Formula Two

2013 GP2 teams and drivers

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  • #131961
    Keith Collantine
    Keymaster

    So who’s going to end up where in 2013?

    Obviously Davide Valsecchi won’t be returning as he’s won the championship. And with Coloni disappearing for reasons unknown that leaves just 24 places to be filled.

    Who will end up where? Which drivers from other series deserve to make the step up to GP2? Or will more drivers be looking to race in Formula Renault 3.5?

    Addax
    DAMS
    Racing Engineering
    iSport
    Lotus
    Caterham
    Trident
    Super Nova
    Rapax
    Arden
    Ocean
    Carlin

    To get things started here’s some information from @motorstv:

    #207249
    the_sigman
    Participant

    I hope Haryanto doesn’t stay to Carlin and Chilton goes to Marussia in F1, so Ellinas has a decent chance of going to GP2.

    #207250
    katederby
    Participant

    Obviously Mitch Evans is testing with Arden later this month but apparently DAMS are also interested in the GP3 champion.

    #207251
    robk23
    Participant

    Obviously Mitch Evans will go somewhere, Mark Webber might have some influence and he could go to Arden or as @katederby suggests he may be tempted by the team that has produced the two most recent champions.

    I’ve got a feeling Luiz Razia might call it a day after this season (he almost did so at the end of 2011).

    I can’t see many of the quality drivers from GP3 going up to GP2 when Formula Renault 3.5 is cheaper and has a higher quality field for them to prove themselves against.

    #207252
    Tom L.
    Participant

    I’m very interested to see how Haryanto gets on next year. This year he’s made some rookie mistakes – as might be expected – but also showed good pace (particularly in wet conditions) and bold but well-judged overtaking (think Kobayashi style!). If he can make the step up he could certainly win a race or two next year.
    Staying with Carlin would be a good option in that 1) he knows the team and 2) there’s an obvious route into F1 with Marussia (whether that’s desirable is another matter…)
    Going to DAMS would, though, potentially give him even better opportunities. Obviously they’ve led Grosjean and Valsecchi to their titles and allowed a talented rookie to shine (Nasr). On the flip side, it means any shortcomings on the driver’s part will be shown up even more (e.g. Pal Varhaug’s disastrous year alongside Grosjean). Haryanto and Nasr would be an exciting line-up.
    Rapax is on paper the least promising option. Since Maldonado’s championship they haven’t achieved much success – although arguably this is partly down to their driver choice.

    As for Razia’s future, I can’t see him stopping now. Based on an interview I heard/read at some point he’d stepped up his commitment this year and felt it had paid dividends; I’d be surprised if he doesn’t race in another category even if he can’t find an F1 seat.

    #207253
    GeeMac
    Participant

    If I was Haryanto and I had offers from DAMS, Rapax and Carlin I think it’s an absolute no brainer which one you choose…DAMS. They have produced the last 2 GP2 champions and have been a solid team for years. Rapax came out of nowhere to win the title with Maldonado (who was a pretty experienced campainer by the time he won). Carlin are still relative new boys in the GP2 game despite having had a great season this year. So for me, DAMS is the seat to have.

    #207254
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    I think a lot of the grid is going to be decided by the calendar. The expansion to Malaysia, the Bahrain double-header and Singapore drove up costs, and with it, forced the talented-but-underfunded drivers out. So I think a lot will hinge on where the races take place.

    #207255
    the_sigman
    Participant

    @prisoner-monkeys
    I don’t think they will reduce or even stop doing races outside Europe, because the already plan a race to Canada next year.

    #207256
    Felipe Bomeny
    Participant

    AutoGP racers Facundo Regalia and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs will be testing GP2 cars and are surely eyeing seats in the category.

    #207257
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    @sigman1998 – Do you have a source to go with that? Ever since the GP2-GP2 Asia merger was announced, I’ve thought that they should go to Canada, and doubly so after New Jersey was announced. But this is the first I’ve heard that they’re actually planning it.

