2011 GP2 Final: The grid

Abu Dhabi will host the 2011 GP2 Final, next week, as a support race to the Formula One Grand Prix.

This one-off event will present GP2 teams with the opportunity to put new drivers at the wheel of their single-seater cars.

On this occasion, the Series sole tyre supplier Pirelli will reward the two highest finishing GP3 Series graduates that decide to compete in Abu Dhabi at the wheel of a GP2/11 car for this stand alone event.

Some teams have already announced their line-up for the event.

ART

The French team will line up with its two 2012 drivers, Esteban Gutierrez and James Calado.

Racing Engineering

Following on from their very successful testing at Barcelona, Racing Engineering are pleased to announce that Fabio Leimer and Nathanaël Berthon will be driving for the Spanish team in Abu Dhabi at the season-ending 2011 GP2 Final to be held from the 11th to 13th of November.

Alfonso de Orléans-Borbón, president of Racing Engineering: “After the great results of both drivers in Barcelona, I am really pleased to continue with them at the Abu Dhabi races. It’s a great opportunity to see their performances under race conditions. I think that both the drivers and the team have a good fit. This makes me confident of good results for that weekend.”

Fabio Leimer: “The two successful GP2 tests in Jerez and Barcelona with Racing Engineering have shown us what is possible if everything is working well. Therefore, I am happy that I have the chance to additionally test the potential of this team under race conditions. We have obviously already tried different solutions for Abu Dhabi during the Barcelona test and I am actually quite confident we will make a good impression during the race weekend. I am very much looking forward to the races in Abu Dhabi.”

Nathanaël Berthon: “It’s almost a year ago I was racing in Abu Dhabi and I am looking forward to another race weekend there with Racing Engineering. It’s a real pleasure to work with the team again. I am sure that everything will go well during the Abu Dhabi weekend as the car is good. Physically I am strong and I like the track. I was competitive during the Abu Dhabi races last winter and since then I have gained quite a lot more experience. Additionally I know the car and track now. I am really, really confident for the race weekend in Abu Dhabi.”

iSport

iSport would like to welcome Tom Dillman into the team for the GP2 Series Abu Dhabi Finale which is due to take place on 12 and 13 November.

Paul Jackson, Team Principal: “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. 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. Many thanks to the sponsors and individuals who continue to support iSport and our drivers.”

Marcus Ericsson’s participation was confirmed earlier, when he signed to race for the team in 2012.

DAMS

After a 2011 season crowned with success with Romain Grosjean’s title, the DAMS team will race in the non-championship GP2 final in Abu Dhabi on 12-13 November with two new drivers.

The French team has decided to put its trust in Rio Haryanto and Nigel Melker, a couple of young chargers from GP3 for these two races whose only stakes are glory and preparation for the 2012 season.

Loïc David, general manager: “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.”

Trident

The long 2011 GP2 Series season is about to reach its completion. Teams and drivers will be on-track at Abu Dhabi for a non-championship race in support of the upcoming Formula 1 Grand Prix on the 13th of November. All the 13 squads involved in the 2011 Main Series will be lining-up for the finale.

Trident Racing will be at Abu Dhabi with two drivers that have been evaluated in the latest rounds of off-season tests, Julian Leal and Stéphane Richelmi. Leal, who hit the track at Jerez, had previously entered the 2010 AutoGP with Trident Racing. Richelmi has already made his racing debut for Maurizio Salvadori and his team too, as he raced at Monza in the final round of this year’s Main Series.

Coloni

Scuderia Coloni completed their line-up for the Abu Dhabi GP2 Finale, planned for 12-13 november.
The team, that had already confirmed Kevin Ceccon on one car, has decided that Stefano Coletti will take the driving duties on the other one for the last race of the 2011 season.

The agreement with the driver from Monaco arrived after a very positive test in Barcelona, where Stefano and the team had a perfect day: not only they clinched the best laptime of the last session, but they also immediately established a great feeling between the driver and the technical staff, allowing the team to work in the best possible way.

