GP2 Series is back to business this weekend after a four week break during which everyone recharged their batteries in order to get ready for one of the biggest challenges of the season: Spa-Francorchamps.
Before the summer break, the battle for the crown heated up with Stefano Coletti’s lead being reduced to only six points to Felipe Nasr whilst Fabio Leimer moved up to third in the drivers’ standings, eighteen points ahead of Sam Bird and with James Calado in tow. The final four rounds of this season will most likely see these five men fight with all their might until the end for the GP2 title. But it was a glorious race weekend in Hungary for Jolyon Palmer and Nathanaël Berthon: both men brilliantly pocketed a win, the first one of the season for both Carlin and Trident Racing.
This weekend, the paddock returns to action at the infamous Belgium track of Spa-Francorchamps for the eighth round of the 2013 season. It is one of the fastest and most demanding circuit, and the longest as well with 19 turns to master. Add to that the changeable weather conditions and twenty-six hungry for glory drivers and you are in for one of the most anticipated rounds of the year!
Pirelli have selected nominated the P Zero Orange hard and P Zero Yellow soft compounds for this weekend. Pirelli’s racing manager Mario Isola said: “Spa is the ultimate test of skill for the GP2 drivers, as well as our Pirelli tyres. Everyone knows that Spa is demanding: it’s like a rollercoaster with the number of twists and turns it imposes and the smallest mistake can prove costly. The hard and soft compound tyres seemed the best solution and they should be well suited to deal with the high-energy demands and fast compressions that characterise this race. We have made this choice in order to encourage a variety of strategies, as we expect to see a difference in lap time of around one second between the two compounds. This nomination also allows the drivers to cope with different weather conditions – a frequent occurrence in Spa – as the compounds in GP2 do not have the same working ranges as their equivalents in Formula One.”
GP2 Series Press Release