    #207258
    Ryan Williams
    Participant

    Here’s my best guess at what the GP2 line-up will be:

    Addax: Johnny Cecotto & Jake Rosenzweig
    I can’t see why Addax would change their line-up. Cecotto had some great races this year (Win in Monaco) and if Rosenzweig still has cash then he’ll probably stay

    DAMS: Felipe Nasr & Arthur Pic
    Obviously Valsecchi won’t hang around, which means DAMS will take Pic from their WSR team and put him in their GP2 outfit. Pic could definitely make it into F1 with the right exposure and results. I can’t see Nasr going anywhere for next year

    Racing Engineering: Nathanaël Berthon & Dani Clos
    With Leimer being linked to a switch to DTM with BMW, Racing Engineering will need to fill a seat. So why not Dani Clos? Spanish driver, Spanish team and an accomplished racer.

    iSport: Marcus Ericsson & Jolyon Palmer
    Both drivers did solid jobs last season and I see no reason why the team would want to let them go, or why the drivers would want to leave

    Lotus: James Calado & Daniel Abt.
    With Esteban Gutiérrez about to put pen to paper on a Sauber contract, Lotus will turn to the GP3 vice-champion Daniel Abt to take his seat. It’s a natural progression for Abt who drove superbly all year and narrowly missed out on the title. Calado had a great season and will want to stay to gain experience and show his skills in front of the F1 boys

    Caterham: Rodolfo González & Alexander Rossi
    Van der Garde is almost certain to graduate to F1 next year and Rossi’s strong links with Caterham may see him switch from WSR to GP2. Rossi could well become Caterham’s reserve driver next year and so having him race at the F1 venues will be beneficial to Caterham’s F1 team

    Trident: Stéphane Richelmi & Julián Leal
    Another team I can’t see changing their driver line-up. None of the drivers in their GP3 team showed they’re ready to move up to the GP2 series

    Team Lazarus: Luca Fillippi & René Binder
    After his antics in Singapore Canamasas will surely be dropped by the team and replaced by an experienced race-winner in Fillippi. Binder will most likely stay with the team

    Rapax: Rio Harayanto & Stefano Coletti
    Rio Harayanto will leave Carlin (more on that later) and will move to Rapax. Coletti having just moved to the team will stay

    Arden: Mitch Evans & Lewis Williamson
    Mitch Evans naturally moves up from Arden’s GP3 team to GP2 after winning the championship. Bianchi’s promotion to a Force India race seat means Razia becomes the reserve driver and leaves GP2. Arden will take on Lewis Williamson to take Simon Trummer’s place after a dissapointing season

    Ocean Racing Technology: Nigel Melker & Kevin Ceccon
    Melker stays with the team with Ceccon making his return to the series after spending a season in Ocean’s GP3 team

    Carlin: António Félix da Costa & Carlos Sainz Jr.
    Max Chilton has been linked to a Marussia race seat next year and with Harayanto moving to Rapax, Carlin need to find 2 drivers. Félix da Costa has been mega all year in GP3 & WSR and is well prepared to race in GP2. Sainz Jr. has been impressive in British F3 and brings big Red Bull backing with him too. Choosing Sainz Jr. may be a huge gamble but there is no doubt he is talented and could do well in the series

    #207259
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    I can’t see why Addax would change their line-up.

    Because Rosenzweig is horrible and the team just had their worst season to date.

    With Esteban Gutiérrez about to put pen to paper on a Sauber contract

    That’s totally unconfirmed.

    Calado had a great season and will want to stay to gain experience and show his skills in front of the F1 boys

    Calado graduated to GP2 with the help of the Racing Steps Foundation this year, but it’s believed that he only had enough backing for one year.

    Van der Garde is almost certain to graduate to F1 next year

    Except that there aren’t any available seats.

    Arden will take on Lewis Williamson to take Simon Trummer’s place after a dissapointing season

    So they trade one disappointing driver for another?

    Canamasas will surely be dropped by the team and replaced by an experienced race-winner in Fillippi

    Filippi is trying to get a seat in Indycar.

    Carlin need to find 2 drivers. Félix da Costa has been mega all year in GP3 & WSR and is well prepared to race in GP2. Sainz Jr. has been impressive in British F3 and brings big Red Bull backing with him too

    I find your Carlin line-up to be the least-plausible of the lot. For one, Carlin’s GP2 team have the backing of Marussia, which will continue next year. Secondly, da Costa has already confirmed he is doing Formula Renault 3.5 next year. And finally, Red Bull has no presence in GP2 or GP3. They prefer to run their drivers through Formula Renault.

    #207260
    Ryan Williams
    Participant

    It’s only a guess!

    #207261
    aditya
    Participant

    Rio Harayanto will leave Carlin (more on that later) and will move to Rapax.

    Why Rio should move to Rapax?
    in one interview, he said he prefer to race with british team (for communication), carlin already offer him a seat again for next year, which i hardly think he will reject it, and opt to race with Rapax.
    and he’s been linked with Marussia since his GP3 year. If he want to quit from carlin, the only better choice i think is with DAMS.

    #207262
    the_sigman
    Participant

    @prisoner-monkeys I heard during a GP2 race on TV.

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