The 2015 GP2 Series season was the forty-ninth season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also eleventh season under the GP2 Series moniker, a championship for open-wheelracing cars run as a support series to the 2015Formula One World Championship. Twenty-six drivers representing thirteen teams raced over eleven rounds, starting in Bahrain on 18 April and finishing in Abu Dhabi on 29 November.
The series continued to use the Dallara GP2/11 chassis first introduced in 2011,[1] but introduced the Drag Reduction System (DRS), akin to that used in Formula One.[2] The series used the same detection and activation points at each circuit as Formula One, and followed the same rules for activation, requiring drivers to be within one second of the car in front at the detection point for DRS to become available. The upper-element rear wing angle has a same angle as Formula One upper-element rear wing. In an event of rainy conditions, Drag Reduction Systems are automatically deactivated until the rain stopped.
Richie Stanaway, who previously competed in GP3, will graduate to the series with Status.[34]
Nick Yelloly, who previously competed in GP3, will graduate to the series with Hilmer.
Leaving GP2
2014 season champion Jolyon Palmer will not return to defend his title as, under the series regulations, a driver is not allowed to continue in the series once they have won the championship. He has taken up duties as reserve driver for Lotus F1.[44]
The series was scheduled to run in support of the German Grand Prix, at a venue that, at the time of the calendar's publication, had not yet been decided. With the cancellation of the German Grand Prix, the planned GP2 meeting was rescheduled to Bahrain International Circuit in the 2015 6 Hours of Bahrain weekend.[54]
Points were awarded to the top 10 classified finishers in the Feature race, and to the top 8 classified finishers in the Sprint race. The pole-sitter in the feature race also received four points, and two points were given to the driver who set the fastest lap inside the top ten in both the feature and sprint races. No extra points were awarded to the pole-sitter in the sprint race.
Feature race points
Position
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
Pole
FL
Points
25
18
15
12
10
8
6
4
2
1
4
2
Sprint race points
Points were awarded to the top 8 classified finishers.
Due to a first lap accident resulting in barriers needing to be repaired, the first race at Sochi was shortened to 15 laps instead of the 28 originally scheduled, and as a result half points were awarded.[55]
The second race at Yas Marina was cancelled after a first lap accident, during which four cars made contact with the barriers on the outside of turn 3. The race was red-flagged, then abandoned as the barriers were not sufficiently repaired in time to restart the race. As less than 2 laps were completed, no result was reached and no points were awarded.[56]
^ abcCecotto competed under a state Venezuelan racing licence.
^Status Grand Prix competed under a Canadian licence.
^Daiko Team Lazarus competed under a state Venezuelan licence in rounds 1–5.
^Raffaele Marciello set the fastest lap, but did not finish in the top 10, so was ineligible to be the point-scorer for the fastest lap. Nobuharu Matsushita was the point-scorer instead for setting the fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
^Norman Nato set the fastest lap, but did not finish in the top 10, so was ineligible to be the point-scorer for the fastest lap. Stoffel Vandoorne was the point-scorer instead for setting the fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
^Alex Lynn set the fastest lap, but did not finish in the top 10, so was ineligible to be the point-scorer for the fastest lap. Jordan King was the point-scorer instead for setting the fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
^Sergio Canamasas set the fastest lap, but did not finish in the top 10, so was ineligible to be the point-scorer for the fastest lap. Rio Haryanto was the point-scorer instead for setting the fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
^Marlon Stöckinger set the fastest lap, but did not finish in the top 10, so was ineligible to be the point-scorer for the fastest lap. Stoffel Vandoorne was the point-scorer instead for setting the fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
^Richie Stanaway set the fastest lap, but did not finish in the top 10, so was ineligible to be the point-scorer for the fastest lap. Mitch Evans was the point-scorer instead for setting the fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
^Johnny Cecotto Jr. set the fastest lap, but did not finish in the top 10, so was ineligible to be the point-scorer for the fastest lap. Norman Nato was the point-scorer instead for setting the fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
^Nathanaël Berthon set the fastest lap, but did not finish in the top 10, so was ineligible to be the point-scorer for the fastest lap. Pierre Gasly was the point-scorer instead for setting the fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
^Marlon Stöckinger set the fastest lap, but did not finish in the top 10, so was ineligible to be the point-scorer for the fastest lap. Alex Lynn was the point-scorer instead for setting the fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
^"2015 Round 4 Preview". GP2 Series. GP2 Motorsport Limited. 18 June 2015. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015. Lazarus is now named "Daiko Team Lazarus".