The 2008 GP2 Series Championship comes to a close this weekend in Monza with one burning question: who will be the next Champion?
The 2008 GP2 Series title could have been wrapped up last weekend in Spa… But fate and racing have decided that once again, for the fourth year in a row, the championship will not be decided until the season finale.
In Belgium, the three strongest title contenders were all hit by penalties or misfortunes that saw the outcome of the season pushed until Monza.
This weekend, the series leader Giorgio Pantano – after an impressive season - will have to fight tooth and nails to become the new GP2 Champion.
At the wheel of his Racing Engineering car and at his home race where he won three years in a row, Giorgio will definitely be the man to beat. However, his main rival, Bruno Senna - albeit 11 points behind – will not let the Italian have his way as he demonstrated many times this season that he too has the strength, speed and consistency of a true champion. Countryman Lucas di Grassi proved to be a serious title contender as well and will also fight for glory, but his RDD teammate Romain Grosjean took the opportunity of the misstep of the Top 3 in Spa to join them in the battle for the podium finish.
It all comes down to this: action and drama. Triumph and disappointment. Pressure or no pressure, Giorgio Pantano is looking forward to his home race.
“Monza is my home track, so when I arrive there it always feels very good. I turn up, I jump in the car, I go out on the track - it’s almost too easy! It helps that each time I’ve raced there, I’ve done well and the way I drive the car is obviously suited to Monza: the way I brake, the line I take, how I hit the kerbs, which kerbs to miss. For me it’s such a good feeling to be racing there. When I’m going through the Roggia corner, the two Lesmos and down to Ascari, I look at the trees that surround the circuit and I feel relaxed. On a sunny day, it’s a beautiful place to be racing. But the speed is so high, and the downforce is low so that the car feels very light and it can still be quite scary approaching the braking zones, no matter how relaxed you are. I couldn’t say what the key is to being quick there though. I just do what I do, and I’m always quick - so that must be the secret. Of course, the other attraction is that there are plenty of great places in nearby Milan to eat, drink and hopefully celebrate...”
Schedule
Friday 12th September 11.55 – 12.25 Practice 16.00 – 16.30
Qualifying Saturday 13th September 16.00 Race 1
Sunday 14th September 10.30 Race 2
