The GP2 Series was a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000 . The GP2 format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore , while Ecclestone also has the rights to the name GP1. The series was organized by Bruno Michel. In 2010, the GP3 Series class was launched, as a feeder class for the GP2 series. In 2017, the series was rebranded as the FIA Formula 2 Championship .
146-619: The GP3 Series , or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series , introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel . GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and the GP2 (now Formula 2) series as a support race for the two. Like the GP2 series, GP3 gave drivers the experience of the Grand Prix environment, and took advantage of
292-405: A Williams F1 race drive in the 2010 Formula 1 season. In addition, Heikki Kovalainen (2005), Nelson Piquet Jr. (2006) and Lucas di Grassi (2007)—all runners up—became Renault test drivers the following year. All three earned F1 seats, but have since been replaced. Karun Chandhok , Bruno Senna and Vitaly Petrov were also granted an F1 seat in 2010. For 2011 Pastor Maldonado was granted
438-524: A button on the steering wheel. O.Z. Racing exclusively supplied wheel rims for all GP2 Series cars from 2005 until the final season. Similar to the 2011 change for Formula 1, Pirelli was the sole tyre supplier for the series. The GP2 Series runs the same compounds as F1. The front tyre size are 245/660-R13 and rear tyre size are 325/660-R13. Previously Bridgestone was the official tyre partner of GP2 Series in 2005 until 2010. Brembo supplied monobloc brake calipers and disc bells, which are exclusive to
584-534: A competitive edge. The latter team was largely funded by the former Formula One world champion Nelson Piquet in order to aid his son 's route to the premier Formula sport. The championship lasted 23 rounds, two races occurring a weekend with the exception of a single race in Monaco . It was won by German Nico Rosberg , who was subsequently hired by the WilliamsF1 Team, with Heikki Kovalainen finishing second. It
730-524: A disaster weekend for Hubert in Red Bull Ring , it was his teammate, who retook the lead, but only in this round. Finally, Callum Ilott down to third, behind second place, but ultimately get to the top three and scored 167 points with 2 victories, 7 podiums, 1 pole position, and 2 fastest laps. GP2 Series Designed to make racing affordable for the teams and to make it a better training ground for life in Formula One, GP2 made it mandatory for all of
876-653: A driver than his final years at Mercedes." Bottas continued driving for Alfa Romeo with Zhou for 2023 . He started the season by qualifying 12th and finishing eighth at the Bahrain Grand Prix . Damage from debris produced an 18th-place finish at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix . He started from the pit lane and benefited from eight drivers' retirements at the Australian Grand Prix , but scored no points in 11th place. After another 18th-place finish at
1022-525: A fourth-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after starting from the back of the grid. Bottas finished the season in second place in the World Drivers' Championship with 326 points to Hamilton's 413. He recorded four wins, fifteen podium finishes, five pole positions and three fastest laps, making 2019 his most successful year at Mercedes. He was rated the fourth-best driver of the season in
1168-432: A further 18 points ahead of third place driver Nico Müller. The season began at Istanbul Park on 7 May and concluded at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 11 September after eight rounds made up of two races each and all in support of European Formula 1 Grands Prix. The title was claimed by Valtteri Bottas who was only 7 points ahead of his teammate James Calado in second, while Nigel Melker finished 17 points adrift in third. This
1314-467: A gap" had Massa conceded his position, but the two ultimately dropped back to fourth and fifth by the end. Despite this, the result promoted Bottas to fourth place in the World Drivers' Championship. Bottas qualified sixth at the Hungarian Grand Prix but fell outside the top ten after Max Verstappen collided with the rear of his car. His best qualifying position of the season thus far came at
1460-462: A gearbox penalty, but recovered to score points in eighth place. He qualified third, ahead of Hamilton, at the Bahrain Grand Prix . He overtook Räikkönen at the start and finished less than a second behind race winner Vettel. He again qualified third ahead of Hamilton at the Chinese Grand Prix and overtook both Ferraris to lead the race, but was ultimately passed by Daniel Ricciardo, who used
1606-644: A high-power inductive (coil-controlled) ignition system. The engine lubrication is a dry sump type, cooled by a single water pump. Mecachrome came to the GP2 Series in 2005, and by 2005 was clearly the dominant engine manufacturer. Starting in 2005, they became the only engine manufacturer in the GP2 Series, and continued in that capacity through 2016. Mecachrome also has a mutually beneficial technical relationship with Teos Engineering of Montigny-le-Bretonneux. They will continue working together for on-going research and development, engine maintenance and trackside support for
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#17328511282371752-534: A lap behind race-winner Hamilton in 14th place. This gave Hamilton an unassailable 110-point lead over Bottas in the Drivers' Championship, securing Hamilton his seventh world title. At the Bahrain Grand Prix , Bottas qualified second before suffering a puncture during an early safety car period, resulting in an eighth-place finish. He was joined by George Russell at Mercedes for the Sakhir Grand Prix as Hamilton
1898-562: A late challenge from Lewis Hamilton, his third consecutive podium. He was in second place on the opening lap of the Hungarian Grand Prix , but lost positions due to unfortunate safety car timing and a slow pit stop. This was followed by another podium at the Belgian Grand Prix after passing Kimi Räikkönen for third place in the closing laps. Bottas qualified third at the Italian Grand Prix . Wheelspin dropped him to 11th at
2044-535: A pit stop in which at least two tyres have to be changed. On Sunday there was a sprint race of 120 kilometres (75 miles). The grid was decided by the Saturday result with top 8 being reversed, so the driver who finished 8th on Saturday started from pole position and the winner started from 8th place. At 2005 Nürburgring , the sprint race was extended from 80 to 120 kilometres. This coincided with F1 dropping its second qualifying session on Sunday morning. The one who drove
2190-521: A podium at the Dutch Grand Prix , and followed this by setting the fastest qualifying time and winning the sprint qualifying session at the Italian Grand Prix . Power unit component changes meant he started the race from the back of the grid, but he recovered to fourth place and was promoted to the podium after Pérez received a penalty. Bottas qualified seventh at the Russian Grand Prix but
2336-467: A points-paying position. He qualified third at the Canadian Grand Prix behind Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton , the first time a Williams car had qualified in the top ten that year. He was unable to hold the position in the race and dropped to 14th at the finish line. He later stated that "the car pace was just not there" and that he believed the result would have been the same regardless of
2482-418: A poll of the Formula One team principals. On his season, Bottas commented "I've not been able to be at my very, very best every single race, but much more often than ever before", and praised Hamilton's consistency. Bottas continued driving at Mercedes alongside Hamilton for 2020 , having agreed to a one-year extension to his contract during the 2019 season. He set the fastest time in pre-season testing at
2628-537: A puncture and encountering issues with his seatbelt and gearbox. This was followed by a drive from 11th on the grid to fifth place at the Malaysian Grand Prix . A first lap puncture caused him to fall outside the points after qualifying eighth at the United States Grand Prix , and his season ended with a suspension-related retirement at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix . Bottas finished the season eighth in
