 | |
| Category | Formula cars |
|---|---|
| Region | Asia |
| Inaugural season | 2008 |
| Folded | 2011 |
| Drivers | 34 |
| Teams | 13 |
| Constructors | Dallara |
| Engine suppliers | Mecachrome |
| Tyre suppliers | Pirelli |
| Last Drivers' champion |  Romain Grosjean |
| Last Teams' champion | DAMS |
| Official website | gp2series.com |
TheGP2 Asia Series was a form ofopen wheelmotor racing as a result of a spin-off from theGP2 Series.
The series was officially announced during the weekend of the2007 Monaco GP2 Series round.[1] GP2 series organiserBruno Michel commented that "It is of great importance that the GP2 Asia Series maintains a strong and viable link toFormula One. Our inclusion as the support races on the programme of Asian Grands Prix in 2008 is an essential key in this new venture".[1]
The first season ran during the main GP2 series off season, January–April, with five two-race meetings. It ran alongside the newSpeedcar Series,[2] and the events inMalaysia andBahrain acted as support races for the Formula One championship.
In effort to promote motor racing in Asia, each team is encouraged to have at least one driver whose passport does not come from Western Europe or the Americas (North and South). For the avoidance of doubt, Turkey and Russia are not included in the list of "European" countries.
However, in the2008 season, four of the thirteen teams opted to field two non-Asian drivers with the agreement that one of their two drivers would be a "ghost driver" and receive no prize money for competing in the series.
July 2011, GP2 CEOBruno Michel announced that the GP2 Asia Series would be merged with the European series after the 2011 season.[3]
On Friday, drivers had a 30-minute free practice session and a 30-minute qualifying session. The qualifying session decided the grid order for Saturday's race which had a length of 180 kilometres. During Saturday's race, each driver had to make a pit stop in which at least two tyres have to be changed. On Sunday there was a sprint race of 80 kilometres. The grid was decided by the Saturday result with top 8 being reversed, so the driver who finished 8th on Saturday started from pole position and the winner started from 8th place.
The one who drove the pole position to Saturday's races got two points.
Fastest lap: 1 point in each race. Driver recording fastest lap has to drive 90% of race laps. The driver must also start the race from his allocated grid position and finish in the top ten of the race to be eligible for the fastest lap point. With this points system, the most points anyone can score in one round is 20 by claiming pole position, winning both races with the fastest lap in each race.
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From 2008 until 2010, the category used theGP2/05 chassis, produced by the Italian companyDallara, changing the chassis in 2011 to theGP2/11. Both chassis were produced in carbon fiber and were also used by the European GP2 Series. Both cars were powered by the same mechanical package: The FrenchMecachrome V8108 4.0V8 engine, generating 620 hp (456 kW), coupled to a six-speed manual Hewland transmission. The cars had tires fromBridgestone (2008 to 2010) andPirelli (2011).
| Season | Driver | Team | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Fastest laps | Points | Clinched | Margin | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Romain Grosjean | ART Grand Prix | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 61 | 2008 Bahrain Sprint Race | 24 | [4][5] |
| 2008–09 |  Kamui Kobayashi | DAMS | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 56 | 2009 2nd Bahrain Feature Race | 20 | [6][7] |
| 2009–10 |  Davide Valsecchi |  iSport International | 1 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 56 | 2010 Bahrain Feature Race | 27 | [8][9] |
| 2011 | Romain Grosjean | DAMS | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 2011 Imola Sprint Race | 6 | [10][11] |
| Season | Team | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Fastest laps | Points | Clinched | Margin | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | ART Grand Prix | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 61 | 2008 2nd UAE Feature Race | 11 | [5] |
| 2008–09 | DAMS | 3 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 92 | 2009 2nd Bahrain Sprint Race | 33 | [7] |
| 2009–10 | iSport International | 1 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 73 | 2010 Bahrain Sprint Race | 36 | [9] |
| 2011 | DAMS | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 2011 Imola Sprint Race | 3 | [11] |
