Home Formula 2 Quaife-Hobbs “quite close” to GP2 deal

Quaife-Hobbs “quite close” to GP2 deal

by Peter Allen

Photo: Malcolm Griffiths/GP2 Series Media Service

Auto GP champion Adrian Quaife-Hobbs?has said that he is not far from securing a place on the GP2 Series grid this year.

Speaking to Henry Hope-Frost on stage at the Autosport International show in Birmingham, the Englishman said that GP2 is the only category in consideration for his 2013 campaign but that budget is preventing him signing on the dotted line just yet.

“We’re trying for GP2,” he said. “After the testing, that’s where we want to be. We’re speaking to quite a few teams at the moment, and there’s less than half of the grid signed at the moment, so it’s not really a rush and we’ve got another six or seven weeks until we need to go to testing.”

On the subject of budget, he said: “That’s what’s holding us back from signing the deal at the moment but we’re working on it and we’re quite close. That’s where we want to be and that’s where we’re putting all our effort into being.

“When you go to GP2 you’re really in the next step, you’re all there because you’re trying to be in Formula 1. If you can prove yourself and deliver the results on an F1 weekend with everyone watching then that’s clearly where you need to be.

“There’s not another plan because that’s where we’re all aiming to be and we’re quite close for GP2 and it’s where I need to be next year.”

Quaife-Hobbs showed well testing with Addax and Arden at the end of last year, although it’s unclear whether seats remain available at either of those teams. iSport could be a good alternative following Jolyon Palmer’s move to Carlin.