2774-432: A rebuild after 4000 to 4500 km. The valve train is a dual overhead camshaft configuration with four valves per cylinder. The Mecachrome V8 engine weight is 326 lb (148 kg ). The crankshaft is made of alloy steel, with five main bearing caps. The pistons are forged aluminum alloy, while the connecting rods are machined alloy steel. The electronic engine management system is supplied by Magneti Marelli , firing
2920-659: A record-breaking six successive feature races mid-season. Sergio Pérez was his closest rival, but the title was sealed already in the penultimate round at Monza. It was the last season for the Dallara GP2/08 chassis and Bridgestone as the series' official tyre supplier. The 2011 season contained nine rounds and a final tenth round with no points, all of which were supporting F1 World Championship. The series started in May at Istanbul and concluded at Abu Dhabi in November. The championship
3066-599: A safety car period to pit for fresh tyres. He was leading the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with two laps remaining but ran over a piece of debris, causing a puncture and forcing him into retirement. Further podiums came with second-place finishes at the Spanish and Canadian Grands Prix. Bottas qualified second at the French Grand Prix but was hit by Vettel at the start, requiring him to pit for repairs and resulting in
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#17328511282373212-509: A scoring system similar to the one used in Formula One. Pole position for the feature race was worth 4 points, and 2 points was given for the fastest lap in each race. Therefore, the maximum number of points a driver can score at any round will be 48. The GP2 Series car was used by all of the teams, and features a Dallara carbon-fiber monocoque chassis powered by a Mecachrome normally-aspirated fuel-injected V8 engine and Pirelli dry slick and rain treaded tyres. Overall weight
3358-594: A seat at Williams. Sergio Pérez was given the drive alongside Kamui Kobayashi , another former GP2 driver and GP2 Asia Series winner, at Sauber . Jérôme d'Ambrosio got his Virgin Racing drive for the 2011 season. Some drivers however have reached Formula One without competing in GP2, including Sebastian Vettel , Paul di Resta , Daniel Ricciardo , Jean-Éric Vergne , Valtteri Bottas , Kevin Magnussen and Max Verstappen . GP2 and GP2 Asia Series were later combined to make
3504-551: A seventh-place finish. Vettel accepted responsibility for the collision, and Bottas remarked that the race "sums up my season so far". He took his first pole position of the year at the Austrian Grand Prix but lost the lead to Hamilton on the first lap and then retired with a gearbox failure. He challenged Hamilton for the lead at the German Grand Prix but was ordered by Mercedes to "hold position" and finish second. He
3650-618: A single, longer GP2 series in 2012. Current Formula One drivers that have graduated from the GP2 series include Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly (who triumphed in the 2016 staging amongst various others). Lewis Hamilton stepping straight into the McLaren team and Nico Rosberg , Nico Hülkenberg , Pastor Maldonado and Kazuki Nakajima going straight to Williams have particularly highlighted how F1 teams take GP2 seriously, and Hamilton's Formula One World Championship title in only his second year in F1
3796-573: A target of a top-five finish at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix , a result he achieved after qualifying eighth and gaining positions in the sprint and race to finish fifth despite a slow pit stop. At the Miami Grand Prix , Bottas qualified fifth despite almost no running in practice due to a crash. He held the position ahead of both Mercedes drivers until lap 50, when a mistake from Bottas allowed them to overtake. He qualified seventh at
3942-574: A tough start to the season, he claimed a win in each of the last four race weekends and secured the title by winning the penultimate race ahead of his teammate and future Jaguar Racing driver James Calado . Bottas was signed as the official Formula One test driver for the Williams team in January 2010 after his first year in the Formula 3 Euro Series . Team principal Frank Williams praised Bottas's record in
4088-636: A vocational school in Heinola and graduated as an auto mechanic . He completed mandatory military service in the Finnish Defence Forces Sports School [ fi ] in Lahti . His military rank is lance corporal . Bottas's interest in motorsport was sparked at the age of six by a chance visit to a karting event that he had seen advertised at his local supermarket while shopping with his grandfather. His racing hero while growing up
4234-402: A win since Michael Schumacher in 2012, and set a record for the most second-place finishes (seven) in a season without a win. He finished fifth overall in the World Drivers' Championship with 247 points, whilst teammate Hamilton won his fifth world title with 408 points. He described 2018 as his worst season in Formula One, and later revealed that he almost retired from the sport at the end of
4380-510: A winless 2018 campaign, Bottas finished runner-up to Hamilton in both the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He took his final win for Mercedes at the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix , leaving at the end of the 2021 season after contributing to five consecutive World Constructors' Championships . He joined Alfa Romeo in 2022 , who re-branded to Sauber in 2024 . As of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix , Bottas has achieved 10 race wins, 20 pole positions, 19 fastest laps and 67 podiums in Formula One. He holds
4526-452: Is 688 kg including driver. The 2011 specification GP2 Series car was designed by Dallara Automobili. The 2006 GP2 car featured a biplane rear wing, with the triplane rear wing used in previous seasons only to be used at the Monaco race. The front upper and lower wishbones have been reinforced, as have the front and rear suspension uprights. The Dallara GP2/11 were the obsolete chassis since
GP3 Series - Misplaced Pages Continue
4672-412: Is a straight fight for the fastest laptime, and determines the order of the grid for Saturday's Race 1. Race 2 is on Sunday. The grid is decided by the Saturday result with top 8 being reversed, so the driver who finished 8th on Saturday will start from pole position and the winner will start from 8th place. The distance of each race is decided prior to the event, however, should 30 minutes elapse before
4818-537: Is probably the strongest example of the series creating highly competitive racers. By the end of the 2016 season, nine of the twelve (GP2) champions so far had been able to secure a seat in Formula 1, a correlation of 75%. On Friday, drivers had a 45-minute free practice session and a 30-minute qualifying session. The qualifying session decided the grid order for Saturday's race which had a length of 180 kilometres (112 miles). During Saturday's race, each driver had to make
4964-459: Is the fastest single seater racing car behind Formula One and IndyCar Series . The 2011 model can go 0 to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 6.6 seconds. The car has a top speed of 332 km/h (208 mph) with the Monza aero configuration. As of the 2020 Formula One season , 35 out of 174 drivers have raced in Formula One (20.1%). Notes: The 2005 Season was the first of the series, succeeding
5110-522: The 2003 German Grand Prix . Both drivers were passed by the Mercedes cars during the race, but Bottas held on to third place to achieve his first podium in the sport. Despite starting 14th at the British Grand Prix , Bottas made overtakes and benefited from Nico Rosberg 's retirement to take another podium finish in second place. He then qualified and finished second at the German Grand Prix despite
5256-472: The 2010 champion Esteban Gutiérrez , Pål Varhaug and ninth-place finisher Stefano Coletti being the first to do so for the 2011 season. 2011 champion Valtteri Bottas did not follow suit, however, and instead joined Williams as a reserve driver. Meanwhile, James Calado , Rio Haryanto , Simon Trummer , Tom Dillmann and Nigel Melker all joined GP2 for the 2012 season . Other drivers who have graduated to other series are James Jakes who moved to
