Copyright GP2 Media Services
As the GP2 family moves on to the Red Bull Ring in Austria, Stoffel Vandoorne is still sitting comfortably in the top spot of the championship standings: After dominating the beginning of the season completely, taking three out of three Feature race wins plus two pole positions, the Belgian is miles ahead of his rivals with a total of 114 points. His closest challenger is Alexander Rossi, 44 points behind Vandoorne. The American has been on the podium three times this season, and denied Vandoorne the pole position in Monaco, which brings his points tally up to 70. Third in the championship standings is Rio Haryanto with 49 points. The Campos Racing driver took his maiden victory in the opening round of the season, and he has proven that he can keep up with Vandoorne’s speed so he is another driver to look out for this weekend.
Length: 4.326 km
Turns: 8
Direction: Clockwise
Race 1: 40 laps
Race 2: 28 laps
Key Factors:
On track, the best overtaking spot is Turn 2, the hairpin after the first long straight, which marks the highest point of the circuit. The fast ride up the hill makes it easy to miss the braking point, and as it is one of the more extreme braking zones, it is easy to get it wrong. Turn 3, another sharp turn after a long downhill straight, is another challenge for the brakes. And with the introduction of DRS, the importance of the last corner of the track is increased even further: as one of the track’s two DRS zones is located on the start-finish straight, it is crucial to get Turn 8 spot on and and carry enough speed into the straight afterwards.
The circuit with its flowing layout goes rather easy on the tyres, and after a very conservative choice for the previous year, Pirelli has chosen the Supersoft compound for this year’s race weekend. Since it is only the second visit of the GP2 Series at the Red Bull Ring, there is little enough experience with tyre degradation as it is, and being able to adapt to the new supersofts quickly is crucial.
It is also important to keep an eye on the weather radar: At this time of the year, Styria is often hit by sudden rain showers and thunderstorms, and while they hardly ever last long, they are a force to be reckoned with. Rain showers are predicted for Friday and Saturday, and he already tricky Turns 2 and 3 will be even more difficult if it rains. Turn 8, the fastest corner on the track, becomes a challenge in wet conditions.
Timetable:
Friday: Practice at 12:00 CEST, qualifying at 15:55 CEST
Saturday: Race 1 at 15:40 CEST
Sunday: Race 2 at 10:35 CEST
Driver changes:
Simon Trummer returns to the GP2 Series: the Swiss driver replaces Johnny Cecotto and will take over the Hilmer Motorsport car #25 from the Venezuelan.
