F1 Fanatic

To me, the smartest way forward for GP2 would be to start the season in Barcelona instead of Malaysia. That will give the teams an extra six weeks to get ready. The first flyaway race should be in Montreal, with the second in New Jersey, the reasons being that a) North America is closer to Europe than Asia, and b) the races are only a week apart, which should keep costs down. Then, at the end of the season, they should do Suzuka and India. That will give them three weeks to rest a bit after the European season, and two weeks to get to India so that there is no rush. It would also go a long way towards laying down extra rubber at Buddh so that the Formula 1 drivers have more grip. Alternatively, they could do Korea and Japan, as they are closer together and only a week apart, further keeping costs down (but unlike Montreal and New Jersey – which are only 600km apart – they could not drive from Suzuka to KIC, which might complicate matters).

All of this should keep the overall costs of racing down, which would in turn allow for drivers who are talented, but lack sponsorship, to take part.

start the season in Barcelona instead of Malaysia.

oh come on, Malaysia is the most affordable place for me to cheer Haryanto.
i dont have enough money to go to europe, let alone america, lol

If Charles Pic succeeds Vitaly Petrov at Caterham, I’m interested to see if Caterham’s GP2 outfit will field the younger Arthur or if he will continue his association with DAMS due to his family’s Renault ties.

I can definitely see Melker swapping seats for a better team or even switiching to FR3.5 following his podium finish this year.

Also, I noticed that Jazeman Jaafar isn’t racing in Macau with Carlin, but rather TOM’S. Carlin has supported his three-year Formula 3 stint, and I had previously fancied him a candidate to race for Carlin in FR3.5. It’s worth noting that Jaafar is prominently sponsored by Petronas- which is also the title sponsor for Mercedes AMG and Toyota affiliates TOM’S. With a round in Malaysia and hefty backing (paired with a runner-up finish in BF3), I think we could see Jaafar in GP2 next year. And on a side note, Felix Serralles has announced a 2013 Formula 3 Euroseries campaign.

Here’s a few ideas on who might go where. I’ve tried to be as realistic as possible, but we don’t get much coverage of the junior series at all down here. It may turn to fiction halfway through.

DAMS
1 – Felipe Nasr
2 – Rio Haryanto

With Davide Vasecchi off to parts unknown in 2013, the team quickly take Felipe Nasr, pairing him up with the fast (and flush with cash) Rio Haryanto.

Lotus GP
3 – James Calado
4 – Patric Neiderhauser

Given the strong relationship between Lotus F1 and Renault, most of Lotus GP’s GP3 drivers find programmes in Formula Renault, leaving the team with a free seat in their GP2 team. They pick up Patric Neiderhauser from Jenzer’s GP3 squad, pairing him with James Calado, who finds some extra sponsorship to keep his seat.

Arden International
5 – Mitch Evans
6 – Luiz Razia

Razia is unable to secure a Formula 1 drive, and having spent four seasons in GP2, he appears unlikely to do so. Instead, Arden retain him and use him to mentor Mitch Evans directly. Razia is visibly less than thrilled with this arrangement, but it is the best seat he can get, so he keeps his mutterings to himself.

Marussia Carlin
7 – Tio Ellinas
8 – William Buller

Carlin lose Max Chliton to Formula 1 and Rio Haryanto to DAMS. They take the highly-rated Tio Ellinas at Marussia’s behest – not that they’re complaining – and put him alongside their Formula 3 stalwart, William Buller.

Racing Engineering
9 – Robert Wickens
10 – Adrian Quaife-Hobbs

Fabio Leimer goes to DTM, and does a straight swap with Robert Wickens, who finally gets a shot at GP2 and a future in Formula 1. The underperforming Berthon is replaced by Auto GP champion Adrian Quaife-Hobbs.

iSport International
11 – Marcus Ericsson
12 – Jolyon Palmer

In the face of several lineup changes for 2013, iSport play it safe by retaining Ericsson and Palmer, even if both were inconsistent and disappointing in 2012.

Caterham GP2
14 – Rodolfo Gonzalez
15 – Nigel Melker

Despite being useless in 2012, the team decide to keep Gonzalez for his money once Giedo van der Garde leaves the team. In his place, they take fellow Dutchman Nigel Melker, who has an obvious turn of speed, but lacks decent sponsorship, making Gonzalez a necessary evil to subsidise Melker’s seat.

Barwa Addax
16 – Johnny Cecotto, Jnr.
17 – Tom Dillmann

On the back of their worst season to date, Addax need to perform a miracle to get back to the front. They keep Cecotto (and his money) after he showed some promise in 2012, and take a gamble on Tom Dillmann, who was one of the big surprises when driving for Rapax.

Rapax
18 – Kevin Ceccon
19 – Facu Regalia

After being forced to watch Ricardo Teixeria trundle around in last place for a season – punishment for some unknown sin – the team decide that enough is enough and that they want to go back to the pointy end of the grid. They snatch Ceccon away from Ocean (wisely, for Ceccon), and pick up Regalia for a little extra money on the side.

Trident Racing
20 – Julian Leal
21 – Giovanni Venturini

Like Caterham, Trident keep an underperforming regular to subsidise a talented newcomer – in this case, Julian Leal stays in the team, with GP3′s Giovanni Venturini in the second seat; despite only contesting half a season in 2012, Venturini still finished thirteenth.

Ocean Racing Technology
22 – Nathanael Berthon
23 – Lewis Williamson

Tiago Monterio is less than happy with his team, following Nigel Melker’s comments that they would rather have a coffee break than do some work, and pledges to turn his team around. Lewis Williamson, eager to prove that Red Bull dropped him prematurely, takes one seat, while Nathanael Berthon picks up the other after being cut loose by Racing Engineering, leaving many people asking whether Ocean really have turned a corner, or if it’s the same old song with new lyrics.

Venezuela GP Lazarus
24 – Rene Binder
25 – Simon Trummer

Lazarus initial promise – scoring a point in their very first race – seems to be long since forgotten. Binder’s baptism of fire continues, while Trummer’s sponsors continue to pay for his seat.

Qi-Meritus Mahara
26 – Adderly Fong
27 – David Zhu

With Coloni leaving (or kicked out, depending on who you talk to), a replacement team is found in former GP2 Asia team Qi-Meritus Mahara. Despite being absent from GP2 for three years, the team has found new ownership and backing from China, as evidenced by its all-Chinese lineup – Formula 2′s David Zhu and British F3′s Adderly Fong.

Is it actually confirmed if ART will have Lotus backing next year?

@ryanwilliams I think they meant they confirmed their line-up for post-season testing, not necessarily 2013. Although Rossi is most likely going to end up there, I’m not sure Trummer will be his teammate.

Another one person must be happy about Gutierrez going to Sauber, and it’s James Calado.

@fixy I do think that’s a terrific analysis of the grid next year, but here are a few changes that I disagree with. Leimer is eyeing a DTM seat so I think his tenure in GP2 is over. For Racing Engineering, Berthon-Melker would be a pleasant line up. Haryanto could swap seats with Nasr, with DAMS running the Indonesian alongside Arthur Pic or Marcus Ericsson. Also, Facu Regalia and Daniel de Jong are likely to be on the grid next year.