GP2 Series, Royal Road to F1?
Vitaly Petrov recently replaced Jarno Trulli in the Caterham F1 team for the 2012 season. The Russian driver thus brought the number of drivers in F1 in 2012 who had participated in the GP2 Series during their career to 12 – half of the grid.
The GP2 Series Championship was created in 2005 with the objective of being the stepping stone to Formula 1 and thus replacing Formula 3000. The format of the championship was established by Bernie Ecclestone, the head of FOM, and Flavio Briatore.
All the GP2 drivers have the same single-seater and only the setups change. Two races are held each weekend, a long race and a sprint race – points are awarded at the end of these two races. Additional points also reward the pole position holder and the drivers with the fastest laps in the race.
This season, 12 former GP2 drivers will be on the starting grid of Formula 1 Grand Prix, including 6 GP2 champions. Here is the list of these 12 drivers and a quick overview of their careers in GP2.
Drivers present in F1 in 2012 who came through GP2
| Driver | Saisons GP2 | Courses GP2 | Victoires GP2 | Palmarès GP2 | Débuts en F1 | Titre(s) F1 | |
| 1 | Rosberg | 2005 | 23 | 5 | Champion 2005 | 2006 (Williams) | |
| 2 | Hamilton | 2006 | 21 | 5 | Champion 2006 | 2007 (McLaren) | 2008 (McLaren) |
| 3 | Glock | 2006-2007 | 42 | 7 | Champion 2007 | 2004 (Jordan) | |
| 4 | Hülkenberg | 2009 | 20 | 5 | Champion 2009 | 2010 (Williams) | |
| 5 | Maldonado | 2007 à 2010 | 73 | 10 | Champion 2010 | 2011 (Williams) | |
| 6 | Grosjean | 2008 à 2011 * | 54 | 9 | Champion 2011 | 2009 (Renault) | |
| 7 | Kovalainen | 2005 | 23 | 5 | 2ème en 2005 | 2007 (Renault) | |
| 8 | Petrov | 2006 à 2009 | 69 | 4 | 2ème en 2009 | 2010 (Renault) | |
| 9 | Perez | 2009-2010 | 40 | 5 | 2ème en 2010 | 2011 (Sauber) | |
| 10 | Senna | 2007-2008 | 41 | 3 | 2010 (HRT) | ||
| 11 | Kobayashi | 2008-2009 | 40 | 1 | 2009 (Toyota) | ||
| 12 | Pic | 2010-2011 | 38 | 3 | 2012 (Marussia) |
*: Romain Grosjean did not participate in the entire 2009 GP2 season – he joined Renault F1 during the year; He also did not participate in the entire 2010 GP2 season, he took part in a few races at the end of the season with DAMS
Since its inception, GP2 has been a breeding ground for drivers in Formula 1, and all GP2 champions have joined F1 following their title—except for Giorgio Pantano, who had begun in F1 in 2004 with Jordan. The Italian driver then returned to the lower tier in GP2, where he clinched the title in 2008 but was unable to return to F1 thereafter.
Beyond the 12 drivers on the grid this season, others also went through GP2 before reaching F1, even if they are no longer current titleholders.
Former F1 drivers who went through GP2
| Driver | Saisons GP2 | Courses GP2 | Victoires GP2 | Palmarès GP2 | Débuts en F1 | |
| 1 | Scott Speed | 2005 | 23 | 0 | 3ème en 2005 | 2006 (Toro Rosso) |
| 2 | Nelson Piquet Jr | 2005-2006 | 44 | 5 | 2ème en 2006 | 2008 (Renault) |
| 3 | Lucas di Grassi | 2006 à 2009 | 75 | 5 | 2ème en 2007 | 2010 (Virgin) |
| 4 | Kazuki Nakajima | 2007 | 21 | 0 | 2007 (Williams) | |
| 5 | Sébastien Buemi | 2007-2008 | 31 | 2 | 2009 (Toro Rosso) | |
| 6 | Karun Chandhok | 2007 à 2009 | 61 | 2 | 2010 (HRT) | |
| 7 | Jérôme d’Ambrosio | 2008 à 2010 | 58 | 1 | 2011 (Virgin) |
One can notice with the two previous tables that certain teams recruit GP2 drivers more than others. This is particularly the case for Renault (which became Lotus F1), Williams, Toro Rosso, Virgin (which became Marussia), and HRT.
The GP2 is a developmental championship for all the drivers who participate in it because they race in front of the entire F1 paddock, making it a great opportunity to get noticed. Until now, the GP2 was divided into two championships – the GP2 Asia and the GP2 Main, but in 2012, there will be just one championship with new dates.
What better training for a future F1 driver than racing on the circuits where F1 drivers compete? That’s what the organizers of the GP2 Series decided to do for 2012 by adding Malaysia and Singapore to the calendar.
All the rounds of the 2012 GP2 Series calendar will therefore be held on the same weekend as a Formula 1 Grand Prix – with the exception of the two rounds in Bahrain, which are held before and after the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend, respectively.
The 2012 GP2 Series Season Calendar
- Malaysia – March 23 to 25;
- Barcelona – May 10 to 12;
- Monaco – May 24 to 26;
- Valencia – June 22 to 24;
- Silverstone – July 6 to 8;
- Hockenheim – July 20 to 22;
- Budapest – July 27 to 29;
- Spa-Francorchamps – August 31 to September 2;
- Monza – September 7 to 9;
- Singapore – September 21 to 23.
The GP2 aims to be the benchmark series for training drivers for the tough world of Formula 1 – and beyond allowing them to race on the same circuits, it has also chosen the same tire manufacturer, Pirelli. The young wolves of GP2 will therefore have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the GP2 tires, which is an interesting experience.
In its 7 years of existence, GP2 has seen 19 of its drivers move up to the next level, and it’s likely that this trend will continue. It is expected that some Formula 1 teams will continue to recruit GP2 drivers, both current and former, including Jules Bianchi and Giedo Van der Garde among others. These two men are respectively the reserve drivers for the Force India and Caterham F1 teams for the 2012 season.
Despite the emergence of a new competitor in recent years with the development of the World Series by Renault, and more specifically the Formula Renault 3.5 championship – where Sebastian Vettel, Robert Kubica, Jean-Eric Vergne, and Daniel Ricciardo notably raced before reaching F1, GP2 continues to assert itself as an important breeding ground for young drivers for the Formula 1 World Championship.
