2012 GP2 Series season
Encyclopedia
The 2012 GP2 Series season will be the eighth GP2 Series
season and the first season after merging with the GP2 Asia Series
. The championship will be expanded to include several flyaway races in support of the 2012 Formula One season
.
The series will adopt the points system used by Formula One for the feature race, with points awarded to the top ten drivers and twenty-five points on offer for victory. The points awarded in the sprint race will also be changed, with the winner receiving fifteen points and top eight drivers receiving points. Further changes mean that drivers must use two compounds of tyres over a race weekend, as is the case in Formula One. The points awarded for pole position and the fastest lap of the race will also be doubled.
Leaving GP2
GP2 Series
The GP2 Series, GP2 for short, is a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Ecclestone also has the rights to the name GP1...
season and the first season after merging with the GP2 Asia Series
GP2 Asia Series
The GP2 Asia Series is a form of open wheel motor racing based on the GP2 series.The series was officially announced during the weekend of the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix. GP2 series organiser Bruno Michel commented that "It is of great importance that the GP2 Asia Series maintains a strong and viable...
. The championship will be expanded to include several flyaway races in support of the 2012 Formula One season
2012 Formula One season
The 2012 Formula One season will be the 63rd FIA Formula One season. 2012 will be the penultimate year of the current 2.4 litre V8 engine configuration, before being replaced by more environmentally friendly 1.6 litre V6 turbo engines in 2014...
.
The series will adopt the points system used by Formula One for the feature race, with points awarded to the top ten drivers and twenty-five points on offer for victory. The points awarded in the sprint race will also be changed, with the winner receiving fifteen points and top eight drivers receiving points. Further changes mean that drivers must use two compounds of tyres over a race weekend, as is the case in Formula One. The points awarded for pole position and the fastest lap of the race will also be doubled.
Teams and Drivers
| Team | No | Driver | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
 Barwa Addax Team |
1 / 2 | TBA | |
| TBA | |||
 DAMSDAMS Driot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,... |
3 / 4 | TBA | |
| TBA | |||
| Racing Engineering Racing Engineering Racing Engineering is a Spanish racing team founded in 1999 by Alfonso de Orléans-Borbón. The team's headquarters are located in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, near Jerez, in a state-of-the-art factory, where all car preparation and race team organization is based.... |
5 / 6 | TBA | |
| TBA | |||
 iSport InternationalISport International iSport International is a British championship winning motor racing team that competes in the GP2 Series and GP2 Asia Series, the official feeder series for Formula One. It was founded in 2004.- Overview :... |
7 / 8 |  Marcus EricssonMarcus Ericsson Marcus Ericsson is a Swedish race car driver. After a successful début in car racing in 2007 which saw him take the British Formula BMW title with Fortec Motorsport, he moved up into the British team's British Formula Three squad... |
|
| TBA | |||
| Lotus Lotus Cars Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics... ART ART Grand Prix Lotus ART is a French motor racing team that competes in formula single-seaters in Europe. It was founded as ART Grand Prix in 1991.-Creation:... |
9 / 10 | James Calado James Calado James John Calado is a British auto racing driver, whose career has been funded by the Racing Steps Foundation.-Karting:Calado had an extensive karting career, starting out at Cadets level in 1999... |
|
 Esteban GutiérrezEsteban Gutiérrez Esteban Manuel Gutiérrez Gutiérrez is a Mexican race car driver. He is the reigning GP3 Champion, having won the title in the series' inaugural 2010 season... |
|||
 Caterham Racing |
11 / 12 | TBA | |
| TBA | |||
 Scuderia Coloni |
14 / 15 | Kevin Ceccon Kevin Ceccon Kevin Ceccon is a professional racing driver from Italy.-Karting:Prior to his single–seater career, Ceccon enjoyed a long and successful spell in the junior karting ranks. In 2005 he achieved a fifth place in the Copa Campeones Trophy Junior class before finishing fourth in the Italian Open... |
|
| TBA | |||
| Trident Racing Trident Racing Trident Racing is a motor racing team that competes in single seater formula racing. It was founded in 2006 in order to compete in the GP2 championship, which is Europe's highest-ranking single-seater formula below Formula One. GP2 functions as an official support championship to Formula One and... |
16 / 17 | TBA | |
| TBA | |||
| Super Nova Racing Super Nova Racing Super Nova Racing is a British racing team that has competed in Formula 3000/GP2 and the A1 Grand Prix series. Super Nova first entered racing in 1991... |
18 / 19 | TBA | |
| TBA | |||
| Rapax |
20 / 21 | TBA | |
| TBA | |||
| Arden International Arden International Arden International is an GP2 Series team, created by Christian Horner.Initially created to raise up Horner's career, and then reliant on sponsorship from Viktor Maslov, the team began to get good results and was the best team of Formula 3000 in its last years, showing new talents to motorsport... |
22 / 23 | TBA | |
| TBA | |||
 Ocean Racing Technology |
24 / 25 | TBA | |
| TBA | |||
| Carlin Carlin Motorsport Carlin, formerly Carlin Motorsport, is a motor racing team based in the United Kingdom. It competes in four championships — British Formula Three Championship, GP3 Series, World Series by Renault and GP2 Series.-History:... |
26 / 27 | TBA | |
| TBA |
Driver changes
Entering/Re-Entering GP2 Series- After finishing runner-up in the 2011 GP3 Series2011 GP3 Series seasonThe 2011 GP3 Series season was the second season of the GP3 Series, a feeder series for the GP2 Series. The season will begin at Istanbul Park on 7 May and conclude at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 11 September after eight rounds made up of two races each and all in support of European Formula 1...
with LotusLotus CarsLotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics...
ARTART Grand PrixLotus ART is a French motor racing team that competes in formula single-seaters in Europe. It was founded as ART Grand Prix in 1991.-Creation:...
, British driver James CaladoJames CaladoJames John Calado is a British auto racing driver, whose career has been funded by the Racing Steps Foundation.-Karting:Calado had an extensive karting career, starting out at Cadets level in 1999...
will join the Lotus ART GP2 squadron, replacing Jules BianchiJules BianchiJules Bianchi is a French racing driver.-Family:Jules is the grandson of Mauro Bianchi, three-times World Champion in the GT category, and the grandnephew of Lucien, who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and competed in nineteen Grands Prix in the Formula One World Championship between and , with a...
.
Leaving GP2
- Under the rules of the GP2 Series, the reigning champion – Romain GrosjeanRomain GrosjeanRomain Grosjean is a racing driver, who holds dual nationality from France and Switzerland, but competes under a French racing licence. He was the 2007 Formula Three Euroseries drivers' champion and the inaugural GP2 Asia Series champion and drove in Formula One in 2009...
– is not permitted to continue racing in the category, leaving a vacant seat at DAMSDAMSDriot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
. - Barwa Addax driver Charles PicCharles PicCharles Pic is a French racing driver who will race in Formula One in with Marussia.-Karting:...
moved into Formula One, signing a contract with MarussiaVirgin RacingMarussia Virgin Racing, the trading name of Virgin Racing Limited, is a Russian owned Formula One racing team based in the United Kingdom and racing on a Russian licence, which made its debut in the 2010 Formula One season. It was granted entry as Manor Grand Prix on 12 June 2009, as one of four...
.