It's rare for a rookie to start any season by being tipped for the title, but that's exactly the position in which Romain Grosjean finds himself after dominating the GP2 Asia series this winter.
The 22-year-old Renault test driver won the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2007 and graduated to GP2 straight away in the Asian-based winter championship. That he remained with ART through the transition only helped him to adapt to his new surroundings and he was up to speed by the first race.
It is true that the Asian series shouldn't be compared too directly with the main championship, but a lot of things will stay the same. Reigning champions iSport International run Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok, as they did in the winter.