5402-573: The ART Grand Prix cars of Alexandre Prémat and Lewis Hamilton also had fairly short odds, given ART were reigning champions. For the first time, the season began on a calendar separate to the 2006 Formula One calendar, starting out at the Circuit de Valencia , in Valencia , Spain on April 8, 2006, with Piquet Jr. the first victor. Piquet raced into an early lead before Lewis Hamilton came back into
5548-421: The Austrian Grand Prix , ahead of Hamilton for the first time since Azerbaijan, but failed to convert pole position into victory at the British Grand Prix after Hamilton took advantage of a safety car to jump ahead of Bottas in the pit stop phase. He crashed out from fourth place in the closing laps of the German Grand Prix , and front-wing damage from contact with Leclerc resulted in an eighth-place finish at
5694-502: The Azerbaijan Grand Prix , Bottas commented that the C43 had improved handling compared to the C42, "but it's lacking that pure performance compared to the others". He reached Q3 at the Miami Grand Prix for the first time that year but finished outside the points. His first points since Bahrain came at the eighth round, the Canadian Grand Prix ; he started 14th, finished 11th and was promoted into
5840-575: The Bahrain and Spanish Grands Prix, but failed to score at the Monaco Grand Prix after qualifying 17th. His first of two podiums in 2015 came at the Canadian Grand Prix , where he qualified fourth and benefited from a spin for Kimi Räikkönen to finish third. He qualified fourth behind Massa at the British Grand Prix and the two drivers progressed to first and second place in the opening laps. Bottas later commented that he "would have been able to pull
5986-558: The Bahrain Grand Prix , starting third, but dropped to eighth at the finish. He praised the team's updates to his FW36 after finishing fifth at the Spanish Grand Prix and felt that the team now had the third-fastest car, however this was followed by 13th place in qualifying and an engine failure at the Monaco Grand Prix . At the Austrian Grand Prix , Bottas qualified second behind teammate Massa, his then-best grid position in Formula One and Williams's first front-row lockout since
GP3 Series - Misplaced Pages Continue
6132-530: The Bahrain International Circuit , and completed on 30 September at the Circuit de Valencia (which was the only race that wasn't on the F1 calendar). Eventual champion Timo Glock was a driving force throughout the series but came under stiff competition from Lucas di Grassi in the closing stages- however, with a convincing win at the last race in Valencia, Glock sealed the championship. The season
6278-402: The Belgian Grand Prix due to a power unit components penalty but recovered to fourth place in the race. Bottas was promoted to the podium at the Italian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen received a penalty for colliding with him. He claimed pole position at the Russian Grand Prix but was ordered by Mercedes to concede his position to Hamilton during the race. Hamilton later indicated that he
6424-431: The Belgian Grand Prix where he started third, but he was handed a drive-through penalty when his team erroneously fitted his car with two different tyre compounds during a pit stop. He went on to finish ninth. He was on course to finish third at the Russian Grand Prix before Räikkönen collided with him on the final lap of the race. Räikkönen received a penalty for the collision but was unapologetic, and Bottas described
6570-406: The Canadian Grand Prix and followed this with a recovery drive at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix ; a first-lap collision with Räikkönen had put him a lap behind but the red-flag period and multiple safety cars allowed him to catch up and pass Lance Stroll for second place metres before the finish line. He took pole and victory at the Austrian Grand Prix after holding off Vettel towards the end of
6716-416: The Chinese Grand Prix , he spun behind the safety car and fell from fifth to 12th but recovered to sixth place by the finish. He qualified fastest ahead of Hamilton at the Bahrain Grand Prix , marking his first career pole position. Tyre pressure issues during the race contributed to him falling behind Vettel and Hamilton to finish third. He qualified third behind the two Ferraris of Vettel and Räikkönen at
6862-479: The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya . Bottas took pole position at the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix and led the race from start to finish. Before the Styrian Grand Prix , it was revealed that Bottas was under FIA investigation for potentially breaching COVID-19 safety protocols after he returned home to Monaco , but was eventually cleared of wrongdoing. Bottas qualified fourth in wet conditions for
7008-593: The Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 2019 and 2020 with Mercedes , and has won 10 Grands Prix across 12 seasons. Born and raised in Nastola , Bottas began kart racing aged six. After studying automotive engineering and completing mandatory military service , Bottas progressed to junior formulae in 2007. He won his first championship at the Formula Renault NEC in 2008 , also winning
7154-476: The Formula One record for the most career points without a World Championship ( 1,797 ). Bottas is set to remain at Sauber until the end of the 2024 season, when his contract expires. Valtteri Viktor Bottas was born on 28 August 1989 in Nastola , Finland, to Rauno Bottas and Marianne Välimaa. His father owns a small cleaning company, and his mother is an undertaker . Bottas studied automotive engineering in
7300-584: The Formula Renault Eurocup by three points to Daniel Ricciardo , both with Motopark . He then won the Masters of Formula 3 back-to-back in 2009 and 2010 with ART , before winning the GP3 Series in 2011 . After two years as a test driver, Bottas signed for Williams in 2013 to partner Pastor Maldonado , making his Formula One debut at the Australian Grand Prix . In 2014 , he finished fourth in
7446-675: The GP3/10 . The season began on 11 May at Catalunya, Barcelona, and finished at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi on 3 November. It followed most of the European leg of the 2013 Formula One season again other than Monaco, and for the first time it hosted a non-European race at the last round in Abu Dhabi. It also saw the début of the series second-generation chassis, the Dallara GP3/13 . The title
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#17328511282377592-641: The Hungarian Grand Prix whilst Hamilton claimed victory, leaving Bottas 62 points behind in the championship ahead of the summer break. Further podiums came at the Belgian , Italian (where he finished less than a second behind winner Leclerc) and Russian Grands Prix before he claimed his sixth Formula One victory at the Japanese Grand Prix , having started the race behind both Ferraris. This result helped Mercedes clinch their sixth consecutive World Constructors' Championship. He crashed heavily in qualifying at
7738-477: The Hungarian Grand Prix , with Zhou and Bottas fifth and seventh respectively, but neither driver went on to score points after slow starts. Bottas's third points finish of the season came at round 14, the Italian Grand Prix , where he improved from 14th on the grid to 10th at the finish. Two consecutive retirements followed, from technical issues at the Singapore Grand Prix and from collision damage at
7884-631: The IndyCar Series for 2011 , Josef Newgarden to the Indy Lights series in 2011 and Alexander Rossi and Robert Wickens who moved to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2011 and Lewis Williamson in 2012 . In the series' short history, thirteen drivers have gone on to compete in Formula One. These include former champions Gutiérrez, Daniil Kvyat , Bottas, Esteban Ocon , Jean-Éric Vergne , Carlos Sainz Jr. , and Charles Leclerc . In 2019
