GP2 is regarded by many to be the strongest feeder series into Formula 1, and over the years has produced some great champions, but where are those 10 champions today?
The expectation is that the GP2 champion should go straight into a seat with a Formula 1 team, as a natural progression from winning the title, but unfortunately this hasn’t always been the case.
So going into 2015, where is each GP2 champion at today?
Nico Rosberg
The son of 1982 F1 champion Keke, Nico Rosberg was the first man to take the GP2 crown back in 2005, and made the step up to Formula 1 the following season with Williams. During his highly-impressive four seasons with the Grove outfit, which at the time was a midfield team, Rosberg had racked up two podiums, two fastest laps, and had a genuine chance of taking victory at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
For 2010, the German made the switch to the newly-formed Mercedes GP team, who were technically the reigning champions after the purchase of Brawn GP, who had triumphed in 2009. Between 2010 and 2013, Rosberg had added a further nine podiums to his tally, of which two were victories. 2014 gave him his first realistic shot at the world championship, and bolted off the line to victory in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, before enduring an epic season-long battle with team mate Lewis Hamilton for the title, only losing out at the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
For 2015, Rosberg is staying on with Mercedes, and will again be teamed up with Hamilton. Now that the German has the experience of a championship battle under his belt, he has every chance of going one further than 2014.
Lewis Hamilton
The only GP2 champion to have gone on to win the Formula 1 world title thus far, Lewis Hamilton was destined for great things if his sole GP2 season was anything to go by.
He joined the ART Grand Prix team in 2006, who at the time were GP2 champions, fresh from winning the Formula 3 Euro Series. Five wins, which included double glory at his home circuit of Silverstone, and the GP2 crown was enough to convince McLaren to promote his from their young driver programme to a race seat in Formula 1.
After missing out on the title in his debut season by a single point, Hamilton put things right in 2008 after clinching the fifth place he needed at the final corner of the final race, and with it the championship. Hamilton stayed a regular championship contender after 2009, consistently scoring wins and podiums, before making a surprise transfer to the Mercedes team for the 2013.
While many questioned his move at the time, Hamilton spent 2013 settling into the new environment, before pushing for his second crown in 2014. The move paid off, and Hamilton took his second Formula 1 world title.
The Englishman will be looking to successfully defend his crown this time round, but with engine rule changes and an improving team mate, 2015 looks like it may be more difficult to take the title.
Timo Glock
Timo Glock is one of three GP2 champions who had Formula 1 race starts under their belt before taking the GP2 crown, after the German competed in four races for the Jordan team in 2004.
After finishing fifth in the 2003 Formula 3 Euro Series, Glock was signed by Jordan as the team’s test driver for the 2004 season, and took fellow GP2 champion Giorgio Pantano’s race seat after the Italian had a contract dispute with the team.
The German moved to GP2 in 2006, and following an impressive rookie year where he finished fourth in the championship, he went the distance in 2007 and took the title and a seat at the Toyota F1 team for 2008. Three podiums in two years showed that Glock had impressive race pace, but after Toyota’s withdrawal, his F1 career went into disarray as he settled for a drive with the brand new Virgin Racing team. Three season later, he left Formula 1.
Nowadays, Glock has been competing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM), and for 2015 will be staying with the BMW team, for whom he has driven since 2013.
Giorgio Pantano
The 2008 GP2 champion, Giorgio Pantano, was another one who competed in Formula 1 before joining the GP2 series.
After a disappointing 2004 season competing for the Jordan Formula 1 team, which included a termination of his contract before the end of the season, Pantano joined the Super Nova GP2 team for 2005. After four seasons consistently running near the front, the much-loved Italian finally took the title in 2008. Unable to find a seat in Formula 1, Pantano then had stints in Superleague Formula, Auto GP and IndyCar before signing up for the Blancpain Sprint Series in 2014.
Despite an underwhelming debut season in Blancpain, he is expected to be retained by the Bhai Tech team for 2015, as they look into expanding to the Blancpain Endurance Series.
Nico Hulkenberg
With one of the most impressive junior formulae records in modern history, it was no surprise that Nico Hulkenberg won the GP2 championship at the first time of asking in 2009.
A drive with the Williams Formula 1 team followed in 2010, and despite taking an impressive pole position in Brazil, he was dropped by the team at the end of the year. After spending a year on the sidelines with Force India, he was promoted back into a race seat for 2012, where he became a consistent point scorer and could have won the Brazilian Grand Prix, had he not collided with Lewis Hamilton while challenging for the lead.
