Kral behind the wheel for Addax in testing last October - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/LAT Photographic

Josef Kral will race for the GP2 teams’ champions Addax this season after signing for the Spanish outfit.

2012 will be Czech driver Kral’s third year in GP2. He raced for Super Nova in 2010, though an injury sustained in an airborne accident in Valencia caused him to miss half of the season. He switched to Arden for 2011, and scored podium finishes in the sprint races at Monaco and Spa.

21-year-old Kral joins Johnny Cecotto Jr at Addax, having spent a day testing for the team at Barcelona in October.

Kral shot on to the scene in Formula BMW UK in 2007 where he finished runner-up. He then spent two years in Formula Master, winning three races before making the step up to GP2. He tested for the HRT F1 team at the end of 2010.

“I am very happy that I got a chance to race in one of the most successful teams in GP2 ever,” said Kral. “It motivates me to work even harder and be on top in the end of the year. I am pleased that Barwa Addax Team believe in my capability and I am looking forward to this season. I would also like to use this opportunity to thank all the people who have helped me to make this happen.”

Team owner Alejandro Agag commented: “Josef Kral is the ideal companion for team-mate Johnny Cecotto because, despite the fact that both are young, they have had important experience of the GP2 series after having competed at this level over two full seasons, which is absolutely essential if you are going to have any aspirations to compete for the driver’s championship.

“This healthy competitiveness between both our drivers will also help us to be in the list of candidates for the team title once more and guarantee joy for the fans in the coming season. We will provide both drivers with all the resources and experience they need to fight for the most important objectives and at the same time give these young drivers the chance to demonstrate the world that they are top class drivers.”

GP2 racewinners such as Stefano Coletti will get live television coverage on Sky Sports in 2012 - Photo Credit: Glenn Dunbar/GP2 Media Service

Sky Sports have announced that they will be covering both the GP2 Series and GP3 Series live on their soon-to-launch Sky Sports F1 HD channel.

Since the dedicated Formula 1 channel had been revealed there had been hopes that it would show the popular support categories. The deal will give UK fans the chance to watch some of the most promising F1 drivers of the future, and give the drivers and their sponsors vital television exposure.

“We are delighted to be showing GP2 and GP3 live on Sky Sports F1 HD,” said Executive Producer Martin Turner. “There are six former GP2 champions in Formula 1 this season, including Lewis Hamilton and last year’s winner Romain Grosjean. The series promises nail-biting and fascinating racing and we’ll track gifted drivers through the ranks as they aim for Formula 1.”

In addition to their live coverage, Sky Sports say that their weekly magazine show will also “provide coverage, analysis and discussion of the races”.

2012 sees and extended GP2 calendar that will take in 12 rounds, starting at the Malaysian Grand Prix on 23-25 March. The GP3 Series will consist of eight rounds, and commence at the Spanish Grand Prix on 12-13 May.

In addition to watching GP2 and GP3 on Sky Sports F1 HD, you can keep up with the latest news from the two series at theCheckeredFlag.co.uk throughout 2012.

The Caterham logo is set to be seen in FR3.5 this year - Photo Credit: Drew Gibson/GP2 Series Media Service

theCheckeredFlag.co.uk have discovered that Caterham and junior racing team Arden Motorsport are set to join forces.

The Caterham F1 Team have stated on their website, under their Driver Development Program section, that Alexander Rossi will contest a second season of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, driving for the Arden Caterham Motorsport team. The American, who finished third in FR3.5 in 2011, had been expected to race for Caterham’s GP2 squad this year.

An internet search for ‘Arden Caterham Motorsport’ reveals that Arden Motorsport Limited were renamed Arden Caterham Motorsport Limited in November 2011.

Arden are a new entry into Formula Renault 3.5 for 2012, after success in Formula 3000 and later GP2. The team was formed by current Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner when he was trying to forge a racing career of his own in the 1990s.

While they do seem set to collaborate in FR3.5, it remains to be seen whether Arden and Caterham will continue to run their own teams in GP2 or merge them. Arden’s GP2 operation has slumped towards the back of the grid in recent seasons, finishing 11^th of the 12 teams in the championship in 2011.

The news comes after reports that Arden’s long-term F3000/GP2 rivals Super Nova Racing are at risk of closing down after hitting serious financial problems.

Cecotto behind the wheel for Addax at the Jerez test last October - Photo Credit: Jed Leicester/GP2 Series Media Service

Johnny Cecotto Jr has defied his poor GP2 Series record thus far by securing a seat at reigning teams’ champions Addax.

The Venezuelan son of the former motorcycle world champion and Formula 1 driver has finished in the points just once in 37 starts in the category since his debut in late 2009.

He went the entire 2011 season point-less for Ocean Racing Technology, but did put in an impressive performance on his Formula 1 testing debut for Force India at Abu Dhabi in November.

The 22-year-old tested for Addax at Jerez at the end of last season, and will now race for the Spanish squad in 2011. Alejandro Agag’s outfit finished fourth and fifth in the drivers’ standings last year with Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde respectively. Cecotto enjoys considerable support from sponsors and politicians in his homeland, who have made the Addax drive possible.

“The fact that I’ll be competing with Barwa Addax in the 2012 GP2 Series means an important step forward in my sporting career,” said Cecotto.

“I have to thank all the sponsors who have given us support in Venezuela, who believe in the work we have been doing and especially to the minister of Poder Popular for Sport, Héctor Rodríguez, as well as viceminister Yuri Quiñones, who have given us the most support, which has meant that we can have options with the best teams in this class.”

Despite his record in the category, he believes that the jump to Addax will enable him to fight for the championship.

“At the same time I hope that I can demonstrate to the  Barwa Addax Team that they were right to have placed their confidence in me.  I feel certain that we will have a very successful season and will be fighting for the title.”

Agag commented: “We are delighted to welcome Johnny Cecotto on board. He is a driver we have been following over the last two seasons.  In the test which he did with us in Jerez, he demonstrated his true potential, his ability to work hard and his talent as a driver.

“It’s going to be very important the experience he has gained, after having competed two full seasons in the GP2 class because it will help him to adapt quickly to the new modifications to the rulings this season. We feel that he is at a very important stage in his career and we want to give him the necessary support, confident that we will achieve great results, not only with him, but also with his sponsors. We will work hard offering Johnny all the means necessary so that he can show the world his true talent as a racing driver.”

Valsecchi will hope to enjoy the success of the man he replaces at DAMS, Romain Grosjean - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/GP2 Media Service

GP2 veteran Davide Valsecchi will remain in the series to contest a fifth consecutive season, after signing with the DAMS team to replace champion Romain Grosjean.

The Italian, who turns 25 next Tuesday, won the GP2 Asia Series title in 2008-09, but has only managed three race victories from his 72 starts in the main series.

The third of these came at Monaco last year, during a strong first half to the season with Team AirAsia. He was third in the championship after the fourth round of the campaign at Valencia, but failed to finish inside the top nine again during the remainder of the year.

“It’s a great honour for me to join the DAMS team,” said Valsecchi. “It’ll give me the chance to drive a really competitive car and battle with the front-runners on a regular basis.

“In the light of the team’s performance last season I’m convinced that it’ll provide me with a first-class single-seater in 2012. So it’ll be up to me to give my best to continue its run of successes. I already feel good with the team members, and I’m impatient to start testing to be competitive right from the season’s kick-off.”

DAMS CEO Jean-Paul Driot added: “Personally I’m delighted to welcome Davide to DAMS. His experience and speed should help us to fight at the front. Today, he’s one of the benchmarks in GP2 and he’ll be the foundation on which we’ll build our campaign to defend the drivers’ title we won last year.”

Trummer made his GP2 debut with Arden in Abu Dhabi last November - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/GP2 Media Service

Arden have confirmed that Simon Trummer will step up to GP2 with them on a full-time basis this year.

The Swiss driver has raced in GP3 for the past two seasons, with the Jenzer team in 2010 and then with Arden last year. After scoring four points in his opening campaign he went point-less for the majority of 2011 – as rookie teammates Mitch Evans and Lewis Williamson picked up wins and podiums.

But he came on very strong towards the end of the season, claiming two fifths and a fourth place finish in the last three races.  He then raced for Abu Dhabi at the GP2 Final at Abu Dhabi.

“Six years ago, I was with my dad and my brother watching the Formula One Grand Pix at Hockenheim, with GP2 support,” said 22-year-old Trummer. “I said to them both, it would be my dream to drive a car like this one time in my life. Now, six years later, I will do my first season in such a strong series as GP2.

