GP2 set for Super Racing bill

Renault-backed GP2 replaces the Grand Prix-supporting International Formula 3000 championship this season but Formula 1's growing trend for holding rounds outside of Europe means that GP2, which wants to hold 12-14 rounds, is being forced to look away from the F1 bill.

Satellite television channel Eurosport, which is a major shareholder in the Super Racing Weekend package which hosts FIAT GTs and the ETCC, has admitted it is in talks with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone about adding as many as five GP2 races to its '05 calendar.

Eurosport boss Angelo Codignoni revealed the plan at the SRW launch last week. He said: "GP2 won't always be able to race with F1 because there may not even be 10 grands prix in Europe in the future and it would be too expensive to do the flyaway races. If extra races are needed, it makes sense for it to come on the SRW package."

GP2 manager Bruno Michel said: "We will be racing with F1 at most of the European grands prix, but there is no number set in stone. We could, for example, end up having eight races with grands prix and four elsewhere."

The move away from an all-F1 calendar appears to have some support from potential GP2 entrants like DAMS and David Price Racing.