2005 Istanbul Sprint Race

The 2005 Istanbul Sprint Race, formally known as the 2005 Istanbul GP2 Series Race 2, was the seventeenth race of the 2005 FIA GP2 Series, staged at Istanbul Park in Istanbul, Marmara, Turkey on 21 August 2005. The race, held in support of the I Türkiye Grand Prix'si, would see Heikki Kovalainen extend his Championship lead with victory.

Hiroki Yoshimoto would start the race from pole position after finishing eighth in the Feature Race, and would share the front row with Adam Carroll. However, they would have to wait to make their getaway at the start of the race, after the start was delayed due to a heavy shower as the field assembled on the grid.

After a fifteen minute delay the field were finally released from the grid, although Carroll stalled and would drop to the back of the grid. That gifted Yoshimoto the chance to claim the lead unopposed, only for a miserable start for the Japanese racer instead allowing José María López and Scott Speed to charge through to claim the lead.

Yoshimoto's hopes took a further blow when he skated wide at the first corner to drop further down the field, while a slide for López gifted Speed the lead. Elsewhere, another slide for Yoshimoto caught Alexandre Prémat and Giorgio Pantano out and hence allowed Kovalainen to jump up three spaces, while Nico Rosberg streaked up from seventeenth to eighth.

Indeed, slides on a greasy surface would be the order of the day in the early stages, with Yoshimoto miraculously climbing back into second, while Kovalainen and Rosberg fought over fifth. Furthermore the rain would stop and the circuit rapidly begin to dry, with a visible dry line having developed by lap ten, forcing drivers to seek wetter tarmac to preserve their tyres.

As the conditions improved Pantano became the first driver to stop for slicks on lap eleven, while Kovalainen stopped a lap later from sixth. They quickly began lighting up the timing screens as, out front, Yoshimoto was harassing Speed for all he was worth with forcing Speed into making his own stop for slicks along with Rosberg.

BCN Competición opted to gamble in this moment, keeping both Yoshimoto and Ernesto Viso, running one-two, out on their wet tyres with seven laps to go, hoping they had enough margin over the rest of the field. Ultimately, however, that gamble faltered as Kovalainen came charging through with ease in the closing stages, with the rest of the top ten soon passing the struggling BCNs.

With that the race was run, with Kovalainen claiming victory eight seconds clear of Adam Carroll, having also narrowly missed out on recording the fastest lap. Rosberg then completed the podium after a late move on Speed, while Borja García and Nelson Piquet Jr. completed the scorers.

Background
The new Istanbul Park circuit would be unmodified ahead of the second FIA GP2 Series race of the weekend, with the field likewise unchanged. Indeed, there would be no late revisions to the grid, with Hiroki Yoshimoto set to start the race from pole, having finished eighth in the Feature Race.

History Heroics
Heikki Kovalainen had seen his lead reduced after the first battle of Istanbul, although the Finn still held a five point margin. Indeed, Nico Rosberg had only been able to chip away at Kovalainen's advantage after his mechanical issue, otherwise he had been set to overhaul the Finn's tally. Behind, Scott Speed had maintained his status as the dark horse ahead of Alexandre Prémat, both still over twenty points behind, while Neel Jani completed the top five.

In the Teams' Championship it was ART Grand Prix who once again extended their advantage, having moved onto 127 points for the season. They hence increased their lead over Arden International to 35 points midway through the Istanbul meeting, while Super Nova Racing had inched closer to their compatriots in third. Otherwise there had been no major changes to the overall order in the Teams' Championship, although BCN Competición had moved back ahead of Durango in their fight for tenth.

Entry List
The full entry list for the is displayed below:

Grid
The grid for the Sprint Race was formed from the finishing positions from the Feature Race, with the top eight reversed as per-FIA GP2 Series rules:


 * * Carroll stalled on the formation lap, but would start the race from the back of the grid after getting his car fired again.

Results
The final classification of the is displayed below:
 * Italics indicate that a driver set fastest lap.
 * * Artam, Pla and Monfradini were handed ten second time penalties for failing to change their tyres on the grid after the circuit was declared wet.

Milestones

 * First FIA GP2 Series race to be staged in wet conditions.
 * Fourth victory for Heikki Kovalainen.
 * Arden International claimed their fourth win as an entrant.

Standings
Once again, Heikki Kovalainen had undone the damage from a Feature Race to his Championship lead, with the Finn's victory restoring his advantage to seven points. Indeed, a podium finish for Nico Rosberg had only allowed the German youth to pace the Finn leaving Istanbul, with those two set to duel for the crown over the remaining three rounds. Behind Scott Speed had lost more ground to the leaders in third along with Alexandre Prémat, while Adam Carroll had moved back into the top five.

In the Teams' Championship there had been very little change to the overall order, with ART Grand Prix still holding a healthy 33 point lead. Indeed, Arden International had only been able to chip away at the French squad's advantage by two points in the Istanbul Sprint, and hence would need a strong result in Monza if they were to remain a threat. Behind, Super Nova Racing had only managed to pace the leaders, and would likely fall out of the Championship hunt in Italy if they failed to outscore ART.