Gp2 2015 silly season

[Rf1 Fan]

Lotus/Gravity is looking to sneak into gp2 next year with a junior team.

Duo Sorensen-Ocon with some Saxo Bank money?

Would be good line-up, youth and experience. Plus good speed, could be eye catching.

Vandoorne between DAMS and ART for Gp2 next year.

Gasly pretty much confirmed in French radio that is pretty much between F1 seat at STR or Gp2 in 2015 with Red Bull backing.

[Mies7337]

Saxo Bank is the current sponsor of MP Motorsport, but I don't see such a good line-up with a bad team like MP.
Everybody is probably aiming for a drive at DAMS, as they're clearly the best team with the current GP2 cars. Vandoorne seems the best driver for a DAMS seat to me. Or maybe Coletti.
Nasr another year with Carlin? I don't see him yet in the F1, maybe in a year as a replacement for Massa.

[bella]

a team is only as bad as their drivers, budget and engineers.

i want to see vandoorne at dams too, but definitely not coletti because another "been in it for years" championship contender wouldn't do the series any favours at all.

[Formulahistory]

Originally Posted by Rf1 Fan

Lotus/Gravity is looking to sneak into gp2 next year with a junior team.

Duo Sorensen-Ocon with some Saxo Bank money?

Would be good line-up, youth and experience. Plus good speed, could be eye catching.

Vandoorne between DAMS and ART for Gp2 next year.

Gasly pretty much confirmed in French radio that is pretty much between F1 seat at STR or Gp2 in 2015 with Red Bull backing.

Lotus/Gravity were in GP2 with DAMS until Boullier was manager there...

[TR Motorsport]

Originally Posted by Rf1 Fan

Lotus/Gravity is looking to sneak into gp2 next year with a junior team.

Duo Sorensen-Ocon with some Saxo Bank money?

Would be good line-up, youth and experience. Plus good speed, could be eye catching.

Vandoorne between DAMS and ART for Gp2 next year.

Gasly pretty much confirmed in French radio that is pretty much between F1 seat at STR or Gp2 in 2015 with Red Bull backing.

If Sorensen-Ocon end up at MP next year, where is De Jong going to go? its sad to say but De Jong will be at MP, and therefore in GP2, until the end of time I'm afraid unless MP withdraw, as his dad owns the team so wouldn't replace him!

[kurski]

Facu Regalia: My goal is to run 2015 GP2 full season. Sauber and Lotus are interested in having me, but before I have to run GP2.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by kurski

Facu Regalia: My goal is to run 2015 GP2 full season. Sauber and Lotus are interested in having me, but before I have to run GP2.

Interested in having him as what, exactly?

I seriously hope we have a right good clear out of seasoned journeymen who have been taking up valuable space in time for next season.

Maybe some will see WEC as a truly attractive alternative now that there are ex F1 drivers in it to shoot at?

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

That suggests to me that he has more money now and he's shown his ability in GP3 if not GP2. A move to F1 would be odd though...

[bella]

fun fact: a gp2/3.5 budget would make a big dent in an elms/le mans or wec/le mans budget in lmp2 with a serious team.

if i was a young driver with that kind of money to spend i'd be talking to murphy trying to figure out what it is they need to do a full season. pipo derani was definitely doing it right...!

[WSR Fan]

If Gasly doesn't get the Toro Rosso F1 seat and Red Bull put him in GP2, I'll be interested to see which team he joins - with their previous Red Bull links, I'm thinking maybe Carlin or Arden (his FR3.5 team) maybe?

Someone who I think could do a decent job in GP2 is Richie Stanaway, although I'm not sure if budget might be an issue. If he couldn't join a front-running team, then as bella said, maybe he would be best placed trying to get a decent GTE/LMP2 drive, given that he already has experience in the WEC.

And even though he's had a bit of an erratic first year, Marciello has shown plenty of speed at times and I think he could be one to watch next year if Ferrari decide to keep him in GP2.

[Mies7337]

Not a lot of Red Bull talents end up in the GP2, they prefer giving them a chance in the F1.

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Why would they put Gasly in F1 over Sainz? Why did they even put Verstappen in? Imo it's all mad anyway, since Webber left the deciding factor seems to be age combined with how well you get on with Mr Marko. Nothing to do with speed at all!!!

