GP2 Feature - GP2 Today, F1 Tomorrow
12/09/2006
News that Lewis Hamilton (above), the 2006 GP2 champion, will test for McLaren in the coming weeks has further strengthened the Series' reputation as the Formula 1 feeder series.
"Last year," said F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone, "I said that the GP2 Series was ready to become the logical stepping stone to F1. It has cemented itself as such."
Hamilton's step up is nothing new for the Series because five GP2 drivers made the step up to F1 at the end of '05. Nico Rosberg and Scott Speed found race seats at WilliamsF1 and Toro Rosso respectively, while Heikki Kovalainen, Neel Jani and Giorgio Mondini got test drives at Renault, Toro Rosso and MF1 Racing.
"It's certainly a great championship," says Rosberg. "I learnt a lot when I was in it, and it was great preparation for F1. The GP2 cars are powerful and have similar paddle-shift gearboxes to F1, and you also get the chance to learn all of the tracks that are used in F1."
This year's crop of F1 graduates already includes Hamilton, Nelson Piquet Jnr - who will be RenaultF1's test driver in '07 - and Michael Ammermueller, who will be Red Bull Racing's third driver at the last three races of this year. Adrian Valles will also make his maiden Formula 1 test later this month.
What is it, then, that makes a top GP2 driver such an attractive proposition to an F1 team?
"GP2 is very good training," says RenaultF1 boss Flavio Briatore. "The cars are high tech and the racing is very competitive, so the step-up to F1 is not that big. If you can win in GP2, then you are ready to race in F1."
In terms of driver development, another factor to consider is Bridgestone, sole tyre supplier to the GP2 championship. From 2007, the Japanese company will also become the sole tyre supplier to F1, so ex-GP2 drivers will enjoy the consistency of working with the same tyre manufacturer.
"With F1 still using grooved tyres," says Hamilton, "there are big differences between the tyres used in F1 and in GP2. But in GP2 you can learn about Bridgestone's work ethic, and they have been brilliant this year."
Some small technical changes will be made to the GP2 cars over the winter (the final technical specification of the cars has yet to be finalised) and in 2007 the Series will undoubtedly retain its position as F1's most successful feeder category.