The GP2/GP3 Thread

[shinji]

Yes, it's The GP2 Thread. The series currently led by Pastor Maldonado, with the Venezuelan looking increasingly likely to follow Nico Hulkenberg, Giorgio Pantano, Timo Glock, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg as Champion. At first glance, the 2010 grid looks a bit less 'star-studded' than it may have done in previous seasons, but that's not to say that people like Maldonado, Sergio Perez, Giedo van der Garde, Jules Bianchi or Dani Clos couldn't hack it in Formula One. On the other end of the scale, we have such luminaries as Ho Pin Tung, who recently was granted a superlicence in a possible portent of a step up to F1, and Renault reject Rrrrrmmmmnnnn Grrrrrrjjjjnnnnn. The standard of racing is often better than F1, as the drivers are so desperate to make an impression, and with two races a weekend, you get more bang for your buck, kind of.

So, this will hopefully serve as a discussion thread for the goings-on in GP2, for those of us who have channels that show it (thank God for Setanta Sports), and those of us that don't. I just felt it was high time we had one for this interesting, pretty top class series.

Also, on the instigation of Wizzie, this can serve as the discussion point for GP3, the sub-series below GP2 that was launched this year, and is currently led by Esteban Gutierrez.

[shinji]

So, last week at Germany we had Maldonado win the Feature Race on Saturday from Perez, and on Sunday Perez fought up excellently from 7th on the grid to win the Sprint Race, ahead of Oliver Turvey and Adrian Zaugg. As some of you will know, I was at the race, and Perez's was the best drive I saw out of the F1, the GP3, the Porsche Supercups and GP2 during the weekend. I was really impressed. GP2 also provided us with our only view of an overtake in the flesh. This weekend at Hungary, Brit Simon Bird has pole for the Feature tomorrow ahead of David Valsecchi and Oliver Turvey, with Maldonado in P4, so we'll see what happens there, and with the top 20 covered by just a second hopefully the drivers can overcome the notoriously twisty Hungaroring to provide an exciting race!

[CarlosFerreira]

Good effort, shinj. I reckon we probably should pay a bit more attention to GP2 (well, I should anyway)

[Wizzie]

Bird on pole but nearly did the same thing as the GP3 guys last weekend

Speaking of GP3 maybe we could discuss that in this thread aswell

[Debaser]

I've not seen any GP2 action this year, the only channel that shows it in Britain is Eurosport which I don't have. I'm surprised Maldonado's doing so well, I've always seen as him as a fast but erratic driver - if memory serves me right he was banned for a year for causing a crash at Monaco in another formulae one year. Still coming from Venezuela he'll get plenty of Latin American backing, probable reject next year along with Perez.

[RejectSteve]

Still coming from Venezuela he'll get plenty of Latin American backing, probable reject next year along with Perez.

PDVSA, the same group that funded Ernesto Viso.

I love watching the GP2 Series guys because like shinji wrote, they're all desperate to make an impression and thus he racing is probably some of the best out of any major international series. Its a miracle that Speed (read: NASCAR TV) carries delayed Feature race coverage prior to the Formula 1 races. Unfortunately, that also means waking up at 06.00 for the European races - but that's the price you pay for entertainment.

thehemogoblin, do you bother waking up at 03.00 to watch it?

[thehemogoblin]

Still coming from Venezuela he'll get plenty of Latin American backing, probable reject next year along with Perez.

PDVSA, the same group that funded Ernesto Viso.

I love watching the GP2 Series guys because like shinji wrote, they're all desperate to make an impression and thus he racing is probably some of the best out of any major international series. Its a miracle that Speed (read: NASCAR TV) carries delayed Feature race coverage prior to the Formula 1 races. Unfortunately, that also means waking up at 06.00 for the European races - but that's the price you pay for entertainment.

thehemogoblin, do you bother waking up at 03.00 to watch it?

Not in the least. Haven't sat through a GP2 race since Scott Speed was in the series. And as of now, I don't get Speed on my cable package, which means no races for me. Damn it.

[Wizzie]

Nico Muller on pole in GP3

The other thing of note in that article is that it confirms that the weather has had an effect on proceedings as it has washed the track clean (but then again any European could have told you that )

Just out of curiosty does Nico have any relation to Yvan Muller? (He of Touring Car Fame)

[shinji]

Nico Muller on pole in GP3

The other thing of note in that article is that it confirms that the weather has had an effect on proceedings as it has washed the track clean (but then again any European could have told you that )

Just out of curiosty does Nico have any relation to Yvan Muller? (He of Touring Car Fame)

1. Nico Muller Jenzer 1m36.991s
2. Esteban Gutierrez ART 1m36.991s + 0.000s
3. Stefano Coletti Tech 1 1m37.036s + 0.045s
4. Robert Wickens Status 1m37.066s + 0.075s

Sure was 'ultra close'.

