After Olivier Pla became the eighth different winner in 13 GP2 Series races this year, the championship heads for its second weekend in Germany with several frontrunners looking to set the record straight with their own taste of champagne.
Three of the winter's testing pacesetters have yet to open their victory account, and Nelson Piquet Jr, Giorgio Pantano and Ernesto Viso will all have their sights set on the top step during this weekend's two races at Hockenheim.
For Piquet, victory in Germany would be particularly apt as, contrary to popular belief, he was born not far from the Hockenheim circuit. Despite racing under the Brazilian flag, as his famous father did before him, Nelsinho feels a close affinity with the local populace and will be attempting to break his duck on 'home' soil after a series of unfortunate races in which he has failed to add to his tally. From potential title challenger, the Hitech Piquet racer has fallen back to 'outsider' status following a double non-score at
Silverstone. Piquet's speed at the British venue was never in doubt after he qualified on the front row, but a faulty wiring loom cost him his spot in race one, and a spin on Sunday morning sent him home pointless for the second weekend in a row.
Pantano may have been a late arrival to the party at Paul Ricard over the winter, but the former Jordan
F1 runner was immediately on the pace in a series he earmarked as essential to his return to the top flight. Determined to be a regular winner, and likely champion, things have not really worked out for the Italian, despite his association with the Super Nova team. While team-mate Adam Carroll has taken the limelight - and secured a place on the BAR f1 roster for 2006 and beyond - Pantano, having been robbed of victory on the opening weekend of the season, has since seen several scoring results disappear in the closing stages of races. The pace is still there, the luck must follow...
![Nelson Piquet Jr - Hitech Piquet [pic credit: GP2 media]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/159554.jpg)