“I will do everything I can to take my chance and to be successful. To continue the season with Arden is another joy for me. They are such a great team with such good people in it, I really feel like I am in a family with them. Finally, thanks to my team who is working for me for a long time, without them I never would be in GP2, they did an unbelievable job.”

Arden’s Julian Rouse added: “It’s great to have Simon as part of our GP2 team in 2012. He is one of the most dedicated drivers I have ever worked with and has shown in both GP3 and the GP2 testing that he has a huge amount of speed and potential and we will all be doing our best to reach that potential together throughout the season. Simon moved forward a lot with his performance at the end of the 2011 GP3 season and we are confident that he can continue that development in 2012.”

The team will use the same colours as the Lotus F1 Team - Photo: Lotus GP

The ART name will vanish from the grids of the GP2 and GP3 Series from this year, as the French squad rebrands to become known as Lotus GP.

The team, who have earned various successes in junior formula over recent years, ran as Lotus ART in both GP2 and GP3 during 2011 to reflect a new partnership with the car manufacturer.

For this season the team will lose the ART moniker from its name entirely, as it becomes Lotus GP. Its cars will run in black and gold livery, as opposed to the green and yellow used last year, to bring it into line with Lotus’ Formula 1 team.

“The relationship between Group Lotus and ART continues to intensify and both parties will benefit from sharing technological developments and engineering support,” said Lotus motorsport director Claudio Berro.

“The partnership goes far beyond an agreement on the team name – this is just the tip of the iceberg. The collaboration between ART and Group Lotus is deeply rooted in the culture and daily life of both entities. For example, Lotus’ road cars, like the Elise and the Evora will benefit directly from the impacts of developments made by the team on the circuit as well as in the factory.

“The current and future cars will benefit from developments in performance, endurance and stability at high speed and in return, the racing team can draw its inspiration from world-renowned engineering, since Lotus Engineering’s engineers may be assigned to Lotus in the GP2 and GP3 Series.”

Team boss Frederic Vasseur said: “I am proud and happy to have the chance to give this new boost to the venture and to have the confidence of as prestigious an auto maker as Group Lotus, whose heritage in the sporting world is known worldwide. I am very happy about the sporting and technical prospects this partnership offers our team. It will enable both entities to capitalize on each others’ expertise in order to rise to big challenges in the coming years.”

Fabio Onidi joins Coloni after impressing the team in testing at Jerez - Photo Credit: Jed Leicester/GP2 Series Media Service

Scuderia Coloni have announced their driver pairing for the 2012 GP2 season, with the Italian outfit confirming Stefano Coletti will race for them, and that he will be joined by Fabio Onidi. The announcement of Onidi comes as a surprise after Auto GP champion Kevin Ceccon had been expected to partner Coletti.

Monegasque driver Coletti enjoyed a strong campaign in 2011, in what was due to be his first full year in the feeder category. Racing for the un-fancied Trident Racing squad, he scored sprint race wins in Abu Dhabi, Istanbul and Hungary.

His main season came to an early end though after he was injured in a crash at the penultimate round at Spa and was forced to miss the season finale at Monza. He recovered in time to test for Coloni at Barcelona, before turning out for the team at the non-championship GP2 Final at Abu Dhabi.

Alongside Coletti at Coloni for the Abu Dhabi races and at Toro Rosso for the subsequent F1 young driver tests was Ceccon – and Coloni were known to want the 18-year-old in their lineup for 2012. He had won the Coloni-run Auto GP series as a rookie, and also stepped in to the GP2 team for four meetings earlier in the season.

However, it is fellow Italian Onidi who will join Coletti this season. He also comes from Auto GP, a series he had raced in for four years (including two years under the old name of Euroseries 3000). He finished fifth in the standings in 2011, before testing for Coloni at the Jerez test where he was found towards the top of the timesheets. He raced for Super Nova in Abu Dhabi, but now returns to Coloni for a full campaign this season.

“We are heading towards the start of the season with a promising and competitive line-up, with two drivers that impressed us by how quickly they got acquainted with the team and the car in the winter testing, immediately securing a spot among the front runners,” explained Paolo Coloni, whose team took Luca Filippi to the runner-up spot last season.

“We were following them with a great deal of attention last year already: Stefano managed to be GP2’s best rookie despite his back injury in Spa, while Fabio showed with his results and consistency that he’s ready for the huge leap to GP2. With such premises our expectations are obviously high, we know that we have what it takes to be successful and we aim to show that right from the start.”

22-year-old Coletti said: “I’m really happy of this agreement with Scuderia Coloni for the next GP2 season, and first of all I’d like to say thanks to Paolo and the whole Coloni family for that: we started talking immediately after the end of the 2011 Championship and they made me understand that I was an important part of their project. 2012 will be a key year in my career, so I did put a lot of thinking on this choice, as I wanted to be sure that the decision was the right one for my future.

“Right from the first test I did with Coloni I had an excellent feeling with the car, the engineers and the whole staff, they are focused and their approach to the race weekend is aggressive, something that I really like. I’m looking forward to the first testing sessions and the start of the season, as the 2012 calendar is really fascinating. I’m also happy to have Fabio Onidi racing alongside me. He’s a good guy and a skilled driver, we raced against each other in karting and in some other occasions and I’m sure that with him it will be very easy to create an atmosphere of cooperation.”

Onidi, 13 months’ Coletti’s senior, added: “GP2 has been one of my aims in the latest seasons, so being finally part of it is a really good feeling, the first achievement of 2012 for me. Besides this, I’m really happy to do that with Scuderia Coloni. The feeling with the team was immediate, and the same was with the car, allowing us to be really quick in the Jerez testing.

“I would have liked to race with them in Abu Dhabi but in the end it wasn’t possible, so now I’m really looking forward to the first commitments of the 2012 season. I’m pretty confident, but at the same time I know that for a driver the debut year in GP2 can be a tough one: that’s why I’m really pushing to be ready, both working with Scuderia Coloni’s simulator at their HQ and obviously at the gym with the physical preparation. I want to be in the best possible shape when the championship starts, and the next three months will be vital for that.”

Nine winners from 2011, and two who lost their lives trying to join them

The twelve months of 2011 have been twelve months of contrasts, a twelve months packed with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. In this, the first of four articles where the authors who brought these highs and lows to the pages of The Checkered Flag, look back at 2011 and pick their ‘Driver of The Year’ including a man who won two British GT races, an F3 runner-up and somebody called Vettel.

Peter Allen

Romain Grosjean
After seeing off the challenge of Jules Bianchi to win the four-race Asia Series in February/March, “Big John” was kept on his toes during the early rounds of the main series campaign. However, he found another gear mid-season as his early rivals faltered, claiming four races wins in as many race weekends before claiming the title at Spa. After never having been given a proper chance first time around, Grosjean has now earned himself a well-deserved return to Formula 1, getting the chance to go head-to-head against new teammate Kimi Raikkonen at Lotus.

GP2 champion Grosjean has earnt a well deserved second shot at F1

David Bean

Sebastian Vettel
Within Formula 1, to pick anybody other than Sebastian Vettel as Driver of the Year would be deeply unfair to the German. He may have had the best car, but it takes some skill to claim 15 pole positions, 11 race wins, and lead a ridiculously high percentage of racing laps over the course of a season. Fans of Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso can rightly claim that their drivers had good seasons, but both finished someway behind the double world champion.

The youngest ever double F1 champion - Sebastian Vettel was a popular choice for driver of the year

Josh Bell

Sebastian Vettel
It has to be Vettel. It will be a very long time before we process his extraordinary achievements from 2011. The RB7, although still the fastest car on the grid, was not as dominant as its predecessor the RB6, but Vettel’s sheer pace in the car was sol destroying for the rest of the field. If I had to choose one stand out moment, it would be his breathtaking pass on Fernando Alonso at Curva Grande; simply phenomenal, as he was all year.

James Broomhead

Kevin Magnussen
Yes, he may have finished second to Felipe Nasr in the British Formula Three Championship, but Kevin Magnussen was the fastest driver whenever he got the chance. That speed, coupled with an aggressive streak made him scintillating watching – passing Nasr twice around the outside of Riches, for example. With better luck, fewer mechanical problems and fewer instances of that aggressive streak ending in accidents, I have no doubt that the Dane would have pushed Nasr all the way for the title – at least.

