers to GP2, so why should they make an exception for JEV and Ricciardo?
- Costa and Wickens deserve a shot at GP2, but who knows if they get the chance?

F3:
- Nasr is looking at WSbR and GP2, WSbR more likely.
- Mehri has connections to Mercedes-Benz, why not a double program like Vietoris this year?

AutoGP:
- Ceccon and Coloni seem to be the logical fit for next year. Yes, he's very young but he's also very quick against strong opponents in AutoGP.

From elsewhere:
- Marinescu wants to drive GP2 or WSbR, but he doesn't even have money for F2.
- van der Zande hasn't scored a single point yet in DTM, but I doubt he has the budget for GP2.

[chunterer]

Thanks Robbe for the very informative post, that's cleared a few things up for me.

Bottas, i'm sure is still every bit as good as people thiought he was 3 years ago when he battled Ricciardo. His 2 years in F3ES weren't mega but he won races an crucially has that Masters double to his name even if it isn't what it once was.

For my mind though he would need to get cracking straight away if he does GP2, but it all depends on budget doesn't it so maybe FR is the better option for him.

I could easily see many of this years GP2 field staying on.

The big question marks for me will be hovering over Bianchi, Bird and people like that i.e. the really quick guys who've been in it for quite a while.

Mind you Maldonado was in it for 4 years so as long as you've got the dough i guess it doesn't matter as you can still end up in F1.

Bianchi beat Perez by nearly half a second in the F60 test the other day but that was with almost twice the number of laps. I guess Ferrari and Todt will still be interested in him.

[Mr Pink]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

The two categories where GP2 drivers should come from are FR3.5 and Auto GP. So let's see:

(I can't watch any here in Uruguay, and wouldn't unless there is some driver I was interested, like Esteban Guerrieri. So I'll judge only by recent results.)

Wickens, Vergne, Ricciardo - obvious choices. I'd go for Wickens, Ricciardo needs a second year in FR3.5.
Rossi - By the career results, I'd give him the thumbs up. But he's too young, I'd make him train one more year in FR3.5.
Costa, Korjus: Dfinitely too young and unexperienced with powerful furmola cars. Jumping from FR2.0 to GP2 in two years isn't a good thing. Let's wait until 2013.

Kevin Ceccon - With 18 years? Definietly not! "In 2009, Ceccon took the substantial jump from karting to F3" (Wikipedia) - terrible way of growing up.
Afanasyev - Not sure. Is he any good?
Tambay - Too young. One more year below GP2.

But since GP3 is the official GP2 feeder, let's see them:

Bottas - Definitely yes.
Calado - Age is fine, powerful car experience isn't.
Melker, Müller - No, need to step up to FR3.5.

No F3 graduates to me.

So you think Ricciardo should step back down from F1 to FR3.5, race there a year, step up to GP2 and then back to F1? That doesn't really make any sense.

And stepping from F3 to GP2 hasn't really been a problem in the past, I don't think the small grids in F3 this year is going to make that much of a difference.

As for current GP2 drivers, I'm pretty shure Marcus Ericsson said in a recent interview that he wants to do another year.

[chunterer]

Calado's been confirmed as one of the ART drivers for the forthcoming test apparently.

[cappra250]

Tom Dillmann will test for Isport at Jerez.
Kral and Palmer for Addax, the last doing also the Abu Dhabi race with them.

[Supertec]

With the worlds economies in free fall I don't expect to see a large GP2 grid next season with budgets ranging from €1.8 to €2.5 million and the drivers getting little track time who will fund these drivers, The teams can't afford to subsidise hot shot drivers anymore and F1 is now looking to poach the sponsors away from GP2. It was obvious this season some teams only had one paying driver and subsidised the second driver these teams I'm sure are now in financial trouble.

Grosjean winning the championship did the series no favours at all he was a returnee having already made it to F1 but returned, he was the Pirelli tyre tester giving him a huge advantage over the other drivers (but he wasn't excluded) He had all the data and information to hand from LRGP F1. He had to win.

Red Bull put their drivers in WSBR they wont be pushed around by GP2 and good for them.

I expect WSBR 3.5 to have full grids with drivers only needing €850000 and getting a lot more track time and racing in front of big crowds unlike GP2 who only get the early birds from the F1 crowd. Renault have GP2 teams who have put in entries for WSBR for 2012 this along with a new car and a new engine package will all help to make the 2012 season a great success. .

R.I.P GP2.........

[kurski]

Originally Posted by Robbe

GP3:
- Bottas should step up, maybe with ART?