8030-476: The Japanese Grand Prix . His fourth and final points finish of 2023 came at the following Qatar Grand Prix ; he qualified ninth and finished eighth, later remarking that the team "finally understand[s]" the car's upgrades. He reached Q3 again at the Mexico City Grand Prix but finished outside the points after colliding with Lance Stroll. Both Alfa Romeo drivers then retired from reliability issues at
8176-405: The Malaysian Grand Prix . In November 2012 it was announced that Bottas would replace Bruno Senna and partner Pastor Maldonado as a full-time Williams race driver for the 2013 season. He qualified 16th, ahead of Maldonado, and finished 14th at his debut race, the Australian Grand Prix . He improved from 18th on the grid to 11th at the finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix , 1.5 seconds behind
8322-522: The Mexican Grand Prix and started sixth, but recovered to third place in the race. He claimed victory from pole at the United States Grand Prix , however this was insufficient to prevent race runner-up Hamilton from mathematically securing the championship with two races remaining. Bottas retired from fifth place with an engine failure at the Brazilian Grand Prix and ended the season with
8468-563: The Russian Grand Prix , but benefited from penalties issued to Hamilton to claim the ninth Grand Prix victory of his career. Bottas took pole position for the Eifel Grand Prix but was overtaken by Hamilton after a mistake on lap 13. He later retired from third place with power loss, extending Hamilton's championship lead to 69 points. Bottas finished second at both the Portuguese and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix. He claimed pole position at
8614-412: The Russian Grand Prix , but overtook both on the opening lap and went on to claim his first Grand Prix victory, making him the fifth Finnish driver to do so. He was able to continue after a first-lap collision with Räikkönen and Max Verstappen at the Spanish Grand Prix , but later retired from third place with an engine failure. He benefited from damage to Vettel's car to finish second behind Hamilton at
8760-754: The Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia and the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore . Many drivers have used GP2 as a stepping stone into Formula One. The 2005 Champion Nico Rosberg was hired by the Williams team for the 2006 F1 campaign, 2006 GP2 winner Lewis Hamilton made the transition to F1 the following year with McLaren and the 2007 Champion Timo Glock to Toyota for the 2008 F1 season. 2009 GP2 champion Nico Hülkenberg moved up to
8906-501: The Spanish Grand Prix and ran as high as fourth in the race, but dropped to sixth as his tyres degraded. Bottas qualified 12th and improved to ninth in changing conditions at the Monaco Grand Prix , but finished outside the points for the first time in 2022 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix . He was eliminated in Q2 at the Canadian Grand Prix but benefited from a late-race safety car and a penalty for Fernando Alonso to be classified seventh at
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#17328511282379052-589: The São Paulo Grand Prix and benefited from Hamilton's disqualification and an overtake on Verstappen to win the sprint qualifying session, but ultimately dropped behind both drivers in the race. He received a grid penalty at the Qatar Grand Prix for a yellow-flag infringement and ultimately retired from the race with puncture damage, but followed this with a podium finish at the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after passing Esteban Ocon metres before
9198-421: The United States Grand Prix but retired after spinning into the gravel. He returned to the points at the Mexico City Grand Prix , starting sixth and finishing tenth, followed by a ninth-place finish at the São Paulo Grand Prix despite qualifying 18th. Bottas ended the season 10th in the World Drivers' Championship, scoring 49 points to teammate Zhou's six points and helping Alfa Romeo achieve sixth place in
9344-407: The United States Grand Prix causing him to start ninth; he gained places to finish sixth. He claimed pole position at the Mexico City Grand Prix , but a slow start and contact with Daniel Ricciardo dropped him to the back. He was later brought into the pits multiple times for soft tyres in order to deny Max Verstappen the bonus point for the fastest lap, which was successful. He qualified third at
9490-483: The 2007 Formula Renault UK Winter Series , had he been holding an MSA -registered licence for the championship. This did not stop him from competing, and he won three out of the four races in the championship. He moved up into the Formula Three Euroseries for the 2009 season , competing for reigning champions ART Grand Prix . Despite not winning a race, Bottas set two pole positions on his way to third in
9636-421: The Drivers' Championship. Bottas qualified second for the Spanish Grand Prix but lost positions at the start and finished third behind Verstappen, later commenting that the championship was "drifting away". He qualified and finished second at the Belgian Grand Prix , and again qualified second for the Italian Grand Prix , but dropped places in the opening laps and finished fifth. Verstappen's retirement in
9782-510: The European leg of the 2014 Formula One season other than Monte Carlo, Monaco and the only non-European race at the last round in Abu Dhabi. The title was clinched by Alex Lynn at the final round with 207 points, beating Dean Stoneman by 44 points on 163 while Marvin Kirchhöfer finished off the top three with 161 points. For the first time, the teams title was won by Carlin , becoming the first and only team other than ART Grand Prix to take
9928-464: The French flag is GP2 Series 2009 Champions ART Grand Prix and Tech 1 Racing . MW Arden in association with ex-Formula One driver Mark Webber race under an Australian license. Spaniard Addax Team , German RSC Mücke Motorsport in association with Ralf Schumacher , Irish-Canadian Status Grand Prix , and Swiss team Jenzer Motorsport complete the lineup. Notes: Notes: Notes: The 2010 GP3 Series
10074-418: The GP2 Series. Hitco also supplies carbon brake discs and pads for FIA Formula 2 Championship. The brake discs are 278 x 28 mm in size (similar to Formula One ). The car also features internal cooling upgrades, a new water radiator, radiator duct, oil/water heat exchanger, modified oil degasser, new oil and water pipes and new heat exchanger fixing brackets. From 2011, XAP Technology exclusively provided
10220-557: The LMS 102 unleaded fuel and also Elf HTX 840 0W-40 lubricants for all GP2 Series cars (except Total Quartz 9000 with ART Grand Prix ). The current gearbox has been manufactured by Hewland and features an 8-position barrel with ratchet body and software upgrades as well as a new transverse shafts fixing system designed to facilitate improved gear selection. The GP2 gearbox used a 6-speed sequential gearbox configuration with electronically controlled paddle-shifters + reverse gear operated by
10366-490: The Mecachrome GP2 V8 racing engine at all GP2 Series venues. During that time, since the GP2 Series had only one engine manufacturer, Mecachrome still focusing on minimizing engine failure and minimizing costs instead of defeating rivals. As such, the engines were moderately de-tuned. The engines proved themselves to be quite durable—there had been no engine failures at all F2 tracks from 2005 to present, which also lowered
10512-527: The Styrian Grand Prix and went on to finish second in the race behind Hamilton. Bottas qualified second behind Hamilton at the Hungarian Grand Prix , but made a false start and lost four places at the first corner. He was able to recover to third place by the end of the Grand Prix but lost the lead of the championship to race-winner Hamilton. Bottas again qualified second behind Hamilton at the British Grand Prix . He ran closely behind Hamilton for most of
10658-612: The United Kingdom, the 2008 GP2 Series was exclusively aired on ITV4 from April 2008. It was won by Giorgio Pantano for Racing Engineering , with Bruno Senna finishing distant runner-up. The 2009 season began and ended on the Iberian peninsula, with the first race weekend at Circuit de Catalunya (9–10 May) and ending in the stand-alone headline event (i.e. not supporting a corresponding Formula One event) at Portugal's Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (19–20 September). The title
