David Sears is pitting his
GP2 Series title on Mike Conway and Luca Filippi this season, having confirmed both as Super Nova International drivers.
The announcement is no real surprise, as both drivers have tested strongly with the British outfit in post-season sessions held before the Christmas break, and Sears says there is no reason why either should not challenge for race wins or the overall crown. Despite enduring a disappointing campaign with Jose Maria Lopez and Fairuz Fauzy in 2006, he is confident that his new pairing can succeed.
"Last year, I was being told that we were getting beaten more than we should," he told the audience at the
Autosport International exhibition,"These guys can show people where we should have been. Simply being quick isn't the answer any more - drivers need to be computer literate, cool and calm under pressure. Both Luca and Mike are intelligent enough to win races and the championship."
Filippi joins his third
GP2 team in less than a year, having run with both FMS and BCN in 2006. Having topped the times with Super Nova in winter testing, however, he is confident that he can find the success that was lacking in his debut campaign.
"This is a great opportunity and I am very happy - and proud - to be a Super nova driver," the former Euro 3000 title winner admitted, "Vincenzo Sospiri, who looks after my affairs, has a good relationship with David, so this is the best choice for me. It will be a very interesting season."
Conway, meanwhile, steps up to
GP2 after dominating the British
F3 championship in 2006, and clinching the Macau Grand prix title in November. He accepts that, after that performance, there was little option but to graduate to a series in which he made an unexpected debut at
Silverstone last June.
"GP2 was the next stepping stone, where you should be going from F3," he said, "We organised tests with the teams we wanted to run with, including Super Nova, and they went very well. Like Arden [
another Conway target], Super Nova is one of the series' big names and I am very happy to be working with David."
Asked who he expected to provide the main opposition to his championship ambitions this season, the Briton included the entire field, singling out those with F1 experience as just one reason why
GP2 was so strong.