The 2014 GP2 Series season was the forty-eighth season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also tenth season under the GP2 Series moniker, a support series to the 2014 Formula One World Championship. Russian Time were the defending team champions.[1]
In his fourth season in the series, DAMS driver Jolyon Palmer won the championship title after a consistent season, with points-scoring finishes in 20 of the campaign's 22 races. He won four races – joint-most for the season, along with Stoffel Vandoorne and Felipe Nasr – and achieved twelve podium finishes, en route to the title, which he won in Russia.[2] The battle for the runner-up position in the championship standings was not decided until the final race of the season, between Vandoorne and Nasr.[3] It was ultimately settled in favour of Vandoorne, by five points, after a fifth-place finish compared to Nasr's second-place finish. Vandoorne, a rookie in the series after moving from Formula Renault 3.5, had started the season with a victory in his first start in Bahrain,[4] and also won at the Hungaroring, Monza,[5] and Abu Dhabi.[6] After two winless years in the series, Nasr took his first GP2 victory in his 50th start, in Montmeló.[7] He also achieved wins at the Red Bull Ring,[8] Silverstone,[9] and Spa-Francorchamps,[10] before his graduation to Formula One for the 2015 season.[11]
A trio of double race-winners filled positions four, five and six in the final drivers' championship standings. Mitch Evans – driving for defending teams' champions RT Russian Time – was another first-time winner in the series, taking back-to-back feature race victories at Silverstone and Hockenheim, the latter from 15th on the grid. Fifth place went to Johnny Cecotto Jr. for the Trident team, recording his best season in the series, which included victories in Montmeló and Spielberg. Racing Engineering driver Stefano Coletti completed the championship top six, with sprint race victories at Hockenheim and Abu Dhabi. Four other drivers won on one occasion, and for each, was their first GP2 victory. Stéphane Richelmi won the sprint race, for DAMS, on home soil in Monaco, matching Coletti's feat from the previous season. Rookies Arthur Pic (Campos Racing) and Raffaele Marciello (Racing Engineering) won the feature races at the Hungaroring and Spa-Francorchamps respectively, while Marco Sørensen achieved the first victory for MP Motorsport, with sprint race success in Sochi.
DAMS were the winners of the teams' championship for the second time in three seasons – after a similar title sweep with Davide Valsecchi winning the drivers' championship in 2012 – finishing 57 points clear of closest competitors, Carlin. ART Grand Prix finished a further 37 points in arrears, completing the championship top trio.
His rival Sam Bird came through to fourth from ninth on the grid to give Russian Time the teams' title at their first attempt.
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