2) Stoffel Vandoorne
McLaren F1 reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne moved across from the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2014 and made a big impact, winning on debut in Bahrain and ending the year as one of the best rookie drivers in GP2 Series history.
Driving for ART Grand Prix, Vandoorne started the season by qualifying on the front row, only missing out on pole position by 0.030s to Jolyon Palmer, but took advantage of the Briton’s bad start to take the lead into the first corner, and was able to manage his tyres superbly to take the victory. Unfortunately his second race was a disaster after an early collision broke his front wing, but he had made his mark on the series early.
He would have to wait for the Hungaroring to take his second victory, but had been in contention in Monaco before an ill-timed safety car saw him plummet outside the top ten. Further wins followed in Monza and Abu Dhabi that saw him beat Felipe Nasr into second place in the championship standings. He should have had an additional win in Russia, when again a safety car caught him out, but unlike in Monaco he was able to create a gap that allowed him to claim fifth place.
Other noticeable performances were his battle with Raffaele Marciello at Spa-Francorchamps when the two of them were battling hard for the win while pulling out two-seconds a lap or more on the rest of the field, and at Hockenheim when he led for a long spell of the race before another safety car period cost him time and left him susceptible to an attack from Stefano Coletti and Nasr. He also took the final four pole positions on offer at Spa, Monza, Sochi and Abu Dhabi, proving that he not only possessed good race pace but also had the one-lap speed in qualifying to boot.
Aside from the races in Spain and Monaco, Vandoorne look assured and confident in a GP2 Series car in 2014, and with his links to McLaren enabling the Belgian driver to get some testing and simulator time, the future looks extremely bright. Although he had a small chance of getting into the McLaren team for 2015 before the team announced Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, Vandoorne is expecting another year in GP2, possibly again with ART Grand Prix, and is aiming to take the title.
