Luca Filippi will return to the GP2 Series once again this weekend after Scuderia Coloni parted company with Stefano Coletti – who will switch to rival squad Rapax for the final two rounds of the 2012 season.
Coletti had experienced a very poor campaign with Coloni which produced just one podium finish in the season opener in Malaysia, having arrived off the back of three sprint race wins during 2011 with Trident Racing.
The Monegasque driver will now line up for the Rapax team in the final two rounds of the season in Monza and Singapore. He replaces Daniel De Jong, who had the fourth and final weekend of his GP2 programme last weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. Coletti’s signing means that Tom Dillmann will not return to the wheel of the #21 car with which he won in Bahrain.
By replacing Coletti on home soil at Monza, 27-year-old Filippi will make his first appearance in a seventh consecutive GP2 season. Last year he switched to Coloni mid-way through the season and at Monza he won the feature race and sealed the overall runner-up spot. An attempted switch to Indycar this year failed to come to fruition.
“We did a great job together last year, and frankly I would have expected Luca to be contacted by some manufacturer for a works program this season,” said Paolo Coloni. “It didn’t happen, and so we thought that an all Italian line-up for our home race would have been the best thing to do.
“With Filippi and Onidi Scuderia Coloni is reassessing its role of sole Italian team that helps national talents to get under the spotlight. I would also like to thank Tecno Industrial Piping, who made this possible with their support.”
Monza could be one last hurrah in GP2 for Coloni, who will leave the category at the end of the year following a disagreement with series organisers. An Indycar move of their own has been rumoured.