The GP2 Series today announces that the second generation of the championship, which will run between 2008 and 2010, will be composed of the same 13 teams which completed the 2007 season.

Despite many strong proposals from teams currently competing in a number of formulae, the level of performance shown by the existing teams, their stability, their loyalty and the sense of community which has been built up over the course of the first three seasons of the GP2 Series, was deemed too strong to be broken. 2008-2010 GP2 Series Teams (in alphabetical order) Arden International ART Grand Prix BCN Competicion Campos Grand Prix Dams DPR Durango Fisichella Motorsport International iSport International Minardi Piquet Sports Racing Engineering Super Nova Racing Trident Racing Q&A – Bruno Michel: GP2 Series Organiser Q : Bruno, please explain how you came to the decision to keep the existing teams in place for 2008.

Bruno Michel: The decision was a very difficult one to make and came after a long selection process. From an initial application of over 30 entries for the 13 team slots in the GP2 Series, we whittled the number down first  to  25,  and  then  to  20  serious  contenders. 

These  final  20  proposals  were  subjected  to  a  number  of checks regarding the teams’ sporting history, their financial stability, proposed sponsorship foundation and ability to market both themselves and the series.

Although making such a decision was incredibly difficult, as a series organiser it was a remarkably fulfilling experience to see so many strong proposals. It shows just how far the GP2 Series has come in three years, and just how much people want to be a part of it. Q: With so many strong proposals, why did you decide to stick with the existing teams? Bruno: First of all, I believe that the 13 teams of the GP2 Series have done a very good job over the last three  years.  This  season,  for  example,  we  saw  ten  different  teams  winning  races. 

Those  who  did  not manage  to  make  the  top  step  of  the  podium  however  have  shown  through  their  proposals  that  they  are seriously  committed  to  making  that  step  forward  and  are  putting  all  the  necessary  changes  in  place  to consistently challenge at the front in the second generation. Second, from a financial point of view, every one of the existing teams has finished the first generation of the GP2  Series  in  a  stronger  financial  position  from  when  they  started.  It  is  a  testament  to  the  work  of  the existing teams that all those who started this adventure with us in 2005 were still racing in 2007 and wanted to remain with us until 2010. Third, loyalty.

The GP2 Series has become something of a community and at this moment I feel I should be loyal towards the teams who have believed in this series from the beginning. Q: Are you worried that by not instigating an element of promotion and relegation in the GP2 Series, you  risk  complacency  from  the  active  teams,  whilst  also  putting  off  other  teams  from  entering proposals in the future?  

BM: Not at all, because this element of promotion and relegation will be raised again at the end of the 2010 season. Just because we have decided to keep the current teams on board for the second generation does not mean the same thing will happen for the third generation. As I outlined earlier, our reasons for keeping the existing teams on board were three-fold.

Those teams who may in the public domain be deemed to have underperformed have committed themselves to improve their weaknesses and I am quite confident that this will happen and make the GP2 Series even stronger than before. To those we have selected, I wish every success, but I want to take this moment to thank all the teams who entered proposals and who were not selected. It was a tough task, made all the more difficult by the strength of their proposals and their very real desire to be a part of the series. To them I say, ‘Your time will come.'