Or iSport International, which has been the talk of the Finnish media.

[cleanup]

Originally Posted by Supertec

With the worlds economies in free fall I don't expect to see a large GP2 grid next season with budgets ranging from €1.8 to €2.5 million and the drivers getting little track time who will fund these drivers, The teams can't afford to subsidise hot shot drivers anymore and F1 is now looking to poach the sponsors away from GP2. It was obvious this season some teams only had one paying driver and subsidised the second driver these teams I'm sure are now in financial trouble.

Grosjean winning the championship did the series no favours at all he was a returnee having already made it to F1 but returned, he was the Pirelli tyre tester giving him a huge advantage over the other drivers (but he wasn't excluded) He had all the data and information to hand from LRGP F1. He had to win.

Red Bull put their drivers in WSBR they wont be pushed around by GP2 and good for them.

I expect WSBR 3.5 to have full grids with drivers only needing €850000 and getting a lot more track time and racing in front of big crowds unlike GP2 who only get the early birds from the F1 crowd. Renault have GP2 teams who have put in entries for WSBR for 2012 this along with a new car and a new engine package will all help to make the 2012 season a great success. .

R.I.P GP2.........

Much of what you say is true but the issue is money and only money. Ask any driver if the price were the same for GP2 and wsbr,(@E800000) what series would you do? Say no more. I followed most of the euro F1 meets this year and a couple of wsbr, GP2 is far better albeit, the quality of the grid was somewhat disappointing but the crowds were always good. I wonder what the crowds would be like at wsbr if the tickets weren`t free!! All said, for the drivers, it has to be wsbr, GP2 has got to be addressed and damn quick as wsbr will be spectacular. Why not drop gp3, replace it with wsbr, surely a well supported wsbr series would balance the Ecclestone books and all the right drivers are in the right place!!!

[cleanup]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Calado's been confirmed as one of the ART drivers for the forthcoming test apparently.

Great news !

[bella]

Originally Posted by cleanup

Why not drop gp3, replace it with wsbr, surely a well supported wsbr series would balance the Ecclestone books and all the right drivers are in the right place!!!

because fr3.5 (wsr is the event, not the series) is partly what it is because of the world series by renault events and the openness commercially. speak to any genuine sponsor and they've nothing but praise for the way they can bring guests to wsr events and give them remarkably good access with or without renaultsport vip treatment. if you're a young driver supported by 10 or so family friends in business you stand no chance of being able to bring those guests to the f1 circus whereas at wsr you can entertain them within the team awning for no ticket or "paddock club" costs. saying "i wonder what the crowds would be like if the tickets weren't free" kinda totally misses the point of the whole event...

i think the smart driver with a gp2 budget would do well to perhaps combine gp3 with fr3.5 instead in 2012 - gp3 for f1 team visibility, with fr3.5 for the cars, events and guest entertainment.

[Juntos]

Johnny Ceccotto Jnr to test for Addax. Always so brooding, so tortured.

[Daisy]

Nigel Melker will test with Arden.

[chunterer]

Sam Bird will spend a day with Trident according to some sources.

[jondownunder]

Originally Posted by cappra250

Tom Dillmann will test for Isport at Jerez.
Kral and Palmer for Addax, the last doing also the Abu Dhabi race with them.

Palmer will also test for iSport, along with Carlos Iaconelli, Tom Dillmann and Nathanael Berthon:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/94729

Rupert Svendsen-Cook, Fabio Leimer and Rodolfo Gonzalez will test for Racing Engineering:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/94785

[formula_fan]

Quite a few Brits signed up already which is good to see. I haven't seen Calado confirmed anywhere for ART yet though. Presumably Chilton will also be carrying on with Carlin for the tests.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by formula_fan

I haven't seen Calado confirmed anywhere for ART yet though.

It was tweeted by the GP2 Media Manager last week.

[Robbe]

Esteban Guiterrez has signed with Lotus ART for next season!

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/94878

Jerez test line-up for day one (tomorrow):

http://www.gp2series.com/News-Room/N...rs-Entry-List/

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by chunterer

It was tweeted by the GP2 Media Manager last week.

And to prove that was right, he's actually going to be out with Ocean!!

Now the list.... Yelmer Buurman??!!!

[boyndie]

According to "racing steps" website Calado will split his testing and will test with Ocean for one day and ART for the other day.

[Mekola]

Javi Villa back to GP2 with SuperNova. Wonder if the Spaniard would use his test as a hang-on acclimatisation for a possible HRT F1 ride.