Weather? There was actual rain? By jove.

Nico is Swiss, and that Touring Car guy is apparently French. It's a pretty common surname I think.

[RejectSteve]

Nico is Swiss, and that Touring Car guy is apparently French. It's a pretty common surname I think.

No relation at all. It seems that Nico Müller is from Thun, the same city as Simona de Silvestro.

[dr-baker]

Yvan Muller is indeed French, from the Alsace, and used to compete in the WTCC against Jorg Muller, a German. Presumably a German surman, as Alsace used to be German territory before the World Wars.

[Debaser]

Alsace was invaded by Prussia in 1870, was given back to France after WW1, was taken by Germany in 1940 and then went back to France in 1946 (me being the history nerd I am, I didn't even check that so I might be wrong). Arsene Wenger's from Alsace, hence his German sounding name.

Now Yvan Muller, I remember his epic duels with Plato in the BTCC, they couldn't stand each other and were teammates at Vauxhall. He won a title or two before going to WTCC, not sure where he is now.

[Wizzie]

not sure where he is now.

He's still in the WTCC and is currently leading the championship 23 points over Touring Car legend and F1 Reject Gabriele Tarquini

[dr-baker]

He only used to compete against the other Muller because Jorg is no longer there, not that Yvan has left...

EDIT: Also, in 2006, Yvan Muller and Jorg Muller both competed against Dirk Muller, none of whom were related to each other.

Anyway, back to GP2/3, if you please. And if you don't please, continue doing what you would otherwise have done.

[watka]

My 2 cents:

Pastor Maldonado looks like finally winning the GP2 title. He always had pace on his day, but has always been a bit too much of a risk for any F1 team to take him on.

Sam Bird is a local driver to me and has risen up the ranks pretty quickly. I imagine he will be champion in about 2 years time.

[shinji]

Very messy Feature race today, in which Maldonado emerged victorious. After two false starts, Jules Bianchi was hit head on by Ho Pin Tung, an incident which left Bianchi with possibly severe back injuries. Elsewhere, Christian Vietoris and Sergio Perez completed the podium, and Turvey, van der Garde and D'Ambrosio rounded out the points.

Hope Bianchi's alright, he looks to have a good future. Damaged vertebrae could be dodgy though.

[Stramala]

Very messy Feature race today, in which Maldonado emerged victorious. After two false starts, Jules Bianchi was hit head on by Ho Pin Tung, an incident which left Bianchi with possibly severe back injuries. Elsewhere, Christian Vietoris and Sergio Perez completed the podium, and Turvey, van der Garde and D'Ambrosio rounded out the points.

Hope Bianchi's alright, he looks to have a good future. Damaged vertebrae could be dodgy though.

GP2 breaking backs is nothing new. Christian Bakkerud (irony or coincidence? I honestly don't know which) has had a problem with his ever since a crash in 2008 (?), though that was probably fate intervening so the sick b*****d never made it to Formula One.

[Wizzie]

Kostas' lightning rod of hate takes victory in GP3 sprint race

[Wizzie]

Giacomo Ricci takes DPR's first win since 2005

[Wizzie]

Tung diagnosed with minor back fracture as a result of the crash with Bianchi

[mario]

Very messy Feature race today, in which Maldonado emerged victorious. After two false starts, Jules Bianchi was hit head on by Ho Pin Tung, an incident which left Bianchi with possibly severe back injuries. Elsewhere, Christian Vietoris and Sergio Perez completed the podium, and Turvey, van der Garde and D'Ambrosio rounded out the points.

Hope Bianchi's alright, he looks to have a good future. Damaged vertebrae could be dodgy though.

With Ho Pin Tung also confirmed as having suffered from back injuries (albeit not as severe as Bianchi), I do hope that Dallara have improved the crash structures on the 2011 GP2 car.
Speaking of which, here are a few more pictures of the 2011 GP2 car (Dallara have released a few more shots recently, showing a bit more detail).













And, importantly, this should share the same slicks as the F1 cars, which should hopefully give the rookies coming up through GP2 a better idea of what an F1 car feels like through the corners (although I suspect that those tyres are probably an old set of 2010 tyres, as I doubt Pirelli have managed to get a set ready yet).

[Wizzie]

Why does the new GP2 car remind me of a mix of the RB5 and RB6?

[AndreaModa]

I think the current crop of GP2 drivers in the F1 field like Petrov, Hulkenberg, etc deserve a lot more credit than they're given seeing as the change in characteristics between the two cars isn't just a case of more of everything, but the two formulas are completely different. I'd expect graduates from when the new car is introduced to get up to speed in F1 much more quickly seeing as they would already have had a bite of the cherry somewhat, albeit in a lower formula.

[dr-baker]

Tung diagnosed with minor back fracture as a result of the crash with Bianchi

Just to prove that these accidents don't only happen at Brands Hatch (as discussed recently elsewhere on this forum).