Kevin Magnussen, according to James Broomhead the fastest man from British F3's class of 2011

Andy Champness

Jamie Whincup
I’m a big Craig Lowndes fan, he put in some phenomenal drives to close the gap at the top of the standings this season – three wins out of three at the Ipswich 300, finishing sixth at Sandown after starting from 27th in a race that had other drivers screaming down the radio claiming conditions were too dangerous. But there’s no doubt that the class act of 2011 has been Lowndes’ teammate, Jamie Whincup – ten race wins, nine pole positions, a third championship win in four years, and for the fifth consecutive season he’s finished inside the top two – and for that Mr consistency, Jamie Whincup gets my vote.

Jamie Whincup took back the V8 Supercars title, and a driver of the year nod from the TCF team

Mark Foley

Sebastian Vettel
There’s certainly been no shortage of dominant championship campaigns across many disciplines this year, but Sebastian Vettel‘s has to stand out above the rest. His record-breaking season has been and will continue to be praised in detail for years to come, so there’s little to add – so for F1 fans and even Seb himself, 2011 was simply an awe-inspiring discovery of just how much talent the young German has.

Chris Gurton

Jonny Adam
Many names spring to mind in various race series but the driver who sticks out for me is Jonny Adam. Making the switch from BTCC to British GT with a seat in the Beechdean Motorsport Aston Martin he certainly took to the series like a duck to water. Quite literally, as his performances in the wet behind the wheel of the now aging DBRS9 proved as he was challenging the newer machinery at the front and claiming victory at a wet Rockingham. Adam certainly gave the Aston Martin a fitting farewell in its final season and with the teams switch to the new V12 Vantage Aston looks set to build on his impressive debut season in British GT next year.

As part of the Beechdean Motorsport team Jonny Adam won two British GT races with superb drives in the aging Aston

Leigh O’Gorman

Sebastian Vettel
This accolade can only be for Sebastian Vettel. For all his critics who claim he has the best car or isn’t action orientated enough, the World Champion continues to drag 110% from what he drives to ensure he doesn’t have to fight in the pack – the mark of a true great. His ability to drag a large gap before the DRS kicks in deserves a mention, as does his wheel-to-wheel fight with Fernando Alonso at Monza. Vettel’s pass on Lewis Hamilton in Korea was also brilliantly done and won him the race.

Canada apart, there were few errors, just pure brilliance. What more could you ask for?

Simon Paice

Dino Zamparelli
A class apart on and off track, 2011 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Champion Dino Zamparelli is my driver of the year. Dino overcame a slow start to the year to control a competitive BARC series, a highlight being his dominate display at Thruxton, where he took pole by 0.6 seconds before winning both races, leading to a deserved championship title and finalist spot in the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award. Off track, Dino conducted himself professionally throughout the year, coping well with all the problems and pressure he faced to take the championship and restart his career.

"A class apart" - Formula Renualt BARC champion Dino Zamparelli in 2011

Vince Pettit

Jenson Button
He always seemed to be there bugging Vettel. Along with Alonso and Webber he was one of the few that actually took the fight to the defending World Champion. He stepped things up this year and made himself the lead driver for McLaren in a team that started the year in a very equal situation between himself and Lewis Hamilton.

Louis Suddaby

Marco Simoncelli
No review of 2011 would be complete without mentioning this man. Casey Stoner was the deserving champion but 2011 will always be Marco’s year. He showed front running pace all season and that maiden victory looked very close indeed. The tribute in Valencia two weeks after his tragic death will live long in the memory. In terms of who impressed me most in 2011, Maverick Vinales gets my vote for a sensational rookie season in the 125cc class. Three poles, four wins and just 52 points away from the eventual champion, all at the age of 16. You’ll hear his name a lot in the future.

Scott Wilkes

Marco Simoncelli
This isn’t just a posthumous “Honor” that I am bestowing on the fallen Italian for the sake of it. The gangly, afro haired nutter on two wheels captured my imagination a few years ago, but the way that Simoncelli exploded out of the blocks at the start of the season was a delight to watch. His, almost anarchic way, he would attack the field, going for overtakes that others branded as dangerous, made Simoncelli a fan favourite. He may have had his flaws, with many notable incidents, the most controversial of which was his coming together with Pedrosa at Le Mans, which left the tiny Spaniard with a damaged collarbone. After this incident, Simoncelli was almost treated like an outcast by many of the grid, with Lorenzo even saying he should be arrested.

This only made the fans love him more, and when Marco finished second at Phillip Island, there was a sense that a man already thought of as a legend by many, was on the verge of his maiden win. However, his untimely passing in Sepang has now left the sport with a massive hole on the grid, as riders like Simoncelli don’t come along very often.

"A joy to watch" - Marco Simoncelli

Palmer has tested for iSport on two previous occasions, most recently at Jerez in September this year - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service

Jolyon Palmer will race for the iSport International team in the 2012 GP2 Series it has been announced.

The 20-year-old Briton raced for Arden International in his rookie GP2 campaign in 2011, after finishing runner-up in the FIA Formula Two Championship the previous year. After failing to score any points during the year he switched to the Addax squad for the GP2 Final at Abu Dhabi last month and scored a podium finish in the feature race before finishing fourth in the sprint race.

But the son of former Grand Prix driver Jonathan Palmer will race for the Norfolk-based iSport outfit instead next year, joining Swede Marcus Ericsson in the team’s lineup. Palmer previously drove for the team in post-season testing in Jerez in September.

“I’m delighted to be joining iSport for my second GP2 season,” said Palmer. “I learnt a lot with Arden last year and now I’m aiming for the top three in the championship. iSport are a proven front-running team in GP2 and I have experience running with them in winter testing, so I am sure we will work well together to achieve this goal.

“The calendar this year is great and the prospect of racing in Malaysia and Singapore is extremely exciting. I must say thanks to my sponsors and also to iSport for showing faith in me. I know that I need to repay them with results this year if I am going to continue my progress towards my F1 goal. I can’t wait to get started!”

iSport team principal Paul Jackson commented: “Having tested with Jolyon twice now and watched his progress during 2011 up to his impressive podium in Abu Dhabi, we are delighted that he will be joining iSport for the coming season.

“With his rookie season under his belt, it is the right time for him to be looking for consistent podiums and regular points hauls that will put him in contention for the championship. Jolyon has shown a good work ethic and an ability to learn and apply the results of testing, so we expect to see the results of that bear fruit early on.”

Grosjean celebrates scoring his fifth and final win of the season at the Hungaroring - Photo Credit: Glenn Dunbar/GP2 Media Service

Two years ago, Romain Grosjean had completed a seven-race stint in Formula One with the Renault team. A few months later and he found himself left without a drive at the sport’s top level. Determined to earn a return to F1, the Frenchman entered the GP2 Series with one aim. To win it.

The signs were good for Grosjean prior to the main season starting, having just claimed his second Asia Series title (even though the series only consisted of two rounds, and only one in Asia). To do so he had seen off the challenge of Jules Bianchi, and it was the two Frenchmen who began the main series season as joint title-favourites.

Grosjean claimed first blood at the season opener at Istanbul. After claiming pole position, he maintained his lead throughout the race despite late pressure from Sam Bird. Bianchi completed the podium, more than half a minute further back.

The sprint race saw Stefano Coletti come through to victory from fourth on the reverse grid, leading home Giedo van der Garde and Bird, whose pass on Charles Pic on the final lap put him level on points with Grosjean in the standings lead. Grosjean and Bianchi tangled at the final corner on the opening lap, spinning Bianchi round to the tail of the field and leaving Grosjean in need of a new front wing. They recovered to seventh and tenth respectively, Grosjean clinching the fastest lap in the process.

Bianchi claimed pole position for the second round in Barcelona, only to have it removed for ignoring yellow flags. Van der Garde inherited pole, and led early on ahead of Bird and Pic. Pic managed to jump both of the drivers ahead of him though during the pitstops to win the race. Grosjean finished a quiet fourth behind van der Garde and Bird, but was later disqualified for a technical infringement.

After recovering to seventh from a grid penalty, Bianchi began the sprint race from the front row. He made a poor getaway alongside polesitter Fabio Leimer however, and clashed with van der Garde as he attempted to defend. Leimer took a dominant win ahead of Dani Clos and Marcus Ericsson. Despite being taken out, van der Garde led the standings heading to Monaco, with Bird still (jointly) on top after finishing fifth in the sprint race. A point-less weekend for Grosjean left him fourth, eight points off the lead.

