Series preview of Abu Dhabi non-championship event

The 2011 GP2 Final Preview

Jolyon Palmer racing at Asian series race at Abu Dhabi in February 2011

The twenty –six GP2 cars are ready for their last outing of 2011 which will take place this weekend at Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi as the Series gets ready for the 2011 GP2 Final. This unique and single event is not part of a championship and will be running alongside the Formula One™ Grand Prix. All thirteen GP2 teams will take part and the rules along with the point system remain the same as the ones used during the 2011 season. The race weekend format will only slightly differ from the usual one with a 45 minute long practice session on Friday instead of the usual 30 minutes.

With experienced drivers such as Dani Clos, Esteban Gutiérrez, Luiz Razia, Marcus Ericsson, Stefano Coletti and Giacomo Ricci seeking glory, young blood will also feed the field. American Alexander Rossi returns to GP2 at Caterham Team AirAsia looking to impress, and six 2010 GP3 graduates will be aiming to finish at least in the points. The Series’ sole tyre supplier Pirelli will reward the two highest-placed GP3 drivers who finish in the points in the feature race and/or the sprint race. The GP3 graduate scoring the most points will receive 15,000 Euros with the second highest scoring GP3 driver receiving 10,000 Euros.

The GP2/11 cars will run of P Zero medium tyres as Pirelli’s racing manager Mario Isola explains: “We are bringing our P Zero GP2 medium slicks to Abu Dhabi as they are very well suited to the challenging layout of the Yas Marina track. Our medium slicks have already been used on this circuit during the 2011 GP2 Asia™ pre-season tests and races in February when they provided sufficient durability and high levels of grip. That was also when the GP2 teams had their first taste of the new Pirelli rubber. At the beginning they struggled a bit to understand the behaviour of the medium compound but, after having completed a whole season running on our P Zero GP2 rubber, they now know how to handle the tricky variable durability features incorporated into the design to encourage tyre management and race strategy. It will be interesting to compare the results in February with those we will collect during the 2011 GP2 Final and see the improvements made after nine months.”