GP2

2013 GP2 OPENER IN KUALA LUMPUR

The ninth season of the GP2 Series™ – which is made of eleven rounds this year – kicks off this weekend in Malaysia at the 5.543km long Sepang International Circuit. It’s the second time that the Series visit this track with the GP2/11 car and if last year is any indication of the level of racing you can expect on this circuit, you can bet Round 1 promises to live up to the high standards expected from a Series that has bred ten current Formula One™ drivers!

The opening round of the 2013 season sees six rookies join the field, including 2012 GP3 Series Champion Mitch Evans (Arden International) and Vice Champion Daniel Abt (ART Grand Prix), but also Ma Qing Hua (Caterham Racing), Conor Daly (Hilmer Motorsport), Kevin Giovesi (Venezuela GP Lazarus) and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs (MP Motorsport).

The 2013 GP2 grid is also made up of eight previous GP2 race

winners including Marcus Ericsson (DAMS), James Calado (ART

Grand Prix), Johnny Cecotto (Arden International), Fabio Leimer

(Racing Engineering), Stefano Coletti (Rapax), Jolyon Palmer

(Carlin), Sam Bird and Tom Dillmann (RUSSIAN TIME).

Three teams join the field: MP Motorsport, Hilmer Motorsport

and RUSSIAN TIME.

The Malaysian circuit is one of the most demanding of the

season with unpredictable weather, high temperatures and

extreme humidity. It puts the drivers, the cars and of course

the tyres to the test. The track surface at Sepang is abrasive

and very high energy loads are put through the tyres, making it

immensely demanding both in terms of wear and degradation.

Pirelli have nominated the P Zero Orange hard tyre and P Zero

Yellow soft tyre for the weekend