[Rf1 Fan]

Originally Posted by Biscuits In A Red Bull

Why would they put Gasly in F1 over Sainz? Why did they even put Verstappen in? Imo it's all mad anyway, since Webber left the deciding factor seems to be age combined with how well you get on with Mr Marko. Nothing to do with speed at all!!!

Well if it had been all about performance they should have dumped Sainz Jr first at the end of 2012 or 2013 season. Being beaten by his respective team mates bar Nato.

I think that is the main reason why they are reluctant to put him on second STR seat.

Imo Sainz Jr is out of the equation. It is between Gasly, Lynn and Vergne.

[Hawkwood]

It may yet end up being Sainz (almost by default), but they certainly aren't at all keen on him.

He won the FR3.5 title over a week ago, and that gap would've been a perfect time to announce.

But, tumbleweed...

[bella]

why would it have been the perfect gap to announce? have they done that before?

[chunterer]

There is quite a lot of unknowns to understand before they can nail down that drive I feel?

I don't really think Lynn will get straight in there, he is quite new to their programme after all.

Gasly isn't quite there yet, but clearly has great promise and to be honest Sainz probably isn't either, although he is probably the outright quickest of the 3 on natural pace?

Not that pace will necessarily come into it!

Sainz is arguably the more marketable of the 3 at present, and would tie in nicely with the Spanish backing the team receives, but maybe, they are looking for the 2nd driver to bring their own money for next season, which is also perhaps why they haven't automatically re-instated JEV?

Maybe Red Bull will park 2 of the guys in separate GP2 teams and promote another one altogether into 3.5?

[Mies7337]

Are all the teams going to be the same next year, or is there a team in financial problems for next year, like so many great teams have dissapeared the last 3 seasons. The current 26 cars make the perfect show, almost every race has been exciting.

[Rf1 Fan]

Originally Posted by bella

why would it have been the perfect gap to announce? have they done that before?

Well they announced Kvyat 2 weeks before his title in gp3.

Max Verstappen just after his first race week-end as a Red Bull driver.

Ricciarddo was confirmed one week before Italian GP in 2013 for RBR in 2014.

Buemi, Vergne and Ricciardo just before christmas.

Gasly said the situation would be sorted within two weeks.

I would not be surprised to see the name of second STR driver confirmed the 17th of November in TV show Sports Und Talk on Servus TV.

If it is a rookie.

It will be a perfect date as Helmut Marko will be available for the TV show to explain as usual his choice like he did with Ricciardo,Kvyat and Verstappen.


In the same way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMn2Vk8W2-Q

This is why i find that weird that Sainz Jr was not confirmed for example yesterday evening. One week before a Gp, like they are used to do all the time.

[WSR Fan]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Sainz is arguably the more marketable of the 3 at present, and would tie in nicely with the Spanish backing the team receives, but maybe, they are looking for the 2nd driver to bring their own money for next season, which is also perhaps why they haven't automatically re-instated JEV?

If the Spanish backing you mean is CEPSA (the oil and gas company) then they are due to end their sponsorship of Toro Rosso, according to the most recent Autosport mag.

[Rf1 Fan]

Originally Posted by WSR Fan

If the Spanish backing you mean is CEPSA (the oil and gas company) then they are due to end their sponsorship of Toro Rosso, according to the most recent Autosport mag.

Yes they are going to spend this money on Real Madrid.

[kotkot]

So CEPSA is the latest company of those which realized spending money in F1 middle teams makes no sense at all.

One team (name) change is already confirmed, Status GP, only one year after their ridiculously bad GP3 season, will expand to GP2, replacing Caterham.

[Aguri]

Any word if Evans is returning for another season?

GP2 will potentially have it's strongest grid in many years next season:
Vandoorne
Marciello
Ocon
Gasly
Lynn
Sainz Jr

[Aguri]

Is Mehri making the step from WSR?

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Aguri

Any word if Evans is returning for another season?

GP2 will potentially have it's strongest grid in many years next season:
Vandoorne
Marciello
Ocon
Gasly
Lynn
Sainz Jr

I think Ocon will be in 3.5, possibly Lynn, all depends on what Bull do with them!

[Aguri]

Originally Posted by chunterer

I think Ocon will be in 3.5, possibly Lynn, all depends on what Bull do with them!

Rumor doing the rounds is that Marko is pulling all RB drivers out of WSR.

And Lotus/Gravity is planning a GP2 entry. Ocon and a pay driver.

Time will tell. RB has 4 drivers and they don't know which one is best. A straight shoot out in GP2 next season might decide who gets Vergnes seat.