GP2 ASIA SERIES
The GP2 Series was created in late 2004 and has been a huge success, so much so that it has given birth to the GP2 Asia Series.
Dubai kick started the first GP2 Asia Series season last year, and the event went full circle before finishing at the same circuit in mid-April this year.
Romain Grosjean of ART was crowned the inaugural champion.
Grosjean won the championship with four race victories and sixty points overall. Grosjean went on to become Renault's test driver for 2008, replacing Nelson Piquet Jr. who in turn graduated to a race seat.
According to GP2 Asia Series organiser, Bruno Michel, the decision to start the GP2 Asia Series was taken to ensure that both teams and drivers could compete in both championships without suffering the large costs which would have come with one pan-continental championship.
The GP2 Asia Series rules are a little more rigid when compared to the GP series, and each team is encouraged to have at least one driver whose passport does not come from Western Europe or the Americas.
The 2009 GP2 Asia Series consisted of eight races, as opposed to the five races that have previously been raced over four circuits.
Kamui Kobayashi captured the drivers’ championship with 56 points, dominating the competition where the next closest competitor only accumulated 36 points.
Kobayashi’s DAMS team also took the Constructor’s Championship with a 92 point total.
The 2009/10 GP2 Asia Series is scheduled for four circuits, two in Abu Dhabi and two in Bahrain. It will begin the 31st of October and be completed by March 14th.
Here is a comparison of how the GP2 compares to F1.
The cars hold 600bhp engines, although they do not have technicalities such as traction control, power steering, ground effect and slick tyres. This makes the GP2 cars a little more precarious to maneuver. When it comes to lap times, the fastest GP2 speeds often compare with the final rows on the F1 grid.
Safety regulations are, however, similar to those in F1. The 2008 GP2 cars have passed all F1 and FIA crash tests and include the new anti-intrusion panels. The HANS devices are also mandatory. Both the GP Series and GP Series Asia pride themselves to their commitment to safety.
The race day format consists of two races per weekend, reverse grids and compulsory pit stops.