Qualifying in Monaco saw something of a dark moment for the GP2 Series, as the drivers quite literally tripped over each other as they tried to find a clear bit of track. Grosjean was one high-profile casualty after mounting his Dams teammate Pal Varhaug at Rascasse and ending up at the back of the grid. Van der Garde posted the fastest time of the session, but received a five-place penalty after running into Oliver Turvey. This meant that Bird inherited pole, despite being run into by his teammate Ericsson during the session.

The iSport man would fail to capitalise in the feature race however, as he stalled at the start. Davide Valsecchi inherited the lead – and the Italian held on under pressure from Racing Engineering stand-in Alvaro Parente to score the new Team AirAsia its first race win. Luca Filippi took advantage of clean air by coming in later to jump up to third after running tenth early on. Grosjean used a similar strategy to recover to fourth after starting from the back.

Pic took a lights-to-flag win from pole position in the sprint race. Arden’s Josef Kral finished second, holding off Grosjean. Grosjean and Bird left the Principality as joint points leaders once again, even though the only points Bird scored all weekend were two bonus points for pole position. Pic was one point behind the duo, with van der Garde and Valsecchi tied for fourth just one point further behind. Everything seemed wide open.

Van der Garde and Addax teammate Pic were a match for Grosjean during the early races, but couldn't keep up with him as the season went on - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/GP2 Media Service

The Addax team secured a front-row lockout in qualifying in their own back yard in Valencia, with Pic grabbing pole ahead of van der Garde. The race would be a bit of a disaster for the outfit however. First, Pic’s car stopped on its way to the grid, preventing him from starting from pole position. Van der Garde looked set to win in his absence, but was handed a drive-through for ignoring yellow flags. This dropped him to fourth on the road, and although he managed to recover to finish second by the flag, Grosjean was some 15 seconds further up the road. Valsecchi continued his good form to complete the podium. Meanwhile Bianchi’s torrid season continued as he got together with Ericsson at Turn 1 at the start, leaving both in the tyre wall.

The sprint race saw Esteban Gutierrez score his first GP2 win after his graduation from GP3 as champion. He took a comfortable win ahead of Luiz Razia and van der Garde. Grosjean meanwhile spun out of the race on the opening lap, but he maintained his points lead, one point ahead of van der Garde.

Bianchi had scored just eight points from the opening eight races after a mixture of some bad luck and bad judgement, but things finally came together for the Ferrari reserve driver at Silverstone. He claimed pole position in a rain-hit qualifying session on the Friday, and then came out on top of an epic mid-race battle with Christian Vietoris to finally secure his first GP2 main series victory at the 28^th time of trying. Ericsson completed the podium behind Vietoris. Grosjean finished fourth, having started 13^th due to a grid penalty received as part of his dreadful first lap in the Valencia sprint race.

Grosjean displayed his class again in the Sunday sprint race by working his way from fifth on the grid to win, getting past van der Garde and later Clos before stretching his lead to seven seconds. The win extended his points advantage to nine points.

At the sixth race weekend of the season at the Nurburgring it was Pic who took pole position, but the story of the weekend would be all about Filippi. After being replaced at Super Nova by the returning Adam Carroll, the Italian was handed a lifeline at Coloni just prior to the Nurburgring weekend. In qualifying he stuck it on the front row alongside Pic, but in the race he got the better of the young Frenchman during the pitstop phase to record his first GP2 win since the end of 2009. Pic and Grosjean joined him on the podium.

Damp conditions at the Eifel circuit brought an exciting sprint race on the Sunday morning. Bird led in the early stages after starting from pole, but spun out on the second lap. With van der Garde and Clos having made contact fighting over second place on the opening lap it was Bianchi who was there to benefit when Bird went off, ahead of Grosjean. Gutierrez would get ahead of Grosjean at the pitstops to momentarily make it an ART 1-2, but would be forced to retire when a wheel came lose.

Grosjean put Bianchi under pressure and eventually made his compatriot crack, making a mistake under breaking for the chicane on the penultimate lap to let Grosjean through to win. Filippi tried to take second from Bianchi at Turn 1 on the final lap, but made contact and spun – though he held onto third at the flag. Another strong weekend for Grosjean saw his lead over van der Garde in the points grow to 18.

Filippi was revitalised by an enforced mid-season switch to Coloni - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/GP2 Media Service

It was Razia who took a rather surprise pole position one week later at the Hungaroring, but Ericsson jumped into the lead of the race at the start from third on the grid. The Swede built up a good lead over Razia until the pitstops, but everything unravelled for him there as he was released from his box into the path of the incoming Razia. This resulted in a drive-through penalty, with who else but Grosjean in the right place in the right time to benefit. Razia finished second with Pic in third.

Coletti picked up his third sprint race win of the year on Sunday, after storming through from 21^st on the grid in changeable conditions. One of only a few to start the race on slick tyres, the Monegasque driver rose to 12^th early on when those on wets used a safety car period to change to slicks. He then picked off driver after driver to quickly get up to third place before the rain began to fall again. Ahead of him Grosjean was pushing race leader Vietoris, forcing the German into a mistake. Grosjean got held up trying to avoid the spinning Vietoris, allowing Coletti to skip through into the lead. He held on to win after stopping again to fit wets, while Grosjean fell into the clutches of Gutierrez and slipped to third. Nonetheless, his lead over van der Garde had grown further to 25 points with just two weekends remaining – leaving him on the cusp of the title.

Rain always plays a part in any GP2 round at Spa-Francorchamps, and this year was no different. Vietoris claimed pole position by a huge margin of nearly 1.5 seconds, though he was lucky to keep hold of it after setting the time during yellow flags at the end of the session. He would go on to convert pole into victory in the feature race, which was also hit by rain. Grosjean had started down in seventh, but made his way up to third on the opening lap. He held onto the podium position behind Vietoris and Bianchi for the remainder of the race – enough for him to seal the title. His nearest rival van der Garde found the barriers on the exit of La Source on the opening lap, before later retiring.

Soon after the rain came down the safety car was out on track, with the mix of slower speeds and rain water somehow causing several of the cars to go into safe mode and slow to a crawl. One such crawler was Mikhail Aleshin, who was collected by Coletti – whose car was sent flying into the air. In the landing Coletti suffered compressed vertebrae, bringing an early end to his season.

Filippi won an exciting sprint race on the Sunday morning, overhauling polesitter Kral for the lead at a safety car restart after starting from fifth on the grid. Bianchi was on the podium again in second place with Kral rounding out the podium.

With the title won, the focus at the season finale at Monza was on the battle for the runner-up spot.  Van der Garde had held the position since Valencia, but his non-scoring weekend at Spa left him just one point ahead of Bianchi, who had recovered superbly from his dreadful start to the season. Pic and Filippi were also well in contention, just seven and nine points away from van der Garde respectively.

Pic boosted his hopes with a third pole position of the season in qualifying, but lost out to front row starter Filippi at the beginning of the race. The Italian ran away to victory, scooping an important bonus point for pole in the process. Pic successfully kept Grosjean at bay to finish second – also moving him into second place overall. Bianchi and van der Garde meanwhile had both suffered disastrous qualifying sessions and started from the tenth row of the grid. Bianchi successfully recovered to eighth, not only scoring one point but also securing pole for the sprint race. Van der Garde’s hopes though were dashed when he got tangled up in an incident at the start and finished a lap down. Pic had one point over Filippi going into the very last race, with Bianchi and van der Garde tied and two further points behind.

Bianchi’s start from pole wasn’t the best, and he was swamped by second row starter Vietoris. The German went on to win after keeping Leimer at bay – repeating his victory from last year’s Monza sprint race in the process. Bianchi finished third, two places ahead of Filippi. Pic meanwhile was forced into retirement after making contact with Grosjean at the first chicane. The race results left Filippi and Bianchi tied on points for second – but the Italian took the fastest lap bonus point just to make sure.

How the title was won: The title race was wide open after three rounds, but Grosjean then stretched his legs and ran away with the title. Filippi and Bianchi then capitalised as the likes of van der Garde faltered.

Here are TheCheckeredFlag.co.uk’s top five drivers of the 2011 GP2 Series season:

5. Stefano Coletti – Monegasque driver was unfancied pre-season with the Trident team, but he went on to record sprint race wins in Turkey and Hungary to add to the one he scored in Abu Dhabi in February. Season cruelly cut short by injury at Spa, just as in 2009. Looks set for Coloni switch for a second full GP2 campaign in 2012.

