2008/09 GP2 Asia & 2009 GP2 Main Series Off season/General discussion)

[Go_For_Pole]

Originally Posted by sauber11

What about Karun Chandhok joining FMSI, due to signing test-driver contract with Force india (remember similar colour scheme of this two teams)?

Makes sense from a marketing point of view but a potential career suicide, FMS are really strugling

[Albeckinho]

Chandhok's iSport deal is for 2 years, so end of the story.

[sauber11]

http://italiaracing.net/notizia.asp?id=20520&cat=4
Giedo Van der Garde is in serious negotiation in order to run with iSport is in the GP2 Asia is in the Main Series- It reveals Autosprint.

[OJB]

Next year's grid could be very interesting and I think the coming Asia Series will be very vital. The 'credit crunch' is thought to be causing problems for some teams, so drivers with big budgets could be vital.

I imagine they'll use the Asia Series to evaluate these drivers - possibly drivers from Asia who may compete in the main series.

[Lam Pak]

again i cant see many drivers from asia participatin. just fardan confirmed. maybe kobayashi, fauzy and chandhok. maybe. how could they dont suport the thing that secures their existence?

i pray meritus stay in racing. if not no more asia in the racing line of gp2asia. they should have one another spot for asian teams. they are many teams in asia deservin a dithering chance.

[META4]

I do not think that Al Fardan has been comfirmed yet, he has been rumoured to be in negociation with I-Sport for the GP2 Asia.

I would think that Chandhok will be onboard with I-Sport , so there might be only one drive available.

I guess the best choice for I-Sport would be Van Der Garde compare to Al Fardan .

At about a month of the beginning of the GP2 Asia season , not much drivers have been comfirmed yet

[sauber11]

Originally Posted by META4

I do not think that Al Fardan has been comfirmed yet, he has been rumoured to be in negociation with I-Sport for the GP2 Asia.

No man, its official, i read it on isportinternational.com and on gp2 internet bulletin. 100% sure, but where you found news about 2-year deal with isport for Karun?
i only remember Buurman signed 2 years deal with arden, but he even didnt finish this season.

Lucas di Grassi is rumoured to partner Nick Heidfeld at renault. If so, i believe Grosjean will stay in gp2 as 2009 favourite.

[META4]

Yes i just had a look at the I-Sport , Al Fardan is comfirmed for the GP2 Asia. Then maybe Chandhok will not be doing the GP2 Asia

It will be the pair Van Der Garde/Al Fardan for the GP2 Asia

[Albeckinho]

Van Der Garde is most likely NOT gonna do GP2 Asia. At least that what I've heard.

[Kai]

I thought Kobayashi was rumored to drive for ART.

[Lam Pak]

hope koba in art. dams sucks.

franky cheng maybe race in shanghai.

[kerrmanningjarv]

If van der Garde wants to do GP2 Asia he has to negotiate himself out of the final race weekend of the WSR season, as that clashes with GP2 Asia race 1.

[Albeckinho]

That shouldn't be a problem if P1 can find a replacement. And if Van Der Garde pays it but doesn't drive, they can easily get someone like Carroll or Tappy to substitute Giedo.

[kerrmanningjarv]

Carroll would be good

[Albeckinho]

But still, I don't think that Giedo will do Asia, he'll probably be only at the main series.

[chunterer]

Any ideas on which of this years main series drivers plan to do the Asia series yet? This thread will really kick on in the next few weeks as the series moves nearer. Thanks FIA you've done one thing right:

Given us the best racing series in the world to us nearly all year round!!!!!!

Also would someone mind posting a calendar. Many thanks!!

Oh yes, crucially anyone know what TV/satellite stations will be showing it. I bet ITV4 won't though.....

[Albeckinho]

There are several rumours that one Finnish driver has been in contact with at least Durango, DAMS and BCN about 2009 drive, no decisions made yet. No, he's not one of Bottas/Mäki/Mustonen-triangle.

Mäki has been confirmed for Arden for at least first Paul Ricard test, he's going to drive only one day if Im correct. Mäki and Red Bull are pretty sure that Mäki will do GP2 next year. He's also done "shakedown" with RB's F1 car before Valencia in Silverstone.

Mustonen is likely the second Finn to join GP2 next season backed by Lukoil and Puma. I'd like to see him do one more season in F3, maybe in Euroseries but...

Bottas has been in talks with ART's F3 squad, several WSbR teams and he's been also rumoured for GP2 seat next year. He doesn't have money for GP2 if Im correct and even to do F3 he'd have to collect over 2x funds than this year. Still, anything can happen, maybe he's got one big sponsor or something.

[META4]

you already mentionned a " Finnish driver" in contact with some teams in the Formula BMW Thread, i guess no point mentionning it if you do not reveal the name of him ...

[Albeckinho]

That Finn who's in contact with FBMW teams is by my sources Aaro Vainio, Tony Kart factory driver. They might be wrong, though.

And for the guy who's in contact with GP2 teams, there's not so much to speculate, at this stage Im not allowed to tell his name. We'll see when November comes.

I heard that iSport line-up for the main series is gonna be Van Der Garde-Clos? o.O

[META4]

Finnish Driver in GP2 ? karjalainen? Anahala? Bottas?

[OJB]

I'd have thought iSport would have at least one recognised name in there team. I'd be surprised if they let Chandhok go really, probably paired up with van der Garde - P1/iSport are based very close together I think as well.

[Albeckinho]

Well, from Finnish drivers: if Niemelä wins Atlantic, he'll probably graduate to bigger series and leave GP2 etc. behind. If he doesn't, then he'll continue in Atlantics OR jump to GP2, if he has the budget (he's on the wishlist of pretty many top teams). Karjalainen doesn't have even half of Niemelä's budget, what I've heard Karjalainen's team paid 50% of the budget for this series and they're not even a top team.

What the heck, serious rumour or not, true or false, the man I mentioned is Juho Annala, the one who drove ChampCar at Long Beach with Rocketsports. He's been trying to raise budget for next Indycar season, but I doubt he can make it. He's said that Europe is pretty much over for him, but never say never.

Well, what I've heard these past few days, Van der Garde and Clos will be iSport's main series line-up and for Asia they'll have Van der Garde and some other driver, so no Chandhok there. I always thought that Chandhok had contract for 2 years so...? Maybe he'll do just F1 testing with Force India or then he has to have some ace in the pocket. And don't count Senna out, he said that another year in GP2 wouldn't be too bad and IMHO he needs it before F1.

[OJB]

Hamad Al Fardan will be the other iSport Asia driver - that's pretty much the only official driver signing for Asia that I can think of.

Maybe Chandhok is doing a year of testing, because in my mind he's always been targeting F1 in 2010 and since Senna was iSport's main man this year, I'd have thought he'd be bumped up to lead driver next year. Who knows - Zuber and iSport fell out, maybe Chandhok and iSport have fallen out.

Are there any other confirmed Asia drivers? I'd guess Kobayashi at DAMS, Petrov at Campos and Tung maybe at Trident are givens if that 'one Asian driver per team' thing applies.

[Albeckinho]

Salvador Duran and Natacha Gachnang are rumoured for Campos in European series. Van Der Trift for Trident in Europe? I think that Villa will be kicked out, Racing Engineering pretty much lost the team title because his lackluster performances.

[bella]

villa's had a huge number of chances - he's still young, so he can go back to the beginning and start again and not be at a disadvantage to anyone else.