GP2’s penultimate round begins with the entire motorsport community focused on the health and well-being of GP2 alumni Jules Bianchi. In two seasons, the Frenchman finished third in the championship twice, recording one feature race win, four pole positions, and ten podiums – in addition to another feature win, one pole position, and three podiums in ten starts in the GP2 Asia Series.
There are championships to be decided, and Jolyon Palmer can clinch the 2014 GP2 championship if he leaves Sochi with a 48 point advantage over Felipe Nasr or Stoffel Vandoorne, the only other mathematically eligible drivers.
Likewise, Alex Lynn can clinch the GP3 series title if he leaves Sochi with a 65 point lead after the feature race, or 48 points after the sprint. Behind him, six drivers (Eriksson, Bernstorff, Kirchhoefer, Yelloly, Zamparelli, Stoneman) are within 28 points of 2nd place Richie Stanaway. Stoneman will drive this weekend’s race for Korainen GP, as a teammate to Jimmy Eriksson.
The other notable driver changes are Tio Ellinas replacing an injured Adrian-Quaife Hobbs at Rapax in GP2, while in GP3, Patrick Kujala races for Trident, and Nikolay Martsenko returns to Hilmer.