The respective calendars for both the GP2 Series and GP3 have been announced today, with a standalone event at Jerez the major difference to last season.
GP2 testing will take place in March, with proceedings getting underway on 13 March in at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona and running for three days before the cars are shipped to Bahrain for another three day test from 29-31 March.
The GP3 drivers will hit the track for the first time on 22 March in Estoril for a two day test before completing further tests in Barcelona and Valencia in April.
Both series’ will then follow Formula 1 around the globe for a select number of events, with the first GP2 race of the season taking place in Bahrain while GP3 will spring into action in Barcelona.
Following the Spanish round, GP3 will head to Budapest for an in-season test, with the GP2 drivers not due to be in attendance.
GP2 in the meantime will race around the streets of Monaco and Baku before GP3 rejoins the paddock for the Spielberg event in July and complete the European season.
Both GP2 and GP3 will feature a standalone event in its calendar, with Jerez slotted into a 6-8 October date before heading to Abu Dhabi for the season finale.
GP2 and GP3 Series CEO Bruno Michel explained the reason for the inclusion of the Jerez round, while also praising the addition of DRS to the GP3 car.
“In order to control the costs, we have decided to have only one flyaway event this year, which will be Abu Dhabi in November,” said Michel.
“We are also delighted to take GP3 racing alongside GP2 in Jerez in October between Monza and the final round of the season.
“This campaign will bring new challenges with the addition of the DRS to the third generation GP3 car. I am convinced that there will be many opportunities for our drivers to showcase their talent in front of the F1 paddock and the fans.”
GP2 calendar
| Date | Venue |
|---|---|
| 13-14-15 March | Barcelona, Spain (Test) |
| 29-30-31 March | Sakhir, Bahrain (Test) |
| 14-16 April | Sakhir, Bahrain |
| 12-14 May | Barcelona, Spain |
| 25-27 May | Monte Carlo, Monaco |
| 23-25 June | Baku, Azerbaijan |
| 7-9 July | Spielberg, Austria |
| 14-16 July | Silverstone, Great Britain |
| 28-30 July | Budapest, Hungary |
| 25-27 August | Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium |
| 1-3 September | Monza, Italy |
| 6-8 October | Jerez, Spain |
| 24-26 November | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
GP3 calendar
| Date | Venue |
|---|---|
| 22-23 March | Estoril, Portugal (Test) |
| 19-20 April | Barcelona, Spain (Test) |
| 25-16 April | Valencia, Spain (Test) |
| 12-14 May | Barcelona, Spain |
| 6-7 June | Budapest, Hungary (Test) |
| 7-9 July | Spielberg, Austria |
| 14-16 July | Silverstone, Great Britain |
| 28-30 July | Budapest, Hungary |
| 25-27 August | Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium |
| 1-3 September | Monza, Italy |
| 6-8 October | Jerez, Spain |
| 24-26 November | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
