Sergey Sirotkin and Andre Negrao have become the latest two drivers to confirm their participation in this year’s GP2 Series.
Sirotkin, 19, had been a part of Sauber’s junior programme in 2013 and 2014, with the team preparing him for a full F1 debut in a program that included a run-out in practice at last year’s Russian Grand Prix.
In 2014, the Russian youngster finished fifth in Formula Renault 3.5, winning his home race in Moscow. However, he has now decided to switch over to GP2 for 2015 with Rapax.
“I am delighted to have reached an agreement with Team Rapax for the upcoming GP2 Series season,” Sirotkin said. “First of all, I want to thank the team’s owners and executives for the push they made in order to have me on board. The 2015 season will be a crucial one for my career.
“I went through some lengthy considerations about what could be the best possible choice for my future. In post-season testing at Abu Dhabi I enjoyed an excellent chemistry with the GP2 car, as well as with the Rapax engineers and all the team.
“They are extremely focused and aggressive, and that’s something I really like. I cannot wait to be back on-track for testing in a few weeks. The 2015 series will be demanding, but also very interesting.”
Brazil’s Andre Negrao will remain with Arden International for the coming season, racing alongside Norman Nato.
“Last year we achieved our target of scoring points in the second half of the season,” Negrao said, having picked up 31 points in the final eight races of the year. “GP2 is an extremely competitive and professional Series, I had a very good feeling with the whole Arden team so we decided to continue to grow together for the 2015 season.
“I think that staying with the same group of extraordinary professionals – in particular with such a good relationship as the one we have – will pay off with good results. I really look forward to seeing the team in a few weeks and jump back into my car in Abu Dhabi.”
15 of the 26 seats have now been confirmed for the forthcoming season, which is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in years. McLaren junior Stoffel Vandoorne (ART) will head into the new year as the favorite for the title, but he is likely to face stiff opposition from Pierre Gasly (DAMS), Alex Lynn (DAMS) and Raffaele Marciello (Trident).
