ABU DHABI // Yas Marina Circuit will not host a round of the GP2 Series next year, but will feature instead two separate rounds of the championship's Asian offshoot.
The final race of the 2010 GP2 season featured on the support schedule for Formula One's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 13 and 14, but will not take place next year after the calendar was reduced to nine rounds, all of which will be raced in Europe.
Abu Dhabi joined the calendar for the first time last season, but will next year see Yas Marina host the opening round of the expanded 2012 GP2 Asia Series, instead. The Emirate will also, in February, host the opening round of the shorter, more compact, 2011 Asian championship.
The GP2 series next year starts in Istanbul on May 7 and climaxes on September 11 at Monza. Thirteen teams will compete in the series, with newcomers Team Air Asia, from Malaysia, the only representatives from outside Europe.
Jerome d'Ambrosio earlier this week became the third driver from last season's GP2 to graduate to F1. The 25-year-old Belgian replaces Lucas di Grassi at Marussia Virgin Racing and will partner Timo Glock in next season's championship.
D'Ambrosio joins Sergio Perez and Pastor Maladonado as F1 rookies after Perez, of Mexico, joined Sauber and Maldonado, the Venezuelan, was signed to Williams. All three took part in the Abu Dhabi Young Driver Test following the conclusion of the F1 season last month.