4. Jules Bianchi – It would have been inconceivable for Bianchi to be in this top five after the start to the season he had. Recovered well to third in the points by scoring in every one of the last ten races, but even then he wasn’t as quick as would have been expected pre-season. More than ready for F1, despite a disappointing couple of years in GP2.

3. Charles Pic – Pic’s fine wins in Barcelona and Monaco left him well in the title fight early on, but things fell apart after pole in Valencia. Still demonstrated pace with poles in Hungary and Italy, though failed to convert into wins on both occasions. Has earned his place in F1 with Marussia, even if it was money that sealed him the deal.

2. Luca Filippi – The Italian GP2 veteran showed flashes of speed during the first half of the year with Super Nova, but found another level upon his return to the Coloni team on the eve of the Nurburgring races. It’s all too late for him to get an F1 seat, but he has at least reminded us that he’s actually a very good driver.

1. Romain Grosjean – In winning the title, Grosjean did little more than was expected of him, but he has successfully proved the doubters wrong – and secured himself a well-deserved return to Formula 1. He could have won the title easier without the technical infringement in Barcelona that caused a point-less weekend, too.

Final 2011 GP3 Series drivers’ standings:

Leal racing for Trident in Abu Dhabi last month - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/GP2 Media Service

Trident Racing have finalised their 2012 GP2 Series season lineup with the confirmation of Julian Leal’s switch to the outfit.

Colombian driver Leal joins Stephane Richelmi in the Italian squad for next season, after both raced for the team at the Abu Dhabi Final last month.

Leal previously competed for Trident in Auto GP in 2010, before racing for Rapax in his debut GP2 campaign this year. He failed to score any points from his 24 starts in the category over the course of the year, claiming a best finish of ninth in the sprint races in Valencia and at the Nurbugring.

“I’m really satisfied with the deal reached with Trident Racing,” said Leal. “I know them really well after we raced together in 2010 and last autumn in Abu Dhabi. I’m sure we’ll be doing a great job together.

“This will be my second season in GP2. My goal is to take full advantage of the experience gained in 2011 and step on the podium as often as possible. It will be a first season in GP2 for my teammate, Stéphane Richelmi, but I’m aware that he can be pretty fast. I’m certain that by working closely together with him will help our engineers a lot.

“I want to thank my family, my sponsors and all my supporters for this opportunity. Of course, thanks also to Trident Racing for their trust. I hope to reward everybody by doing a good job on track.”

Leal and Richelmi replace Stefano Coletti and Rodolfo Gonzalez at Trident. While Gonzalez failed to score any points in 2011, Coletti took sprint race wins in Abu Dhabi, Istanbul and Hungary.

F1 drivers Vitaly Petrov and Pastor Maldonado finished first and second in the most recent GP2 race at Sepang, in the 2008/09 Asia Series - Photo: Andrew Ferraro/GP2 Series Media Service

The 2012 GP2 Series will be bookended by flyaway races in South East Asia, after series organisers confirmed the calendar for next year.

The season will consist of 12 race weekends, and begin at Sepang in Malaysia in support of the Malaysian Grand Prix on 23^rd March. The GP2 Asia Series (which has been merged into the main series for 2012) previously raced at the circuit near Kuala Lumpur in 2008 and 2009, but this will be the first visit for the main series.

Next will come back-to-back events in Bahrain, the first in support of the Formula 1 Grand Prix and the next the following weekend – the only standalone event of the year. The main series has previously had rounds at the Sakhir circuit in 2005 and 2007. Two rounds at Bahrain were scheduled for the Asia Series in early 2011 but had to be cancelled due to the anti-government protests in the Gulf state.

The season will then take its traditional route through Europe, supporting the Grands Prix in Barcelona, Monaco, Valencia, Silverstone, Hockenheim, Budapest, Spa-Francorchamps and Monza.

The season will then return to Asia to conclude with a first ever GP2 round in Singapore on 21-23, again in support of the F1 Grand Prix.

“GP2 being the natural and logical path to Formula One, it is imperative that our calendar carries as many F1 tracks as possible including tracks outside Europe which is why we added Bahrain, Sepang and Singapore this season,” said Series CEO Bruno Michel. “However, the Series has also to remain affordable, therefore we did not want to add more overseas circuits.

“Racing on eleven F1 tracks in 2012 with a car close to F1 in performance and using the same tyres, GP2 drivers will gain as much experience as possible which will enable them to be immediately competitive in the next category as previously demonstrated by all our graduates. We have also made sure that we remain affordable by working together with our partners in order to keep down freight and spare parts costs.

“I am glad that we will be going back to Kuala Lumpur: we’ve seen during the Asia Series some very exciting races there. It is a splendid venue to open a new chapter of our Series which includes new sporting regulations. We’ve always raced in Bahrain since the inception of our Series – Nico Rosberg won both races in 2005. We will close our season in Singapore. It will be the first time ever that our Series goes there. It is very exciting!”

Two three-day pre-season test sessions will be held in Spain, at Jerez on 28-29 February and 01 March and at Barcelona on 06-07-08 March.

Stay tuned to the TheCheckeredFlag.co.uk for continued coverage of the GP2  Series throughout 2012.

2012 GP2 Series calendar

Nigel Melker - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/LAT Photographic

Nigel Melker will race for the Ocean Racing Technology team in his debut GP2 season in 2012.

The Dutchman graduates to the championship after a successful 2011 campaign, where he finished third in the GP3 Series and fourth in the Formula 3 Euro Series. At the end of the year he made his GP2 debut in the non-championship Final race at Abu Dhabi with champion team DAMS.

But having previously tested for the Portuguese Ocean outfit at Barcelona, Melker has signed to race for them in 2012.

Team principals Tiago Monteiro and Jose Guedes said: “Nigel has had a remarkable season in GP3 and F3. In the tests he did with us he proved to be very professional but also very competitive with our car on the track. The relationship with the entire technical team was also very good, and therefore, we believe that together we can achieve the objectives set for the next season.

“Nigel has shown very strong progress, and despite being a ‘rookie’ in GP2 he adapted quickly to the team and our car. For us it is also a source of pride to have secured him to Ocean, because the leading teams were interested in him.”

Melker added: “I am delighted to be part of Ocean. The team has high ambitions for next season and I believe to be in a position to help. I have to thank Tiago Monteiro and Jose Guedes for believing in my potential. I’ll do my best.”

Ocean scored just four points in the 2011 season, all of which from Brendon Hartley’s fifth place on his debut with the team at the penultimate meeting of the year at Spa.

Richelmi behind the wheel for Trident in Abu Dhabi - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/GP2 Media Service

Stephane Richelmi will remain with the Trident Racing outfit for the 2012 GP2 Series season, the team has announced.

The Monegasque pilot made his GP2 debut with the Italian squad at the 2011 season finale at Monza, substituting for injured compatriot Stefano Coletti. He then raced for them again at the non-championship GP2 Final event at Abu Dhabi.

21-year-old Richelmi tried other teams for size during post-season testing prior to the Abu Dhabi race, but has opted to stick with Trident for his first full season in the feeder series.

“After the good showing had in my first GP2 Series weekend at Monza I decided to drive with other teams in testing to have a good term of comparison,” he said.

“In the end I decided to stick with Trident Racing because it was the best choice for me. The team trusted me, I know the whole staff really well and I have a good relationship with them. I’m really proud to have this opportunity and I can’t wait to start the new season.

“There will be a lot of rookies in 2012 and my goal for next year is to stay in the top five. There are a lot of aspects that are key in GP2 racing, like qualifying for example. My goal is to get good results in these crucial aspects as soon as possible.”

After finishing runner-up in the Italian Formula 3 Championship in 2010, Richelmi raced in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2010 where he managed a single points finish at Monza.

Trident say they are in advanced talks over the team’s second driver. Colombian Julian Leal partnered Richelmi in Abu Dhabi.

Nathaneal Berthon - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/ GP2 Series Media Service

HRT have today announced two additions to their testing line-up: GP2 driver Nathaneal Berthon and, from the Formula Renault 3.5 series, Jan Charouz.

The two will take over from Dani Clos, who was in the F111 today at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Berthon will start his testing for the team tomorrow, and will also be in the car on Thursday. “I’m pleased to have the chance to drive in this test for HRT as this will be my first real contact with a Formula 1 car,” said the Frenchman. “Without a doubt, this will be an experience that will reinforce my motivation for the future, and will help me to learn and understand better all the technology of an F1 car and how the tyres react in different situations.

