Who will be the 2011 GP2 runner up?

Grosjean leads the field but who will be best of the rest?

With Romain Grosjean confirmed as 2011 GP2 series champion, the question on everybody’s lips is who will be the runner up?

The significance of second place may not be immediately evident but a glance at the six year history of the series reveals that all previous runners up have secured Formula One drives – Heikki Kovalainen, Nelson Piquet Jr, Lucas di Grassi, Bruno Senna, Vitaly Petrov and last year Sergio Pérez.

While Grosjean has dominated the series this year, the battle behind him has been fierce. Currently leading this battle is Giedo van der Garde. The veteran of three GP2 seasons hasn’t won a race in the series since 2009 but is a regular points scorer and it is this consistency that has put him in the frame for second in the championship. Monza was the scene of his last victory so he is certainly one of the favourites for the crucial second championship position.

Jules Bianchi is a Ferrari test driver and was runner up in this year’s GP2 Asia series behind Grosjean. He trails van der Garde by only one point and is many people’s pick for success at the forthcoming Italian round. Despite suffering a fractured vertebra in 2010 he recovered to take third in that year’s standings and this year hopes to go one better.

Currently in fourth place is another Frenchman, Charles Pic. Despite two wins this year his weakness has been consistency. As van der Garde’s teammate he may find himself at a tactical disadvantage. However he is only seven points away from his teammate so a strong weekend could still secure second position.

Also in the running is Luca Filippi, another driver whose consistency has been his weakness but his two victories have come in a late season streak of improved form so it would be rash to write him off.

Three more drivers have an outside chance, Britain’s Sam Bird, Italy’s Davide Valsecchi and Spain’s Dani Clos. Bird needs at least twelve points from the remaining maximum possible of twenty, Valsecchi needs nineteen and for van der Garde to fail to score and Clos would require a perfect weekend while those ahead of him fail to achieve their points targets to secure the runner up spot.

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