In the inaugural year of the GP2 series, Nico Rosberg was crowned champion after an intense battle for the title until the final round.
How Nico Rosberg Clinched the GP2 Championship
In 2005, the world of feeder series racing underwent a significant change. That year, what was previously known as the F3000 championship was rebranded and reformatted as the GP2 championship. The new series supported the Formula 1 race weekends.
From the beginning, it was evident that the GP2 championship would be highly competitive. Being the final stepping stone before competing in Formula 1.
However, this competition did not intimidate Nico Rosberg. He turned the tables on Heikki Kovalainen in a year that seemed to be pointing towards the Finn as the likely champion.
A Rocky Start
The season started with a very competitive atmosphere, as four different teams won the first four races. Kovalainen triumphed in the opening race of the year held in Imola. He won the Feature race, taking the lead in the championship standings.
In contrast, Rosberg struggled to find his rhythm throughout the weekend. He managed to secure only one point by finishing in eighth place in the Feature race.
The scenario began to change in the next two races. In Spain, he had a chance to secure a spot on the podium in the Sprint race but finished fourth. It was in Monaco that he finished in third place, his highest score so far.
This marked his first podium of the season and renewed his hope after a turbulent start. Qualifying continued challenging Rosberg, as he struggled to achieve the fastest lap. However, during the race, all of his skills were on full display.
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The First Victory
At the Nürburgring, he achieved his second podium finish. However, the best moment came in the next round in France. At Magny-Cours, he secured a spot on the second row during qualifying. His goal was clear: to aim for victory.
After a disappointing Feature Race, in which he finished in seventh place, the German had his revenge on Sunday. In the Sprint Race, he claimed the long-awaited victory. It allowed him to move from fifth to fourth place in the overall standings.
From this point on, his opponents began to worry. ART Grand Prix seemed to have found the speed necessary to join the championship battle.
This change set the stage for the next round at Silverstone, where Rosberg secured his first pole position in the series. In the Feature Race, he capitalized on this achievement by beating Heikki Kovalainen at the finish line, winning the race.
He repeated this success at Hockenheim, marking his third consecutive victory in three rounds.
Rosberg’s excellent performances significantly impacted the championship standings, and the battle for the title became more intense. He climbed to second place in the standings, trailing Kovalainen. The German aimed to close the gap in the final rounds of the season.
Difficult Situations
In Hungary, Rosberg faced a significant setback in his championship hopes. After securing pole position – his third consecutive pole – both Rosberg and his teammate, Alexandre Premat, were disqualified due to the illegal positioning of the steering rack.
The penalty sent both of them to the back of the grid, making it harder for Rosberg to recover points.
However, in the Sprint Race, Rosberg and Premat were the authors of an impressive comeback. They recovered several positions and finished in first and second place.
Premat was the first to cross the finish line, with the German immediately behind him. This result dealt a considerable blow to Kovalainen’s lead, reducing it to just seven points.
In Istanbul, things appeared more complicated for Rosberg. He started first in the Feature Race but finished out of the points, although he did earn two points for setting the fastest lap. In the Sprint Race, his championship rival recovered ten positions to win.
Despite these challenges, Rosberg turned the situation to his advantage, narrowing the gap in the title race.
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Rosberg is the New Champion
In the next two rounds, Nico Rosberg was able to steal the lead from Kovalainen after a mistake from the Finn at Spa. The Arden International driver spun off on the very last lap of the Feature Race while he was battling for eighth place and pole position for the next day.
The championship was decided in Bahrain. It was the only race in the series not held as a support event for Formula 1.
Rosberg and Kovalainen arrived in Sakhir with only three points separating them, with the tension rising as the hours went by.
Rosberg led since qualifying, holding his nerve and taking pole position for the Feature Race, ahead of Kovalainen by almost seven-tenths. In the Sprint Race, the ART Grand Prix driver secured the title with his victory, aided by Heikki Kovalainen’s third-place finish, which left Kovalainen unable to challenge him further.
The joy for Rosberg didn’t stop there, as he also triumphed in the Sprint Race.
In Bahrain, he had a flawless weekend, demonstrating his dominance from qualifying all the way to the final lap of the Sprint Race, allowing him to become the first-ever GP2 champion.
Stepping Up to Formula 1
Rosberg had a somewhat subdued start in GP2, but he eventually developed professionally and tapped into his full potential. Thanks to Premat and Rosberg’s efforts, ART Grand Prix won the team championship, despite being only recently founded.
Rosberg’s career gained significant momentum with this victory. In April 2005, he was named the test driver for the BMW Williams F1 Team, beating rival Nelson Piquet Jr for the job.
After winning the GP2 title, Williams then offered Rosberg a full-time seat in Formula 1 for the 2006 season.
From GP2 onwards, Rosberg’s career has been crowned with successes, the most significant being the 2016 Formula 1 World Championship with Mercedes.
His career in the feeder series allowed him to improve with each race, and gain a better understanding of how a single seater behaves on a different circuit and how to make the most of its potential.
His determination enabled him to challenge Heikki Kovalainen for the championship title, overtaking him in the standings with just one race remaining, even though Kovalainen had been in control since the first race of the season.
Throughout his time in GP2, Nico Rosberg showed his talent and tenacity, which have always distinguished him in his sporting career.
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