GP Masters entry list for Qatar

[luke]

1. Rene Arnoux (France)
2. Eddie Cheever (USA)
3. Christian Danner (Germany)
4. Andrea de Cesaris (Italy)
5. Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazil)
6. Stefan Johansson (Sweden)
7. Jan Lammers (Netherlands)
8. Nigel Mansell (Britain)
9. Pierluigi Martini (Italy)
10. Eliseo Salazar (Chile)
11. Hans Stuck (Germany)
12. Riccardo Patrese (Italy)
13. Patrick Tambay (France)
14. Eric van de Poele (Belgium)
15.Derek Warwick (Britain)

This is from the official website, and here is the relevant article:

http://www.gpmasters.com/news_050406_pressrelease.htm

So how come no Alain Prost? I thought he was quite likely to do this judging from last year?

I'd also like to see Jody Sheckter one day it would be awesome if someone could persuade him.

[Scott Moyse]

yeah i second that, alain prost should be doing it, maybe he doesn't want mansell to show him up, what about alesi and gerhard aswell? and damon hill would be too much of a chicken i reckon and mansell would just show him whos boss. what about mario andretti? or is he too old? i reckon jackie stewart could be quite good if he got fit, but no doubt hes too old? lol. what about Olivier Panis? and Johnny herbert?

[jondownunder]

Drivers have to be over 45 at the start of the year to be eligible, so Alesi, Panis and Herbert are too young. And I think Mario Andretti's testing flip at Indianapolis was a wake up call that convinced him he was risking too much by driving such cars at his age.

It would be great if Prost and Scheckter were out there, and how about Nelson Piquet Sr? It would be nice to have a few more champions (or at least more race winners) in the field.

[Scott Moyse]

yup i found out yesterday that you had to be at least 45 to enter. but more champions and race winners are essential for the sucess of the series, becasue goin off the kylami race, which was pretty boring, it will only be between emerson and mansell. i think it will be unlikely that Piquet snr will enter as he has been quoted as slating the series on Autosport.com. and schekter would be an intersting one. What about Alan Jones? would be good to see alex zanaardi there when he is old enough. do they have to be ex f1 drivers or can ex indy or champ car drivers enter? that could be potentially very interesting, and would induce some grit determination to prove they should have been in f1 when they beat ex f1 drivers. if that were to happen of course?!!!??

[Thundersports]

Piquet would never participate due to his relationship with Mansell and he still isn't the same after his Indy shunt, although he was a much more of a natural driver than Mansell. Jackie Stewart would be an expert on how to drive the cars but wouldn't have a clue once he got behind the wheel; ask Jan Magnusson. And finally Alan Jones did drive one of the cars and was found out. (He was to fat and unfit)

[Mekola]

GP Masters is intended for ex-F1 drivers only.
Interesting to see Van der Poele in this list. If he is there, I see no problems that Oscar Larrauri could join GPM drivers staff. Larrauri is in same conditions: both did two F1 seasons, didn't score points in F1, and had success in sportscars.