“Formula 1 is what every driver aspires to reach but for me this is another step in my preparation for the future and my long-term objective; I’m just taking this as an experience. My target is to continue working and build my career step by step, and this test is just one more of those small but invaluable steps”.

Before Berthon gets his chance tomorrow, Czech driver Charouz will step into the car. “Although it is not my first time in a Formula 1 car, it will no doubt be a new and interesting experience since it is the first time I drive the current car,” he said. “It will also be the first time I test the new Pirelli tyres. I have driven with this brand’s tyres in other categories but surely the performance and behaviour of the PZero will be surprising. It will be a great opportunity and I thank HRT for giving me the chance to test with them tomorrow”.

Rodolfo Gonzalez - Photo Credit: Drew Gibson /GP2 Series Media Service

Team Lotus have today confirmed that Rodolfo Gonzalez will join Alexander Rossi and Luiz Razia for the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi this week.

Gonzalez, who didn’t actually score a single point in this year’s GP2 championship, will be in the car tomorrow. Razia will follow on Wednesday and Rossi brings the test to a close on Thursday.

Riad Asmat, Team Lotus Group CEO, explained why Gonzalez completes the driver line-up for this test: “We worked with Rodolfo last year at the same test and he performed well for us in the step up to F1. With Rodolfo, Alexander and Luiz we have three talented up and coming drivers who will be keen to learn as much as possible, as well as show us they have the pace and temperament to succeed in Formula One.”

Gonzalez, understandably, is quite happy to be selected. “I am really pleased to be back with Team Lotus again in Abu Dhabi,” said the Venezuelan. “Last year I learned a lot in the time I had with the team, and another year on I am sure I can keep developing on and off track with this opportunity.” 

James Calado on his way to victory - Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/GP2 Media Service

James Calado made a fine start to his GP2 career by winning the sprint race at the non-championship GP2 Final in Abu Dhabi.

The 2011 GP3 runner-up started from pole position after finishing his first race in the category in eighth place on Saturday, and successfully held onto the lead ahead of fellow GP3 graduate Antonio Felix da Costa and Marcus Ericsson, who had made a good start from fifth on the grid.

Ericsson found a way past Ocean Racing Technology driver Felix da Costa for second place on lap eight, and set off after Calado. Felix da Costa meanwhile came under immediate pressure from Luiz Razia of Caterham Team AirAsia.

Razia made his move at the Turn 11/12/13 chicane, but Felix da Costa managed to hold onto the position by jumping across the inside of the Turn 13 apex. He didn’t concede the position, and was therefore slapped with a drive-through penalty.

This did promote Razia into third, but he soon found himself in trouble with the stewards, after ignoring yellow flags. Once he served his drive-through, Tom Dillmann took up the final podium position.

Up front, Ericsson couldn’t get close enough to Calado to mount an attack, allowing the Briton to claim a fantastic debut win for ART. Ericsson and Dillmann completed a fine double podium for their iSport team.

Calado’s win allowed him to scoop the 15,000 Euro prize from Pirelli as the top GP3 graduate. Dillmann ended up tied on points with Calado, and takes 10,000 Euros.

Jolyon Palmer scored another good result with fourth place after his maiden podium in the feature race, finishing ahead of a frantic battle over fifth place.

American Alexander Rossi held the position with a few laps to go, ahead of Stefano Coletti and feature race winner Fabio Leimer. Leimer found his way past Coletti, and then caught Rossi. He got past at Turn 2 at the start of the last lap, but forced both himself and Rossi wide. Upon rejoining the track, Leimer made contact with Coletti, sending the Monegasque driver off into the wall on the outside of Turn 3.

All this allowed Esteban Gutierrez to take fifth, taking advantage when Leimer ran wide at Turn 17. The Swiss driver was struggling with tyre damage, and ran wide at the penultimate turn. That allowed Kevin Ceccon through into sixth, while Rossi and Dani Clos both followed Leimer onto the runoff area. Rossi dived past Leimer upon rejoining the track, as did Razia.

Luiz Razia, Fabio Leimer and Jolyon Palmer on the podium after the race - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/GP2 Media Service

Leimer crosses the line to take victory - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/GP2 Media Service

Fabio Leimer won the GP2 Final feature race in dominant fashion in Abu Dhabi, remaining unchallenged from start to finish. It was the Swiss driver’s first feature race win, after his sprint race victories in Barcelona in both 2010 and 2011.

After switching to the Racing Engineering team, Leimer had been almost unstoppable in the post-season tests in Spain, and took pole position for the first of the non-championship races at Yas Marina on Friday.

He made a good getaway to retain the lead, as those around endured terrible starts. Fellow front row starter Dani Clos had a slow start, allowing seconds row starters Josef Kral and Luiz Razia to pull alongside him. With three into one not going at Turn 1, Clos and Kral made contact that put that latter into a spin.

Razia emerged in second place, ahead of Jolyon Palmer, Kevin Ceccon and Esteban Gutierrez. The Mexican’s race would be wrecked a few corners later though, when he was hit in the rear by Stefano Coletti, damaging his rear wing. Although he actually managed to take fourth from Ceccon, he would soon have to pit for repairs, leaving a lap down.

Leimer proved unstoppable, eventually taking the checkered flag with a margin of 6.9 seconds over Razia.

Palmer remained in third place for the duration, scoring his maiden podium finish – a considerable improvement on his previous best result of ninth. He came home nearly half a minute behind Leimer.

He did have to withstand pressure in the closing stages from Marcus Ericsson, who had a fine race after starting a lowly 13^th on the grid. The Swede got up to ninth on the opening lap, gaining further places when Gutierrez pitted and Max Chilton locked up and went straight on into the wall at Turn 1 at the start of the second lap out of eighth.

He also got past Coletti, before chasing down his iSport teammate Tom Dillmann, finally getting the better of the GP3 graduate for the first time in the weekend. Ericsson took fourth place by emerging from his mandatory pitstop ahead of Ceccon, who had been the first of the frontrunners to stop.

Ceccon’s fifth place was the Auto GP champion’s first points finish in GP2. Dillmann’s impressive debut weekend continued as he took sixth as the best newcomer, keeping Antonio Felix da Costa at bay. The Portuguese driver came through from 15^th on the grid, driving for Ocean Racing Technology.

GP3 runner-up James Calado took the final points in eighth for ART, passing Coletti after the pitstops and then keeping Nathanael Berthon behind him. The Racing Steps-backed driver will start the sprint race from pole position.

Fabio Leimer - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/GP2 Media Service

Fabio Leimer converted his superb post-season testing pace into his first GP2 pole position in qualifying for the non-championship Final in Abu Dhabi.

Josef Kral led the way for much of the session, with Leimer and Dani Clos his nearest challengers. Racing Engineering driver Leimer bounced back from a spin ten minutes into the session to take pole away from Kral with five minutes remaining.

Clos, who swapped seats with Leimer for this race by moving to Rapax, then pipped Kral for second place, demoting the Czech Arden driver down to third. At that moment, Esteban Gutierrez came to a stop on the track bringing out the red flags. The session restarted with three and a half minutes remaining, but nobody could beat Leimer.

“I would like to thank the team because they gave me a really great car,” he said. “I’ve immediately felt at ease with it since the first day of testing back in Europe. It suits my driving style really well and today I took my first GP2 pole. It’s fantastic.”

Luiz Razia ended up in fourth place for Caterham Team AirAsia, ahead of Jolyon Palmer, who picked up by far his best GP2 qualifying result to date after switching to Addax for this race. He will share the third row of the grid with fellow Briton Max Chilton.

Auto GP champion Kevin Ceccon will line up seventh, just ahead of Gutierrez. Tom Dillmann was again the best GP2 debutant in ninth, just like he was in free practice. Stefano Coletti completed the top ten, with an identical time to the Frenchman.

Giacomo Ricci qualified 11^th on his GP2 return, but will take a ten place grid drop after ignoring yellow flags in practice. GP3 runner-up James Calado was the second best newcomer in 12^th for ART, just ahead of fellow graduate Nigel Melker (DAMS).

Marcus Ericsson, one of the event favourites, languished down in 14^th just ahead of debutants Alexander Rossi and Antonio Felix da Costa. Leimer’s teammate Nathanael Berthon was 17^th, ahead of Jake Rosenzweig, Julian Leal and Rio Haryanto.

