GP2 Series
Spa-Francorchamps, R1
After a couple of tough years, GP2 was back on the up in 2014 and that was in a large part thanks to the addition of some top talent, namely Stoffel Vandoorne and Raffaele Marciello with their respective backing of McLaren and Ferrari.
But not even they were immune to the difficulties of racing in the series as a rookie. However, difficult weather conditions often help bring raw talent to the fore, and Spa-Francorchamps can always be relied upon to provide some of the wet stuff.
The 2014 feature race saw a downpour of biblical proportions in the early laps, triggering a red flag and providing the setting for an epic duel between Vandoorne and Marciello.
The Belgian driver led much of the race after claiming pole position at his home circuit ? the first of a record four-event string of poles. Marciello was up from fourth to second by lap ten, and although Vandoorne was nearly five seconds up the road, Marciello kept up with him until the Belgian made the decision to make his mandatory pitstop on lap 17.
Marciello stayed on track for another couple of laps, and while his rival struggled to get his tyres up to temperature, the Italian was able to rejoin from his stop significantly closer.
He was right on his tail when Vandoorne ran deep at the final chicane, and despite the ART driver?s best attempts to defend his lead, Marciello stole first place away at Rivage on lap 23 of 25 to win the race. The rest of the field finished more than a half a minute down the road.
The tricky conditions made for plenty of racing throughout the field, but while many GP2 races are exciting for the sheer amount of action, this was great for a different reason. Too often, great races are soured by successes for drivers who aren?t exciting enough, and who haven?t got the potential to be F1 superstars.
Because that?s what GP2 should be about. So it was brilliant to have a one-on-one duel between the two most exciting prospects to grace the series for years, on probably the most challenging circuit on a typically slippery surface. With their dominance over the field, this was the day that Vandoorne and Marciello really announced their arrival.
Peter Allen