10804-530: The World Constructors' Championship, the Hinwil -based team's best result since also finishing sixth in 2012 . He described his season as "probably the most enjoyable so far", citing the security of his long-term contract and the more "relaxed" environment compared to that of Mercedes. RaceFans praised his 2022 performance, commenting that his first season at Alfa Romeo "had done far more for his reputation as
10950-459: The World Drivers' Championship, scoring 85 points to Massa's 53 and qualifying ahead of his teammate at seventeen of the twenty-one races. Williams finished fifth in the World Constructors' Championship, down from third in the previous two years. Bottas was set to remain at Williams for a fifth year, with the team announcing a 2017 lineup of Bottas and Lance Stroll in November 2016. Following reigning champion Nico Rosberg's shock retirement from
11096-470: The XAP single-seater GP2 Series steering wheel as well as XAP SX steering wheel dash display. The XAP steering wheel features 6 buttons in the front with 5 paddles (DRS, gear shift and clutch) in the back of steering wheel. According to research and pre-season stability tests, the 2005 model can go 0 to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 6.7 seconds. The car has a top speed of 320 km/h (198 mph) meaning that it
11242-406: The championship, but ultimately a move on the penultimate lap gave Mitch Evans the title with 151.5 points, only beating Daniel Abt by just two points on 149.5 while António Félix da Costa finished off the top three with 132 points. The teams title was also won during the last round by Lotus GP , their third title in as many seasons. The season was also the last for the first-generation chassis,
11388-487: The championship, edging out future BMW i Andretti Motorsport driver Alexander Sims at the final race. In June 2009, Bottas won the 2009 Masters of Formula 3 , also claiming the pole position and setting the fastest lap of the race. By winning the event again in 2010 , he became the first driver to win the F3 Masters title for the second time. In 2011, he contested the GP3 Series , remaining with F3 squad ART. After
11534-533: The championship, taking his maiden career podium at the Austrian Grand Prix . Across four seasons at Williams, Bottas finished on the podium nine times. Bottas signed for Mercedes in 2017 , replacing the retiring Nico Rosberg to partner Lewis Hamilton . He took his maiden pole position in Bahrain and his maiden win in Russia , finishing third in the championship following further wins in Austria and Abu Dhabi . After
11680-636: The debut in 2011 and would be used until end of 2017 season. The price of Dallara GP2/11 FIA Formula 2 Championship cars are approximately up to €1.5 million-€2 million per car (including wheels, tyres, wings, steering wheel and other components excluding engine). The 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated electronic indirect fuel-injected Mecachrome V8 engine features internal, cartographic and software upgrades designed to improve performance and fuel consumption. The engine produces 612 hp and 500 Nm (380 ft-lb) of torque @ 8500 rpm. FIA Formula 2 Championship Series engines are rev-limited to 10000 rpm and need
11826-439: The designated number of laps are completed the lead driver will be shown the chequered flag. With this points system, the most points anyone can score in one round is 20 by claiming pole position, winning both races with the fastest lap in each race. No driver ever did manage to get maximum points with this system. The closest drivers who have done so are Esteban Gutiérrez at the 2010 British round, who managed pole position for
11972-512: The fastest lap in each race. So far throughout the new points system, no driver has achieved the maximum number of points in a single round. In the Hungarian round of 2012, António Félix da Costa became first driver to win both races of the weekend. GP3 Series has ten European teams and thirty drivers representing the Series. Manor Racing, Atech CRS GP and Carlin represent Great Britain, whilst flying
12118-429: The feature race, won the feature race and got the fastest lap, and then came third in the sprint race, which equals a total of 17 points. Valtteri Bottas at the 2011 Hungarian round achieved pole position and won the feature race, and then came second in the sprint race, also totaling 17 points. With this points system, the most points anyone can score in one round is 48 by claiming pole position, winning both races with
12264-450: The finish line, he exclaimed over the radio "to whom it may concern, fuck you", which he later explained was aimed at both himself and the critics of his 2018 performance. He finished second behind Hamilton at the Bahrain Grand Prix after race leader Charles Leclerc slowed with engine issues and dropped behind the Mercedes drivers. He took pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix but lost
12410-626: The finish line. He ended the season by qualifying and finishing sixth at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix . Bottas ended the season third in the World Drivers' Championship with 226 points compared to 387.5 for Hamilton, helping Mercedes to achieve an eighth consecutive World Constructors' Championship. It was announced in September that 2021 would be Bottas's final year with Mercedes, the team replacing him with George Russell. He reflected on his time at Mercedes, stating "I want to be able to say that I squeezed every drop out of this opportunity and left nothing on
12556-545: The finish. Bottas achieved an unofficial Formula One record speed of 378 km/h (235 mph) at the Baku City Circuit during qualifying for the European Grand Prix . He started sixth at the British Grand Prix but a spin dropped him outside the points. He scored points at the following four races, including sixth place at the Italian Grand Prix , but retired from the Singapore Grand Prix after picking up
12702-582: The finish. A ten-race streak of failing to score points followed. Bottas retired from ninth place at the British Grand Prix with a gearbox issue, and finished 11th at the Austrian Grand Prix despite a pit-lane start. He experienced three consecutive retirements at the Hungarian , Belgian and Dutch Grands Prix, after which he identified reliability as an area of weakness for the C42 and commented that rival teams had out-developed Alfa Romeo. He started seventh at
12848-465: The four-car collision on the first lap to finish third. He finished off the podium for the next three races while Hamilton claimed two wins and a second place, but his performances helped Mercedes clinch their fourth consecutive Constructors' Championship at the United States Grand Prix . He returned to the podium at the Mexican Grand Prix , starting fourth but benefiting from contact between Vettel and Hamilton to finish second. His third pole position of
12994-568: The fray. A dominant run by the Briton took him into the championship lead before the balance came back into Piquet Jr.'s favour. After an exciting championship battle lasting 20 races, Hamilton claimed the title in the penultimate race, at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza , in Monza , Italy , and celebrated with a second place in the 21st and final round. The 2007 GP2 Series began on 13 April at
13140-419: The incident as "disappointing". This was followed by another retirement due to a suspension failure at the United States Grand Prix . At the Mexican Grand Prix , a DRS fault caused Bottas to crash in practice. He qualified sixth and made up places to finish third, his second and final podium of the season. A collision with Jenson Button in the pit lane at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix dropped Bottas outside
13286-534: The infrastructure, such as marshals and medical facilities, in place for the Formula One events. GP3 Series mainly raced on European circuits, but had appearances on other international race tracks, with rounds in the 2015 season at the Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain and the Yas Marina Circuit in United Arab Emirates . Many drivers had since stepped up to GP2 since the series began, with
