The GP2 Series returns to the track this weekend after an extended summer break with the championship battle the closest it has been since the season started back in Bahrain in April.
Istanbul Park, on the outskirts of the city that gives the track its name, plays host to the round eight double-header that accompanies the Turkish Grand Prix and, with just four rounds remaining for the titles to be decided, there is still all to play for as
Timo Glock clings on to a single-point lead over Lucas di Grassi.
While iSport heads the teams’ championship by a comfortable 20 over di Grassi's ART Grand Prix, the German's mercurial season has been in stark contrast to his rivals steadier, if less successful, campaign but he could be poised to lose his long-held advantage unless his form and fortune turn around in Turkey. Having finished in the top three through the opening part of the year, Glock then suffered miserable weekends in France and Britain, bouncing back to the front on home soil and then seeing his lead scythed away again in Hungary before the break. di Grassi, meanwhile, has yet to win a race, but has picked up points with monotonous regularity to keep himself in contention with the iSport driver.
The championship appears to be narrowing into a two-horse race heading to Istanbul, with third-placed Luca Filippi now 20 points off the lead after a disastrous weekend in Hungary that saw him fortunate to escape a sizeable feature race accident unscathed. Nevertheless, the Italian failed to add to his tally and will be hoping for his own turnaround in fortune to coincide with bad weekends for the two men ahead of him this week.
The overall top five is currently completed by
Kazuki Nakajima and Javier Villa after both enjoyed success in Hungary. Nakajima chased race one winner Adam Carroll to the line in race one, before his recent podium streak ended with retirement in race two, while Villa added a third sprint race victory ahead of the Irishman on Sunday in Budapest.