[IdeFan]

Why does the new GP2 car remind me of a mix of the RB5 and RB6?

Because GP2 cars are deliberately designed to look like "baby F1 cars" and RBR are leading the way with aerodynamics under the new regulations.

[mario]

Why does the new GP2 car remind me of a mix of the RB5 and RB6?

Because GP2 cars are deliberately designed to look like "baby F1 cars" and RBR are leading the way with aerodynamics under the new regulations.

Actually, I would say that the rear of the new GP2 car reminds me more of the R30 then the RB5 or RB6 - the sidepods on the RB5 and RB6 drop away more dramatically by comparison, and the sidepod turning vein is also remeniscent of that of the R30.


I'll agree with you though that the front end of the car is definitely more akin to the RB5 or RB6 though.

[Waris]

Ack, those sidepod turning veins (is that the name for the horrendous rectangular plate in front of the sidewings?) are ungodly. I wish they would just ban them. At least if they're black, like on the Renault, you don't really notice them, but in white they badly mess up the whole car.

Other than that, I think it's a quite cool-looking car. :3

[JeanDenisAlcatraz]

I like the sidepod-turning vains. They're like the nephew of those sidepod-wings on the 1998 Tyrrell.

[mediocre]

I bet this chassis is better than the current HRT one.

[midgrid]

Is that Ben Hanley driving the new car?

[Bleu]

A very rejectworthy GP3 race at Spa.

First, qualifying on drying track and half of the field gets penalized for setting fastest lap on yellows. In the actual race, traditional Spa start crash and SC. At that point, there is information about rain coming in few minutes. At least Varhaug took the gamble and pitted for wets before the rain (á la Räikkönen Malaysia 2009) but this time it was good idea since he could catch the field anyway due to SC.

Well, the rain came and it was torrential downpour. Somehow few drivers continued on slicks and basically everyone slid off at La Source. However, three drivers (Wickens, Merhi and Newgarden) could continue. SC was deployed due to conditions (and probably due to some wrecked cars) Merhi pitted on the next lap but could stay 4th. However, Wickens (still leading) and Newgarden (dropped to 5th) kept slicks on in heavy rain. It was soon clear that the race will be timed. On lap 9, it was announced that SC will come in this lap. Wickens drove slowly enough that time would run out so race would finish when they cross the finish line. And he therefore won the race at least for a while, don't know if he will be investigated.

[watka]

A very rejectworthy GP3 race at Spa.

First, qualifying on drying track and half of the field gets penalized for setting fastest lap on yellows. In the actual race, traditional Spa start crash and SC. At that point, there is information about rain coming in few minutes. At least Varhaug took the gamble and pitted for wets before the rain (á la Räikkönen Malaysia 2009) but this time it was good idea since he could catch the field anyway due to SC.

Well, the rain came and it was torrential downpour. Somehow few drivers continued on slicks and basically everyone slid off at La Source. However, three drivers (Wickens, Merhi and Newgarden) could continue. SC was deployed due to conditions (and probably due to some wrecked cars) Merhi pitted on the next lap but could stay 4th. However, Wickens (still leading) and Newgarden (dropped to 5th) kept slicks on in heavy rain. It was soon clear that the race will be timed. On lap 9, it was announced that SC will come in this lap. Wickens drove slowly enough that time would run out so race would finish when they cross the finish line. And he therefore won the race at least for a while, don't know if he will be investigated.

For anyone who's interested, there's a vid here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-8FealsfXw
La Source should have been renamed La Source de la Riviere.

[Wizzie]

Red Bull refugee Hartley signs with Coloni while RRMMN GRRRRSSSSSSSJJJJJJJJJNNNNNNN stays put at DAMS.

[Phoenix]

Brendon Hartley looks like Marylin Monroe. Watch out, Nico Rosberg!
Oh, damn, just disregard this post

[shinji]

I finally got around to watching the GP3 race at Spa, what a tactic. Good race I must say, just shows how integral rain is to a good race.

[Waris]

Red Bull refugee Hartley signs with Coloni while RRMMN GRRRRSSSSSSSJJJJJJJJJNNNNNNN stays put at DAMS.

OMFG WTF, they are now my favourite GP2 driver lineup of all, with Parente and Hartley. And they are COLONI.

They should just take this team with these drivers back into F1 already.

[Valrys]

Are there any places online where you can watch the GP2/3 races, either live or afterwards?

[DonTirri]

Pastor Maldonado just clinched the GP2 title after Perez failed to score at the sprint race.

Now could be a good time to hire the Venezuelan, he might be able to bring sponsors from his home country so teams like Lotus or Virgin might really gain from hiring him

[Mister Fungus]

Both him and Perez supposedly have sponsors with boatload of cash.

[thehemogoblin]

Both him and Perez supposedly have sponsors with boatload of cash.

Rare is the unsponsored North or South American driver.