Crash.net preview - Hockenheim GP2.

Friday, 22nd July 2005

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.

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Viso was the pacesetter in winter testing, frequently topping the times wherever and whenever the series ventured out, but things have not gone right for the diminutive Venezuelan since competition started. Two points for fastest lap in one of the Imola races remains his only mark on the scoreboard, as a combination of mechanical misfortune and over-zealous driving have conspired to keep him too far back on the grid to make an impact. Currently the most penalised driver in the field, the BCN man will be hoping that a clear run at qualifying at Hockenheim will be the catalyst to getting him back among the leaders.

To make matters worse for both Pantano and Viso, their respective team-mates have both accumulated more points although, in Hiroki Yoshimoto's case, he had to wait until Magny-Cours to elevate BCN into the fight. Carroll, meanwhile, remains among Heikki Kovalainen's chief rivals at the sharp end of the field, despite a disappointing weekend at Silverstone that saw him leave his home races with no addition to his score.

Nico Rosberg remains the man of the moment following a win and a fourth place at Silverstone to add to his maiden victory at Magny-Cours. The ART Grand Prix driver has moved himself into second place in the drivers’ championship, with 44 points, albeit 20 behind championship leader Kovalainen. Pole position at the home of British motor racing confirmed Rosberg's pace and racing on home soil - he is another to have been born in Germany despite his father's alternative nationality - is sure to give the former national FBMW champion an added boost.

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Kovalainen took another podium brace two weeks ago to keep his championship bid on the boil. The Finn is among the most consistent finishers in the series, and it would appear that he needs two bad weekends in quick succession if anyone is to make serious inroads into his advantage. Instead, it is his rivals that continue to suffer, with more than one challenge having been blunted in recent weeks.