13432-566: The junior categories and expressed his hope that the role would "provide him with another step in his development". He conducted straight-line aerodynamic testing in the team's FW32 during the year. He continued in the role for 2011 and took part in his first full test in November, driving the FW33 in the post-season young drivers' test at Yas Marina Circuit . His role was expanded in 2012 after his GP3 Series victory; he took part in fifteen Friday practice sessions, making his Grand Prix weekend debut at
13578-479: The latter, but took damage from debris in the early laps and fell to third before regaining second place when Verstappen retired with a tyre failure. Both Mercedes cars struggled for pace during the wet Turkish Grand Prix qualifying session, with Bottas qualifying ninth. The rain continued during the race and Bottas spun six times after damaging his front wing due to contact with the Renault of Esteban Ocon , finishing
13724-536: The most points anyone could score in one round is 20 by claiming pole position, winning both races with the fastest lap in each race. This feat was only achieved twice: Nelson Piquet Jr. in the 9th round of the 2006 season at the Hungaroring and Nico Hülkenberg in the 5th round of the 2009 season at the Nürburgring . From the 2012 season the GP2 series changed its scoring system. Feature races ran with
13870-399: The name "Venezuela GP Lazarus". Lotus ART was renamed "Lotus Grand Prix", reflecting their increased relationship with title sponsor 'Lotus Cars'. Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Viktor Bottas ( Finnish pronunciation: [ˈʋɑltːeɾi ˈbotːɑs] ; born 28 August 1989) is a Finnish racing driver , currently competing in Formula One for Sauber . Bottas twice finished runner-up in
14016-410: The nineteen races. Sky Sports wrote that his performances had "impress[ed] greatly" and he was described by Motorsport.com as being "often the quickest non-Mercedes driver". In September 2014, it was announced that Bottas and Massa would retain their drives with Williams for the 2015 season. Bottas qualified sixth at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix , but suffered a back injury and
14162-469: The nineteen races. He was praised for his performances early in the season, but Martin Brundle commented that he "went on the missing list after August" and Bottas described his own season as "disappointing". In September 2017, Mercedes announced that Bottas would remain with the team for the 2018 season. He started 15th at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after crashing in qualifying and taking
14308-584: The now defunct Formula 3000 championship. Arden International won the last F3000 titles, thus starting as one of the favourites. The 2005 season began on April 23, 2005, on the weekend of the San Marino Grand Prix at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola , Italy . In the pre-season test to decide the inaugural season's car numbers, the iSport International and HiTech/Piquet Racing teams showed
14454-490: The number of crashes. Most of the engines, including those used for the Monaco race, are used for multiple races and were intended to last 1,100 miles between rebuilds. The Mecachrome engines were only available via lease arrangement from Mecachrome currently. Mecachrome V8 GP2 engines were crated and shipped to all GP2 teams on a serial-number basis as determined by the sanctioning body (FIA) to ensure equality and fairness in distribution. Since 2005, Elf exclusively provide
14600-401: The only two drivers to score points in each of the first five races of the season. This streak ended at the Monaco Grand Prix , where Bottas started and finished 11th but was demoted to 12th for causing a collision with Esteban Gutiérrez . He claimed the team's only podium finish of 2016 at the Canadian Grand Prix ; he qualified seventh but executed a one-stop strategy and climbed to third at
14746-420: The pit lane during practice. He started fifth at the Austrian Grand Prix but recovered to finish second, and achieved another podium finish with third place at the British Grand Prix . He qualified second for the Hungarian Grand Prix but triggered a first-corner crash that eliminated multiple drivers from the race, for which he received a grid penalty. He regained third place in the Drivers' Championship with
14892-456: The points, having started sixth. Bottas ended his third year in Formula One fifth in the World Drivers' Championship, scoring 136 points to Massa's 121 and helping Williams retain third place in the World Constructors' Championship. An Autosport poll of the Formula One team principals ranked him the seventh-best driver of the year. Bottas and Massa remained teammates at Williams for the 2016 season. A gearbox penalty required him to start
15038-441: The pole position to Saturday's races got two points. Fastest lap: 1 point in each race (with one exception: in the 2005 season, it was 2 points for each race). Driver recording fastest lap has to drive 90% of race laps. As of 2006 season must the driver must now also start the race from his allocated grid position and as of 2008 must finish in the top ten of the race to be eligible for the fastest lap point. With this points system,
15184-420: The position to Bottas on the final lap. After the summer break, Bottas started third but finished fifth at the Belgian Grand Prix as he was overtaken by both Daniel Ricciardo and Räikkönen. He started fourth at the Italian Grand Prix , qualifying more than two seconds slower than pole-sitter Hamilton. He recovered to finish second. He qualified sixth at the Singapore Grand Prix and gained from strategy and
15330-417: The position to Hamilton at the start, who led the entire race distance to win. Bottas followed this with a victory from pole at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix , promoting him to the lead of the championship by one point over Hamilton. Azerbaijan would be the final time that Bottas led the championship as Hamilton would win the next four races. Bottas took his third consecutive pole at the Spanish Grand Prix but
15476-460: The race allowed him to regain second place in the Drivers' Championship, 47 points behind Hamilton. At the Tuscan Grand Prix , Bottas took the lead from pole-sitter Hamilton on the first lap. The race was red-flagged on lap seven after a multi-car accident, and Bottas lost the lead to Hamilton shortly after the restart and finished second. He qualified third behind Hamilton and Verstappen for
15622-432: The race but fell back in the closing laps before suffering a tyre failure with four laps remaining. He returned to the pits for a tyre change and eventually finished 11th. Bottas secured pole position at the following week's 70th Anniversary Grand Prix but dropped behind Hamilton in the race, and tyre issues for the Mercedes cars allowed Max Verstappen to pass both drivers to win. This result demoted Bottas to third place in
15768-521: The race ended his pursuit of second place. He achieved another podium at the Spanish Grand Prix , qualifying and finishing third. He qualified third at the Monaco Grand Prix and was running in second place due to Charles Leclerc's failure to start. He was then forced into retirement when his team were unable to remove a wheel during his pit stop. He qualified 10th at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix ; despite being disadvantaged by red flags, he had "no explanation" for his lack of pace and suspected that something
15914-504: The race, placing him only 15 points behind Hamilton in the championship. Having started the British Grand Prix ninth following a grid penalty for a new gearbox, he made his way into third place and was promoted to second behind Hamilton after a late-race tyre failure for Räikkönen's Ferrari. He gave up third place at the Hungarian Grand Prix to allow Hamilton to attack the Ferraris ahead, but an ultimately-unsuccessful Hamilton later returned
16060-437: The season came at the Brazilian Grand Prix , but he again finished second after losing the lead to Vettel at the first corner. He claimed pole position again at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and went on to achieve his third Grand Prix victory. Bottas finished third overall in the World Drivers' Championship with 305 points, compared to 363 for teammate and champion Hamilton, and qualified ahead of Hamilton at six of