Stephane Richelmi, Simon Trummer and Fabio Onidi were next up, with Jan Charouz, Mihai Marinescu and Nicolas Marroc bringing up the rear.

Esteban Gutierrez - Photo Credit: GP2 Media Service

Esteban Gutierrez was half a second quicker than anyone else in free practice ahead of the GP2 Final at Abu Dhabi.

Post-season testing pacesetter Fabio Leimer was the closest to the Mexican ART driver for Racing Engineering, just ahead of GP2 debutant Tom Dillmann who was an impressive third fastest.

Max Chilton was fourth for Carlin, ahead of Dani Clos and Luiz Razia of Rapax and Caterham AirAsia. Nathanael Berthon was seventh in the second Racing Engineering car, ahead of two of the event favourites Marcus Ericsson and Stefano Coletti. Giacomo Ricci was tenth on his GP2 return for Super Nova, but was found guilty of ignoring yellow flags and received a ten place grid penalty. Nicolas Marroc, who was 23^rd, was also penalised for the same offence.

Other than Dillmann, Nigel Melker was the next best GP3 graduate in 13^th, just ahead of Alexander Rossi, Simon Trummer and Rio Haryanto. James Calado was 19^th, with Antonio Felix da Costa in 20^th.

Free practice times:

The GP2 teams began 2011 at the Yas Marina circuit in February, and will conclude their year at the Abu Dhabi track this weekend - Photo Credit: Drew Gibson/GP2 Media Service

This weekend sees a non-championship GP2 race take place in support of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina. Called the GP2 Final, it was originally due to be the first round of the 2011-12 GP2 Asia Series, until that competition was merged into the main series.

Providing an opportunity for teams to try out new drivers ahead of the 2012 season, the race sees a large shakeup of drivers amongst the 13 teams, including several exciting GP2 debutants.

The man to beat in the post-season testing at Jerez and Barcelona was Fabio Leimer, the Swiss driver having made the move to the Racing Engineering squad. After just one win and three other points finishes for Rapax in his second main series campaign, the pressure is on the 2009 Formula Master champion to convert his testing pace into results. He is joined in the Spanish outfit by Frenchman Nathanael Berthon, who has raced in Formula Renault 3.5 for the past two years and competed for Racing Engineering in the 2011 Asia Series.

Another of the favourites for victory at Yas Marina will be Marcus Ericsson, who has remained with iSport after a disappointing sophomore season that only brought two podium finishes. Racing alongside him for the Norfolk team will be France’s Tom Dillmann, who is graduating from GP3 and showed well in testing.

Another experienced GP2 campaigner who will be aiming for glory is Dani Clos, who has essentially swapped places with Leimer by taking his Rapax seat after three whole years with Racing Engineering. He will look to impress ahead of testing for HRT in the young driver test next week. His teammate for the weekend will be Mihai Marinescu. The Romanian has never driven a GP2 car before, but recently enjoyed a strong end to his second year in Formula 2 by winning at Monza.

Luiz Razia is another GP2 race-winner on the grid, remaining with Caterham Team AirAsia. Perhaps more attention though will be placed upon his new teammate Alexander Rossi. The highly-rated American finished third in FR3.5 this year, and has previous experience of racing GP2 at Yas Marina from the 2009-10 Asia Series.

Alexander Rossi makes a highly-anticipated race debut with Caterham Team AirAsia - Photo Credit: Drew Gibson/GP2 Series Media Service

A driver pairing who will be eagerly watched this weekend will be the Scuderia Coloni lineup of Stefano Coletti and Kevin Ceccon, with both set to make their F1 testing debuts for Toro Rosso next week. Coletti has won three times in 2011 with the unfancied Trident team, including at Yas Marina back in February, while Ceccon won the Auto GP title at just 18 and already has GP2 race experience under his belt.

Inaugural GP3 champion Esteban Gutierrez was perhaps a little disappointing in his rookie GP2 season with Lotus ART, but the Mexican will be amongst the title favourites in 2012 and can help to prove that status this weekend. His teammate will be this year’s GP3 runner-up James Calado, who is confirmed alongside Gutierrez for the full 2012 campaign.

Addax won the teams’ title in 2011 with a strong driver lineup, but don’t expect similar acheivements in Abu Dhabi. Jolyon Palmer leads their attack after a point-less first GP2 season with Arden, and is joined by FR3.5 convert Jake Rosenzweig, the second American on the grid.

DAMs took Romain Grosjean to the drivers’ title this year, but have opted for an all-rookie driver lineup in the form of GP3 graduates Rio Haryanto and Nigel Melker. Both will be keen to impress as they look to secure a full-time ride for next year.

Max Chilton sticks with Carlin, the team owned by his father, where he is joined by Renault F1 reserve Jan Charouz, who had another quiet FR3.5 season in 2011. Both will do the Young Driver test, for Force India and Renault respectively.

Josef Kral is another driver remaining with his 2011 team – in this case Arden. Alongside him for the weekend will be Simon Trummer, who was the least successful of the British squad’s GP3 drivers this year, but did score well at the end of the season.

Ocean Racing Technology hand Antonio Felix da Costa the chance to step up from GP3, and the Portuguese driver has shown well in testing. Joining him is Frenchman Nicolas Marroc, who competed in sportscars this year and has nothing about him to suggest he will trouble the leading contenders.

Trident Racing take on Colombian Julian Leal from Rapax, alongside Stephane Richelmi, who raced for the team at Monza. Completing the field are Super Nova, with experienced Italians Fabio Onidi and Giacomo Ricci.

GP2 Final entry list:

Rapax
Dani Clos
Mihai Marinescu

Barwa Addax Team
Jake Rosenzweig
Jolyon Palmer

Lotus ART
James Calado
Esteban Gutierrez

Racing Engineering
Fabio Leimer
Nathanael Berthon

iSport International
Tom Dillmann
Marcus Ericsson

DAMS
Rio Haryanto
Nigel Melker

Arden International
Josef Kral
Simon Trummer

Super Nova Racing
Fabio Onidi
Giacomo Ricci

Scuderia Coloni
Kevin Ceccon
Stefano Coletti

Trident Racing
Julian Leal
Stephane Richelmi

Ocean Racing Technology
Antonio Felix da Costa
Nicolas Marroc

Carlin
Max Chilton
Jan Charouz

Caterham Team AirAsia
Alexander Rossi
Luiz Razia

GP2 Final schedule (GMT):

Friday:
06:15 – 07:00 Free practice
10:55 – 11:25 Qualifying

Saturday:
07:00 Race 1

Sunday:
09:00 Race 2

Dani Clos - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/LAT Photographic

Spanish driver Dani Clos will join HRT for the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi next week, after competing in the final GP2 race of the season at the Yas Marina circuit this weekend.

The 23-year-old, from Barcelona, has taken a win and two podium in GP2 this season, his third driving in the series.

“I feel very lucky to be driving a Formula 1 car again, like I did in 2008,” said the former participant in the Williams young driver programme. “It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make it to an F1 Test. I would like to thank the whole HRT team beforehand for putting their trust in me.

“I have worked very hard throughout my career and to see HRT F1 Team deposit its faith in me is a great way of proving my worth. I am sure that the work we will put in will be beneficial for both parties. I want to thank everyone that backs me and trusts in me, especially the people who are closest to me, for having helped me into making this a reality”.

After testing for the team Addax in Spain last month, Palmer will return to the seat of an Addax GP2 car in Abu Dhabi - Photo Credit: Drew Gibson/GP2 Series Media Service

Jolyon Palmer will race for the Barwa Addax Team at the non-championship GP2 Final in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

The 20-year-old British driver competed for Arden in his rookie season of GP2 this year, but didn’t manage to score any points.

He tested for Addax, the reigning teams’ champions, at Jerez and Barcelona last month, and will now race for the team at Yas Marina next weekend in support of the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

“I am very happy to be driving for Addax in Abu Dhabi,” said Palmer. “I feel comfortable with the team, having recently completed two days of testing for them. With a year of GP2 experience now and having raced at Abu Dhabi at the start of the year, I am confident I will be able to run towards the front.”

Chris Murphy, Addax Technical Director, added: “Jolyon has made good progress with us during his two days of testing at Jerez and Barcelona, and following recent preparation on the Addax driving simulator he is ready to impress at a GP2 track at which he already has experience in his first GP2 season.”

