Auto GP champion Adrian Quaife-Hobbs has secured a seat on this year’s GP2 grid with MP Motorsport.
The British driver has been chasing a seat in the Formula 1 feeder series after winning the Auto GP title at the first attempt last year with five wins driving for the Super Nova team. Prior to that he spent two years in GP3 with the Marussia Manor squad, finishing fifth in the standings in 2012.
He enjoyed strong test showings in GP2 at the end of 2012 with Addax and Arden, but will now join Daniel De Jong at the Dutch MP team, which has taken the place of Coloni in GP2.
?I?m delighted to finally be able to announce my plans for 2013, which have been a long time coming,? said 22-year-old Quaife-Hobbs, who was unveiled at the team?s official launch. ?I?ve raced against MP Motorsport in AutoGP and naturally I know many of the personnel who came over from the Coloni team, so I?m looking forward to working with them all again.
?We had a very good finish to 2012, with two strong performances in GP2 testing, so I cannot see why we can?t build on those results as we head into the first of two pre-season tests in Spain. Looking ahead to the season, naturally I have to aim to win, as all drivers do, although I appreciate it?s going to be a tough challenge. The competition is always strong in GP2 and I?m sure this year will be no exception.?
Team principal Sander Dorsman added: ?Signing Adrian to partner Daniel in GP2 really is a great coup for us, he?s held in very high regard by a lot of people and his performances in Auto GP last year proved what a really talented racer he is.?