16206-572: The season in the top 3 with ART Grand Prix . All drivers at the end of the season joined the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship . The second race at Italy was cancelled after heavy rain during the 2017 Italian Grand Prix . This season saw the series introduce the Drag Reduction System (DRS) used in Formula One and Formula 2 . The final season of the series started on 12 May in Barcelona , and finished on 26 November at Yas Marina . The season
16352-414: The season, stating "I lost the joy of F1". In July 2018, Bottas signed a contract extension with Mercedes for the 2019 season with an option for 2020, continuing alongside Hamilton. He qualified second behind Hamilton at the Australian Grand Prix but overtook Hamilton at the first corner. Bottas went on to win the race by over 20 seconds ahead of Hamilton, his fourth Grand Prix victory. After crossing
16498-477: The season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , Williams's first double-podium since the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix . The 2014 season ended with Bottas fourth in the World Drivers' Championship, ahead of world champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso . He claimed six podium finishes and scored 186 points to Massa's 134, securing Williams third place in the World Constructors' Championship (the team's best result since 2003 ), and qualified ahead of Massa at thirteen of
16644-480: The season-opening Australian Grand Prix from 16th place, but he recovered to score points in the race. He was judged to have caused a lap-one collision with Lewis Hamilton at the Bahrain Grand Prix and received a drive-through penalty; he started sixth and finished ninth. He scored more points at the following three races and achieved his best qualifying performance of the season at the Russian Grand Prix , starting third and finishing fourth. This made Bottas and Massa
16790-481: The season-opening Australian Grand Prix , Bottas started fifteenth due to a gearbox change penalty and clipped the wall causing a tyre puncture in the race, but recovered to sixth at the finish and was later promoted to fifth after Daniel Ricciardo 's disqualification. He received another grid penalty and started 18th at the next race, the Malaysian Grand Prix , for impeding Ricciardo in qualifying, but gained places to finish eighth. He matched his best grid position at
16936-404: The season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix , he qualified and finished sixth despite a slow start that dropped him to 14th on the first lap. At the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix , he started eighth but retired his car on lap 46 due to a cooling issue. He qualified 12th at the Australian Grand Prix , ending his streak of 103 consecutive Q3 appearances, but scored points by finishing the race eighth. He set
17082-476: The season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix . He qualified eighth and was unable to gain ground at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix before being involved in a high-speed collision with George Russell. Both drivers blamed each other for the incident, but Russell later apologised. At the Portuguese Grand Prix , Bottas qualified on pole position but was passed by Hamilton and Verstappen, and a sensor issue later in
17228-784: The series merged with the FIA Formula 3 European Championship and became the FIA Formula 3 Championship . The GP3 Series car was a standardised car used by all of the competing teams. For the 2010–2012 seasons, the GP3 series used the GP3/10 chassis. For the 2013–2015 seasons, the GP3 series used the GP3/13 chassis. The series used another new chassis for the 2016 season, and continued to be used until 2018. A race weekend features one 45-minute practice session on Friday, and one 30-minute qualifying session on Saturday, followed by two races. The qualifying session
17374-426: The sport, Mercedes announced in January 2017 that they had signed Bottas to partner Lewis Hamilton at the team. Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams commented that she did not want to "stand in the way" of Bottas driving for a championship-contending team. Bottas qualified and finished third in his first race as a Mercedes driver, the Australian Grand Prix , behind Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. At
17520-482: The start, but he recovered to fourth place at the finish. Tyre wear dropped him outside the points positions at the Singapore Grand Prix , the only time in 2014 he would finish a race outside the top ten. Another podium came at the Russian Grand Prix where Bottas started and finished third, as well as setting the race's fastest lap . He qualified fourth at the Brazilian Grand Prix but two slow pit stops relegated him to tenth place. He finished third behind Massa at
17666-412: The table" and remarking that it had been a "privilege and a great sporting challenge" to work with Hamilton. Team principal Toto Wolff praised Bottas's contribution to the team's championship success. Bottas joined Alfa Romeo for 2022 on a multi-year deal, partnering rookie driver Zhou Guanyu . He described the move as "a bit of a project" and that he felt a "responsibility to guide the team". At
17812-450: The team's strategy. A hydraulics failure at the Hungarian Grand Prix caused his first retirement of the season whilst Maldonado finished tenth to claim the team's first point of 2013. Bottas qualified ninth and finished eighth at the United States Grand Prix , his first Formula One points and the team's best result of the season. He collided with Hamilton whilst unlapping himself at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix , later stating he
17958-422: The teams title. The season began on 9 May at Catalunya, Barcelona, and finished at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi on 29 November. It was contested over 18 races at nine rounds. There were nine teams with three cars each. Esteban Ocon won the title by 8 points despite winning only one race compared to second placed Luca Ghiotto winning five races. Ocon did however finish on the podium 14 times. The teams title
18104-485: The teams to use the same chassis, engine and tyre supplier so that true driver ability is reflected. All but three races had taken place as support races at Formula One race weekends to boost the series' profile, to give drivers experience of the Grand Prix environment, and to take advantage of the infrastructure (marshals, medical facilities etc.) in place for a Formula One event. GP2 mainly raced on European circuits, but also appeared on other international race tracks such as
18250-490: The top 10 by a penalty for Lando Norris . His car broke down in qualifying at the British Grand Prix and he was later disqualified from the session for an insufficient fuel sample. He recovered from 20th on the grid to 12th in the race. After the race, Bottas reflected "we're not meeting the targets we've set ourselves" with the team demoted to ninth in the Constructors' Championship. Both Alfa Romeo drivers reached Q3 at
18396-457: The top three with 157 points. The teams title was won by ART Grand Prix at Monza, their sixth title. This season was the first with the series' third-generation chassis, the GP3/16 . The season began on 13 May at Catalunya, Barcelona and finished at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi on 26 November. It was contested at 18 races at nine rounds. George Russell , Jack Aitken and Nirei Fukuzumi ended
18542-440: The year second in the World Drivers' Championship with 223 points to Hamilton's 347, recording two wins, five pole positions, eleven podiums, and two fastest laps. He reflected that again finishing second to Hamilton "can't be that satisfying", but Hamilton commented that the points gap between the two was exaggerated by Bottas's misfortune. Bottas extended his contract with Mercedes into 2021 . He started and finished third at