Coletti was quick in testing for Coloni at Barcelona - Photo Credit: Drew Gibson/GP2 Series Media Service

Stefano Coletti will race for Scuderia Coloni in the GP2 Final at Abu Dhabi next weekend, the Italian team has announced.

Coletti, who will make his F1 testing debut with Toro Rosso at the Yas Marina circuit the week after the GP2 race, will join Auto GP champion Kevin Ceccon in the Coloni lineup for the non-championship race.

Monegasque racer Coletti made his comeback from injury at the recent test at Barcelona, driving for Coloni on the second day and setting the fastest time of the afternoon session. He won three races in 2011 driving for Trident Racing, including a GP2 Asia race at Abu Dhabi back in February.

“First of all I would like to say thanks to Paolo Coloni for this opportunity and for the interest he showed immediately after the end of the 2011 season,” said Coletti. “We were in Barcelona together, in a test that for me was also a very important chance to check if my physical recovery after the injury I suffered in Spa was complete.

“On that occasion I got to know a really impressive technical staff, so I’m happy to race in Abu Dhabi with them. I hope for a great result that would allow me to thank the people who are supporting me in the best possible way.”

Coloni said: “I’m really happy to have Stefano with us for the GP2 Finale. We always looked with interest at his performances, and in Barcelona he confirmed all his talent, being very quick and getting along with the team in the best possible way. So, deciding to go in Abu Dhabi together was a natural choice, and it’s also pretty obvious that we have great expectations for the race, considering what Stefano and Kevin achieved in testing.”

Alexander Rossi - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/LAT Photographic/GP2 Media Service

It has been confirmed that Alexander Rossi will race for Caterham Team AirAsia in the GP2 Final at Abu Dhabi next weekend, before taking part in the Formula 1 Young Driver Test for parent outfit Team Lotus at the same track the following week.

The American, who finished third overall in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2011, was amongst the pacesetters at the recent GP2 tests at Jerez and Barcelona. His drive for Team Lotus will be his first proper test with the team since joining them as the leading driver in the AirAsia Driver Development Program earlier this year. He previously tested with BMW Sauber at the end of 2009 as a prize for winning the Formula BMW World Final the year before.

“I am very excited to finally announce I will be competing in Abu Dhabi with Caterham Team AirAsia and will have the chance to put more F1 miles on my CV with Team Lotus,” said Rossi.

“After the positive GP2 tests in Jerez and Barcelona I feel we have a good chance of a strong result in the GP2 races and I will definitely be going into the weekend fully focused and motivated for a race win – looking at the team’s past results I see no reason why we can’t achieve that. For the F1 test I will be looking to learn as much as possible, do the best job I can and soak up every minute, in and out of the car.

“The Yas Marina circuit is really pretty impressive. The track itself has some quite slow corners and not a great deal of overtaking opportunities, but it seems to combine a road course with a circuit course. In the first two sectors you can be quite brave with what you’re doing but in the marina section there’s very little run-off area as the walls are really close, so you have to restrain yourself somewhat. Every lap requires two different driving styles and that in itself makes it fun and very interesting to race for both the drivers and the engineers.”

Riad Asmat, F1 team CEO and GP2 Team Principal, said: “We are very excited to have Alexander Rossi back onboard for the Abu Dhabi GP2 race and the subsequent F1 test. He worked very well with the GP2 team during the tests in Spain and it will be great to continue that working relationship in addition to giving him more exposure to the F1 environment with Team Lotus.

“He has shown maturity and confidence on track so the decision to put him in the car for the GP2 Finale was a simple one to make and we want to give him the chance to experience the pressure of an F1 environment so the young driver test is the natural place to give him that chance. We are all looking forward to both events and I am sure he will perform to the best of his ability whenever he is on track.”

GP2 Team Manager Phill Spencer added: “I am very happy Alexander will be joining our GP2 team again in Abu Dhabi. He has shown great potential in the car and built up a good rapport with the team and especially his engineer during the post season tests. We have come a long way since the beginning of this year, it has been a roller coaster season with some highs and lows but I feel confident that with Alexander we can finish 2011 on a positive note.”

Rio Haryanto testing for DAMS at Barcelona last month - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/LAT Photographic/GP2 Media Service

DAMS have revealed their driver lineup for next weekend’s non-championship GP2 Final race at Abu Dhabi, with GP3 graduates Rio Haryanto and Nigel Melker joining the French squad.

Indonesian racer Haryanto has won races in GP3 for the past two seasons with the Manor team, finishing seventh in this year’s standings. He also raced for DAMS in Auto GP, winning at Valencia and also finishing seventh overall. He tested for DAMS’ GP2 outfit on the first day of post-season testing at Jerez as well as both days at Barcelona.

“I can’t wait to compete in my first GP2 event,” said the 18-year-old. “I’m sure that the experience will help me for the 2012 season. I’m also very grateful to [personal sponsor] Pertamina for its unwavering support which has helped me to continue at the topmost level.”

Melker has also raced in GP3 for two years, finishing third overall this season as well as fourth in the F3 Euro Series with Mucke Motorsport. The Dutchman tested for the Arden, Ocean and iSport teams  at Jerez and Barcelona, but will line up for DAMS in Abu Dhabi.

“First of all, I am honoured to drive in the 2011 championship-winning car,” said 20-year-old Melker. “I would like to thank the team for this opportunity and the chance they have given me. I am really thrilled to race at the Formula One event in Abu Dhabi.

“This is a good opportunity for me as a rookie to get to know the team and to obtain more experience in this challenging series. Last month, I obtained very positive results during the GP2 test days. Besides this, I am happy to be competitive again in 2011 as I am aiming for a good result.”

DAMS general manager Loic David, who ran Romain Grosjean to the GP2 drivers’ crown in 2011, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome a couple of new talented drivers from GP3 for the 2011 GP2 final in Abu Dhabi. After our successful season that ended with the conquest of the drivers’ title, we’re determined to play a leading role thanks to these promising youngsters who both put on good performances during the end-of-season tests.”

Marcus Ericsson in action for iSport during testing at Barcelona last month - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/LAT Photographic

iSport International have announced that Marcus Ericsson will continue to race for the team in the 2012 GP2 Series season. Meanwhile, GP3 graduate Tom Dillmann will line up alongside the Swede for the Norfolk squad at the forthcoming non-championship GP2 Final race at Abu Dhabi.

Ericsson joined iSport at the start of 2011 for his second year in GP2, scoring podium finishes at Barcelona and Silverstone on his way to tenth in the final standings.

He recently joined the team for one day of testing at Barcelona, posting the fastest time of the day.

“I couldn’t be happier,” said Ericsson. “iSport is a great team and with the support from my sponsors and the continuity from last year I feel confident we will be competitive to challenge for the championship.”

Team principal Paul Jackson said: “Having seen Marcus develop in to a real front runner in 2011, everyone at iSport are delighted to have Marcus on board for yet another season in which we are hoping to challenge for the title.”

Dillmann tested for iSport at Barcelona on the same day as Ericsson, setting the fastest time of the afternoon. The Frenchman raced in GP3 this year after winning the German F3 title and took a pole position and podium finish at the season opener in Turkey in what became a one-off appearance for Carlin. He later reappeared for Addax and scored three further points finishes during the year, ending up 14^th in the classification.

“Tom has shown great pace and capacity to learn in the recent tests and has demonstrated that he is ready to move up from the GP3 Series,” said Jackson. “As a GP3 graduate, he is eligible for the special prize fund and we will be hoping to help him secure a share of that.”

The 2011 GP2 Final takes place on the weekend of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit on 12/13 November.

Julian Leal testing for Trident at Jerez at the end of September- Photo Credit: Jed Leicester/ GP2 Series Media Service

Trident Racing have confirmed their driver lineup for the 2011 GP2 Final non-championship race at Abu Dhabi, with Julian Leal joining Stephane Richelmi.

Richelmi made his GP2 debut with the Italian team at the season finale at Monza as cover for fellow Monegasque driver Stefano Coletti who was forced out by injury. He tested for the Ocean and Rapax teams at the first post-season test at Jerez, before returning to Trident for both days of the second test at Barcelona.

Leal raced for Rapax during his maiden GP2 season in 2011, but joined up with Trident at Jerez. After days with Rapax and Addax at Barcelona, the Colombian will return to a team for whom he drove in Auto GP in 2010.

Trident won at the Yas Marina circuit in the Asia Series back in February with Coletti, who also went onto win for the team at Istanbul and the Hungaroring in the main series.