So Scuderia Coloni heads to the Emirates with a top notch line-up, the ideal solution to keep momentum after the great results already clinched this year.

Ocean

Two exhibition races of the GP2 Main Series will take place this coming weekend, November 11-13 at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit, before the Formula 1 World Championship. This will be a chance for Ocean Racing Technology to test out Portuguese driver Antonio Felix da Costa, as well as French driver Nicolas Marroc, both rookies in the F1 feeder series.

The Abu Dhabi meeting offers the chance for a full-scale practice before the new season of competition begins. It will also enable Ocean Racing Technology to refine its driver selection for the 2012 season.

In line with the good tests of Jerez de la Frontera and Barcelona, Tiago Monteiro and José Guedes are confident they will be able to secure a good result together at Abu Dhabi.

"Antonio Felix da Costa is a known quantity that we believe in and the team is ready, motivated, and determined to make sure his first GP2 race weekend is a success. Antonio is a driver who has shown he is up to this challenge and we are sure he will do a good job. As for Nicolas, exactly one year ago he drove with us on the same track, and therefore it was logical to include him in our Abu Dhabi plans. His career has developed nicely and these two races will be a chance to accentuate this development."

Carlin

Max Chilton and Jan Charouz will race for Carlin in this month’s non-championship GP2 finale at Abu Dhabi. Chilton, who enjoyed a promising year with Carlin in the team’s debut season in GP2 will be joined by Czech driver Jan Charouz who has spent 2011 as part of Lotus Renault GP’s driver academy. The Czech racer also competed in this year’s Formula Renault 3.5 Series.

20 year-old Chilton spent 2011 competing for Carlin in the prestigious GP2 Series, a well renowned feeder category for Formula One, where he was a regular top 10 qualifier. While some bad luck robbed him of the points tally he deserved, Chilton has high hopes for the season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit, having qualified well there earlier this year.

Making a welcome debut with Carlin in Abu Dhabi will be Jan Charouz who has been Lotus Renault GP’s reserve driver for the past two years and is also a part of the F1 team’s driver academy programme. Charouz has been competing in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series this season and now looks forward to his first race in a GP2 car with Carlin.

Caterham AirAsia

Alexander Rossi and Luiz Razia will race for the team.

Arden

Arden International is pleased to confirm Josef Kral and Simon Trummer will be competing with the team at the GP2 Finale at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Josef Kral has been with the team since the beginning of the year competing both in the GP2 Asia and GP2 Main Series, having raced well and scored points in both championships. On Josef’s last visit to the Yas Marina circuit, he finished up in the points and second on the podium.

Simon Trummer has spent his 2011 Season with the MW Arden team in GP3 and following successful results at the post-season GP2 tests in Jerez and Barcelona, has shown is aptitude in the GP2 machine.

Garry Horner: “I am pleased that both Josef and Simon will be racing with us in Abu Dhabi. It is great to continue our relationship with Josef into this event at Yas Marina, where he has had successful results both in testing and racing. Having tested Simon in both the GP2 post-season tests with good results, we are pleased to give Simon the opportunity to move up into a GP2 car and stay within the Arden team.”

Super Nova

Super Nova will have an Italian flavour as it will contest the Final with Giacomo Ricci and Fabio Onidi.

Rapax

The Rapax team will be lining-up on-track with a new pair of racers composed by Spaniard Dani Clos and Romanian Mihai Marinescu.

Despite being just 23, Clos has already endured a long GP2 Series stint and proved as fast as the major series frontrunners in the recent collective test sessions. Marinescu, who is 22, will be at his first GP2 Series run and will need to quickly focus on the most important aspects of the sport. The team’s technical staff will be eager to share all their experience with him and put him in the best possible conditions for the weekend.

Addax

The Spanish team will field Jake Rosenzweig and Jolyon Palmer.