This weekend in Barcelona marks the start of the fifth season of the GP2 Series, now generally seen as the strongest feeder category for Formula 1.

On April 23rd 2004 the first season of the GP2 Series kicked off in Imola, starting one of motorsport's most exciting ventures. As the series celebrates its fifth anniversary we look forward to providing ever more excitement for our fans, as the best young drivers in the world fight for their place alongside the cream of racing talent in Formula 1.

Following on from last year's successful launch of the second generation car, 2009 sees the GP2 Series pick up where it left off. The GP2 Series organisers had just two considerations in mind when they were working on the 2009 update kit: will any changes improve the package, and will they be economical to run. Given the current economic climate the second issue is an obvious consideration, while the first issue leads to the second as well: the update had to avoid change just for the sake of change.

The GP2 Series technical team considered a number of tweaks, but soon made their first major decision: no modifications will be made to the aerodynamic configuration or suspension, which left the team free to work on a new engine specification. This evolution has been studied since 2007, and takes advantage of the information gained from the last four years of racing. Winter testing proved the enhancements were correct, with the teams enjoying an increase in the power, usability and reliability of their cars.

Once again the championship opens in Barcelona, Spain when the Formula One circus opens their European season: this event will be the first of nine weekends as the official Formula One support series in 2009. For the first time since the start of the GP2 Series there will not be a mid-season test: this decision was made in conjunction with the teams on the basis of controlling costs. The season will close at our one stand-alone event of the season, mid-September in Portimao, Portugal, which will mark the first time that the GP2 Series has raced in Portugal.

And so, this weekend, a new season begins in Barcelona where twenty-six drivers, including eleven GP2 race winners and nine rookies, will compete for the first win of the season.

No	Driver	Nat	Team
1	Vitaly Petrov	RUS	Barwa Intl Campos Team
2	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Barwa Intl Campos Team
3	Giedo van der Garde	NED	iSport International
4	Diego Nunes	BRZ	iSport International
5	Roldan Rodriguez	ESP	Piquet GP
6	Alberto Valerio	ITA	Piquet GP
7	Lucas di Grassi	BRZ	Fat Burner Racing Engineering
8	Dani Clos	ESP	Fat Burner Racing Engineering
9	Pastor Maldonado	VEN	ART Grand Prix
10	Nico Hulkenberg	D	ART Grand Prix
11	Sergio Perez	MEX	Telmex Arden Intl
12	Edoardo Mortara	ITA	Telmex Arden Intl
14	Luca Filippi	ITA	Super Nova Racing
15	Javier Villa	ESP	Super Nova Racing
16	Jerome D'Ambrosio	BEL	DAMS
17	Kamui Kobayashi	JAP	DAMS
18	Ricardo Teixeira	POR	Trident Racing
19	Davide Rigon	ITA	Trident Racing
20	Andi Zuber	UAE	Fisichella Motor Sport Intl
21	Luis Razia	BRZ	Fisichella Motor Sport Intl
22	Davide Valsecchi	ITA	Durango
23	Nelson Panciatici	FRA	Durango
24	Karun Chandhok	IND	Ocen Racing Technology
25	Alvaro Parente	POR	Ocen Racing Technology
26	Michael Herck	ROM	DPR
27	Giacomo Ricci	ITA	DPR