Hulkenberg opted for a risky swap to Sauber for 2013, but soon returned to Force India for the 2014 season, where he scored points in all but four races, and at one point occupied third in the standings.
Despite knocking on the door of several top teams, the German will continue with Force India for 2015, and will be looking to score his first podium, which many feel he truly deserves.
Pastor Maldonado
Pastor Maldonado joined the GP2 series in 2007, after challenging for the Formula Renault 3.5 title, only missing out because of a disqualification from the Misano round.
The aggressive Venezuelan scored victories in every season he competed in GP2, and in 2010 set two new records; the most consecutive feature race victories, with six in a row, and the all-time GP2 race wins record, with ten.
His consistent wins in 2010 were enough to give him the title, and for 2011 replaced Nico Hulkenberg at Williams. During his time in Formula 1, he has proven himself to be a very fast driver, as shown when he pulled off a shock victory at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, but also very aggressive and clumsy. His 2012 season as whole was not only remember for his win, but also for multiple collisions with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez.
Despite his clumsiness, Lotus signed Maldonado for the 2014 season after he left Williams in a cloud of frustration, and will continue with the team for 2015. With the team’s switch to Mercedes power, Maldonado might feature as a regular points scorer.
Romain Grosjean
Romain Grosjean is the only series champion to have competed in GP2 before being promoted to Formula 1, only to return to GP2.
The Frenchman joined the GP2 series in 2008 off the back of titles in French Formula Renault and Formula 3 Euro Series, and took victories in his first two seasons with ART Grand Prix and Barwa Addax.
After Nelson Piquet Jr was sacked by the Renault Formula 1 team, Grosjean was called up to replace the Brazilian, with very uninspiring results which led to the team dropping him at the end of the season.
He rejoined the GP2 series with DAMS mid-season in 2010, before a full season with the team in 2011 yielded five wins and the title.
This led to a return to Formula 1 with Lotus, and despite podiums Grosjean proved to be a very dangerous driver, causing a number of accidents throughout 2012, including a multiple-car pile up at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix. Lotus kept faith in him, and resigned him for 2013, where he suddenly blossomed and became a regular podium visitor, even threatening race victories.
Despite interest from teams such as McLaren and Ferrari, Grosjean will remain with the Lotus team in 2015, and hopes to return to the rostrum after a disappointing 2014 campaign.
Davide Valsecchi
Davide Valsecchi first competed in GP2 in 2008, but it wasn’t until 2012 when a move to DAMS ignited a title charge, which the Italian took after a season-long battle with Luiz Razia.
His record in the lower formulae isn’t spectacular by any means, but Valsecchi managed to land a reserve role with the Lotus Formula 1 as a reward for his GP2 title triumph. His career was dealt a blow, however, after he publicly vented his frustration with the team after being overlooked for a race seat when regular driver Kimi Raikkonen wasn’t available. This led to the team dropping him, thus signalling the end of his Formula 1 career.
Valsecchi competed in the GT Open Series in 2014, and has yet to announce his plans for 2015.
Fabio Leimer
Fabio Leimer won the GP2 crown at the fourth time of asking, after a steady progression up the standings to eventual glory in 2013. He only recorded three victories in his title-winning season, but almost-robotic consistency in the second half of the season saw him creep up on his competitors to steal the championship.
Unfortunately for the Swiss driver, a seat in Formula 1 wasn’t available for 2014, so Leimer instead signed up for the World Endurance Championship with Rebellion Racing, scoring three victories in his debut season and finishing second in the LMP1-L championship.
Elsewhere, Leimer has also signed as Amlin Aguri’s reserve driver in the Formula E championship, but it yet to start a race.
His plans away from Formula E for 2015 are unclear, but it is expected that he will continue in the WEC.
Jolyon Palmer
The most recent GP2 champion, Jolyon Palmer is the third driver in succession to win the title, and not progress to a race seat in Formula 1.
The Brit dominated the 2014 championship, and as a reward drove for the Force India Formula 1 team in the post-season Young Driver Test, but by then most seats had been filled, and the remaining seats went to those with bigger budgets.
At the time of writing this article, Palmer is still to confirm any racing plans for 2015, but after an impressive test he is pursuing a full time reserve role with Force India.
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