MAY 24, 2007

GP2 Asia is launched

The GP2 Series has launched GP2 Asia, extending the current championship. Beginning in 2008, GP2 Asia will hold races between January and April and will be held in league with the new Speedcar Series. As part of the deal some of the GP2 races will be held in league with Grands Prix, presumably including the Malaysian and perhaps even a race in Melbourne. This will increase as F1 increases its footprint in Asia.

It remains to be seen how things will develop. We understand that the Asian series will be open to any teams that wish to enter and will not operate on the same franchise system as in the existing series. This system will lapse in Europe in 2008 and that will mean that Asian teams might, if they choose to do so, join in the European season as well. However all of this will be dependent on money as teams will have to fund their own operations with the help of their drivers.

There is no doubt that GP2 Asia is hoping that some of the A1 Grand Prix teams will decide to switch across. Many of the A1 teams are in effect GP2 teams and thus it makes some sense for the teams to simply switch to the machinery that they know and perhaps bring some of the money in A1 Grand Prix (not that there is a lot of it) into GP2.

Teaming up with the Speedcar Series to create something called a Grand Racing weekend if a good idea. Beginning in November, the Speedcar Series will feature 24 identicalstock-cars being driven by a number of former F1 drivers, including Jean Alesi, Johnny Herbert and Stefan Johansson.