Having apparently been sunk by the demise of pay-to-view channel
Setanta, television coverage of the
GP2 Series has been rescued by a deal that will return the championship to fellow satellite broadcaster
Eurosport.
The F1 feeder series returns to
British Eurosport after a two-year absence, having been instrumental in raising the profile of then rising stars Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg during its tenure, and will continue to broadcast races for the next two-and-half years after picking up the baton dropped by
Setanta midway through their first year together.
The remaining six rounds of the 2009 series, currently being led by Renault F1 protégé Romain Grosjean, will all be covered by
Eurosport, starting with the Nurburgring double-header this weekend, although not every race will be screened live as the channel attempts to fit
GP2 around its existing commitments.
“We are delighted to have this prestigious and exciting series back on
British Eurosport and to be able to ensure that fans can see the rest of this season's races," commented company director Dave Kerr, "It's great to add
GP2 to our already superb line-up of motorsport, which includes the World Touring Car Championship,
World Rally Championship, Formula 2, Dakar Rally, the Renault World Series and the IRC.”
* Contrary to earlier reports, which suggested that Saturday's GP2 Series coverage may be affected by Eurosport
's commitment to the Tour de France, it has been confirmed that both
races from the Nurburgring will be screened live on British Eurosport 2
, at 1500hrs BST and 0930hrs BST respectively for the feature and sprint, with various highlights shows dotted across the weekend and early next week.