GP2 levels playing field with 'new' car for 2006.

GP2 Series organisers have introduced a handful of 'modifications' to the Dallara used in the championship last season, designed to improve competition and maintain the excitement and unpredictability seen in the F1 feeder category last season.

As had been promised at the launch of the series in 2005, the 2006 car will be an updated and upgraded version, with the changes aimed at maintaining a level playing field. As a result, from the first test of 2006, all teams, drivers, mechanics and engineers will start over with what the organisers claim is a new car, with new set-up possibilities, new tyres and a new sporting regulation added to the mix.

"When we came up with our plans for the development of the GP2 series, it was always our intention to continuously upgrade our car over the years of the championship in an effort to provide fresh challenges to the mechanics and engineers of our teams," series organiser Bruno Michel explained, "I believe that our development team has done a very good job in both improving the performance of the GP2 series car, and maintaining the challenge which our teams and drivers will face in the forthcoming
season."

The 2006-spec GP2 car will feature one major aerodynamic change, with the rear wing now a biplane configuration, with the triple-plane version used in 2005 now only permitted for use at Monaco.

The cars will also feature reinforced front upper and lower wishbones and reinforced front and rear suspension uprights, while Brembo has developed new 'monobloc' brake calipers and disc bells, which will be used exclusively by the GP2 Series in 2006.

The four-litre Renault V8 engine, which continues to be built under the supervision of Mecachrome, will now feature an internal, cartographic and software upgrade, while the car will also feature a new engine air duct. These upgrades have been designed to improve performance and fuel consumption.

The car will also carry internal upgrades to improve cooling, with a new water radiator, radiator duct, oil/water heat exchanger, modified oil degazer, new oil and water pipes and new heat exchanger fixing brackets present on each of the 26 machines due to compete this season. The 2006 gearbox, manufactured by GearTek, will feature a new eight-position barrel, ratchet body and software, alongside a new transverse shaft fixing system to enable improved gear selection, and, hopefully, eradicate the gearbox problems that blighted several drivers' races in 2005

The biggest - but also the most widely rumoured - alteration to the technical regulations for 2006 will see the cars running on new 'slick' Bridgestone tyres, without the F1-style grooves seen in 2005. The new tyres, which are tipped to pre-empt the return of slicks to F1 from 2007 or 2008, will be supplied in soft, medium and hard compounds, with the choice being pre-determined by Bridgestone and series organisers before each event. Wet tyres remain in 2005 specification.

"The switch from grooved to slick dry weather tyres for the 2006 GP2 series is an exciting new challenge - and one we are enjoying," commented Bridgestone's director of tyre development, Hirohide Hamashima, "Using our latest technology, we have been busy developing the new slick tyres over the winter period. This has involved checking all aspects of the tyres, including the safety of the tyres, firstly at our indoor Technical Centre facilities in Japan and then later at two on-track tests with the GP2 series development team at Paul Ricard in France.

"We think the move to slicks will add a new dimension to racing in the GP2 series as the nature of slick tyres provides more stable car behaviour. As a result, we are fully expecting to see some very competitive racing from this year?EUR(TM)s crop of young talented drivers."

The sporting regulations have been changed to award the driver setting fastest lap in each race a single point, rather than the two points given in 2005. Additionally, the driver must have started from his prescribed grid position in order to claim fastest lap, effectively outlawing the practice of eschewing a lowly grid position for a pit-lane start on low fuel in order to salvage a point.

"The upgrades that we have made to the GP2 series car for 2006 will provide a new and exciting challenge to every member of every team," insisted series technical director Didier Perrin, "While from the outside the car will look very similar, inside there are a number of changes that we have made to improve performance and durability.

"The switch onto slick tyres, combined with the new brakes, has seen a marked improvement in the laptimes we were able to set in development testing. As a consequence, we have decided to decrease the level of rear end downforce by reducing the number of planes on the rear wing. We have seen that this decrease in rear-end grip has opened up many new set-up possibilities, as the car is now much more delicate to change.

"Essentially, everyone will be starting from scratch at the first test in February, and I am looking forward to seeing how the drivers and their engineers make the best of the upgrades and the modifications, as we set out on a new and challenging season of competition."