This is the most crucial race weekend of the year for three drivers: after a stellar season, Series leader Fabio Leimer and title rivals Sam Bird and Felipe Nasr have three days left to prove their worth and give again their absolute best at the Yas Marina Circuit where the final round of the season will take place. Their sole aim: the ninth GP2 crown in history.
Leimer’s 2013 resume records 3 wins, 6 podiums, 1 pole, 1 fastest lap and 50 laps led so far. The Swiss who was unfortunately famous for his recurrence of bad luck in previous seasons has managed to get rid of the black cat, and his consistency at the wheel of a reliable Racing Engineering car has made a strong impression on the rest of the field. His closest rival Sam Bird has equally shone this season with 5 wins, 6 podiums, 2 pole positions, 3 fastest laps and 115 laps led. The mighty Brit has helped newcomers RUSSIAN TIME lead the way on their rookie season. As for Felipe Nasr, the young Brazilian was considered as a serious title contender as the season opened and he did not disappoint with a total of 6 podiums and 28 laps led. The Carlin man’s remarkable consistency has helped him chase the GP2 crown all season long.
Mathematically, Stefano Coletti and James Calado could still claim the title as well. The Monegasque driver had the perfect start to his season and seemed untouchable with 3 wins, seven podiums, 1 pole and 91 laps led under his belt. The second half of his season proved more delicate however. As for Calado, it was the other way around: he had a challenging first few rounds, but hard work and unfailing determination brought him 1 win, 6 podiums and 18 laps led.
Pirelli has nominated the P Zero White medium and P Zero Red supersoft compounds for GP2. This is the very first time that this tyre nomination has been used in the 2013 GP2 season.
Pirelli’s racing manager Mario Isola said: “Abu Dhabi is the final round of the year for our support series and where our new GP2 champion will be decided. With only seven points separating championship contenders Fabio Leimer and Sam Bird, there’s going to be pressure on the teams to ensure both races are error-free. The drivers will have to ensure they get everything just right: including tyre strategy, which will be of the utmost importance. With the medium and supersoft nomination for GP2, there is likely to be a performance gap of around one second or more between the two compounds, so the crews will need to think carefully about the factors that could come into play and how to plan the strategy over the race weekend as a whole. The GP2 teams have never worked with this particular nomination before, which underlines how we are always willing to introduce new concepts to improve the sporting spectacle. Yas Marina is the ideal circuit to conclude the GP2 championship as it incorporates several of the best features of other tracks we have been to this year. The surface is fast and smooth while the track layout tests every aspect of a driver’s skill and a tyre’s capability, which is why Abu Dhabi is often used for testing. On behalf of Pirelli, I’d like to wish all our GP2 drivers the best of luck on what will be the most important race weekend of the year.
GP2 Series Press Release