18688-509: Was again contested of 9 rounds and 18 races. The final driver's title went to Frenchman Anthoine Hubert who drove for ART , take 2 victories, 11 podiums, 2 pole positions, and 4 fastest laps, with 214 points. ART Grand Prix won the final constructor's title, winning all but one constructor's titles in the series. It was also the last season with the GP3/16 chassis . With 198 points scored, Nikita Mazepin became runner-up with 4 victories, 8 podiums, 1 pole position and most 5 fastest laps. After
18834-534: Was again demoted to the back after another engine change. A well-timed pitstop for intermediate tyres on the rapidly dampening track promoted him to fifth place at the end. He qualified second at the Turkish Grand Prix but started on pole after Hamilton incurred a grid penalty. He went on to claim his first and only victory of the year by passing Charles Leclerc for the lead after pitting, a win he described as one of his best ever. Another engine penalty came at
18980-509: Was also notable for being the only season that GP2 used grooved tyres like F1 cars rather than slicks. The 2006 season was the second of the series. After championship holder Nico Rosberg's move to the Williams F1 team, and runner-up Heikki Kovalainen 's move to be reserve driver at Renault F1 , Nelson Piquet Jr. in the Piquet Sports car was installed as the early title favourite, though
19126-407: Was clinched by Daniil Kvyat at the final round with 168 points, beating Facu Regalia by 30 points on 138 while Conor Daly finished off the top three with 126 points. The teams title was won by ART Grand Prix , their fourth title in as many seasons. The season began on 10 May at Catalunya, Barcelona, and finished at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi on 23 November. It once again followed most of
19272-465: Was compatriot Mika Häkkinen . Bottas finished eighth in the 2005 Karting World Cup for the P.D.B. Racing Team, using a Gillard chassis and Parilla engines. Bottas won both the 2008 Formula Renault Eurocup and the 2008 Formula Renault Northern European Cup . In doing so, he repeated the feat of Filipe Albuquerque , who won both the NEC and Eurocup in the same season, in 2006. Bottas would have also won
19418-674: Was not selected to continue in the series. The 2012 season contained twelve rounds, eleven of which supported the F1 World Championship and one stand alone round in Bahrain. The series started on March 24 in Malaysia and concluded in Singapore on September 23. Davide Valsecchi (DAMS) won the title by 25 points from Arden's Luiz Razia , with Lotus GP's Esteban Gutiérrez third. For the 2012 season, Team Lazarus replaced Super Nova Racing using
19564-426: Was overtaken by Hamilton at the first corner and finished second, achieving Mercedes' fifth one-two finish in a row. He qualified second at the Monaco Grand Prix but finished third behind Sebastian Vettel after making contact with Max Verstappen in the pit lane. He qualified sixth and finished off the podium at the Canadian Grand Prix and placed second behind Hamilton at the French Grand Prix . He finished third at
19710-433: Was running in second place in the closing laps of the Hungarian Grand Prix , but dropped to fifth after making contact with Vettel and Ricciardo in separate incidents. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff praised Bottas's defence against the Ferraris and described him as a "sensational wingman ". Bottas commented that the description was hurtful and that he would discuss the situation with team management. He started 17th at
19856-399: Was taken to The Alfred Hospital for precautionary checks. Scans found that he had "suffered a very small tear in the annular part of a disc in his lower back" and was deemed unfit to race. He returned to racing at the Malaysian Grand Prix where he started ninth and recovered from a poor start to finish fifth. He scored points at the following three races including fourth-place finishes at
20002-399: Was the inaugural season of the Series. The championship was contested over sixteen races held at eight rounds, beginning on May 8 at Circuit de Catalunya and ending on September 12 at Autodromo Nazionale Monza. The title was clinched by ART Grand Prix driver Esteban Gutiérrez at the final round by taking pole position, who won the championship 17 points clear of Robert Wickens in second, who was
20148-634: Was the last with the first-generation chassis, the GP2/05 . The 2008 GP2 Series featured the same teams as in previous seasons. This was also the first time that the calendar supported all of the F1 races in Europe with a late deal to run at the Valencia Street Circuit . It was the first season to feature a new car design from Dallara, the GP2/08, the only non-F1 car to pass the 2007 FIA crash test in full. In
20294-475: Was to be ART Grand Prix's second championship in as many seasons. The season began on 12 May at Catalunya, Barcelona, and finished at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 9 September. It supported the entire European leg of the 2012 Formula One Season again and included the series' first visit to Monte Carlo, Monaco. Going into the final round of the season, four drivers were in with a chance of winning
20440-470: Was unable to race, and took pole position ahead of Russell by 0.026 seconds. Bottas was overtaken by Russell on the opening lap. A tyre mix-up later in the race dropped both cars down the order, with Bottas being sent into and out of the pits without a tyre change. He lost positions in the closing laps to cars on fresher tyres and finished eighth. At the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , Bottas qualified and finished second ahead of Hamilton. Bottas ended
20586-471: Was unaware Hamilton was a lap ahead. Bottas ended his debut season 17th in the World Drivers' Championship, scoring four of Williams's five points. He qualified ahead of Maldonado at twelve of the nineteen races and was praised for his performances at the Canadian and United States Grands Prix. Bottas was retained by Williams for the 2014 season, partnering Felipe Massa who was signed from Ferrari . At
20732-412: Was unhappy with the order, but Wolff remarked that maximising Hamilton's championship points was the "harsh reality", with Bottas commenting "Lewis is fighting for the drivers’ championship and I'm not". The Japanese Grand Prix was his eighth and final podium finish of the year, and he finished fifth at each of the remaining four races. Bottas became the first Mercedes driver to finish a season without
20878-558: Was won by ART Grand Prix , their fifth title. This season was the last with the GP3/13 chassis . The season began on 14 May at Catalunya, Barcelona, and finished at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi on 27 November. It was contested over 18 races at nine rounds. There were seven teams with three to four cars each, with DAMS making its debut. The title was clinched by Charles Leclerc at the final round with 202 points, beating Alexander Albon by 25 points on 177 while Antonio Fuoco finished off
21024-416: Was won by German rookie Nico Hülkenberg at the penultimate round of the championship at Monza, the second time the championship had been won before the last race. The 2010 season contained ten rounds, all of which were supporting F1 World Championship. The series started in May at Catalunya and concluded at Abu Dhabi in November. Pastor Maldonado won the title in his fourth season in the series. He won
21170-526: Was won by reigning GP2 Asia champion Romain Grosjean at the penultimate round of the series. Following a three-year cycle, the previous GP2 chassis was replaced by a brand new car, the GP2/11, built by Italian racing car manufacturer Dallara. The series will change tyre supplier from Bridgestone to Pirelli for 2011–13. The 2011 season saw the addition of two new teams to the grid, Carlin and Team AirAsia. Meanwhile, DPR
21316-424: Was wrong with his car. He went on to finish 12th, leaving him sixth in the Drivers' Championship. Bottas qualified third at the French Grand Prix , but lost the podium position to Sergio Pérez in the latter stages of the race and criticised the team's one-stop strategy after being left out on old tyres. He returned to the podium at the Styrian Grand Prix , finishing third despite a grid penalty for spinning in
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