2005 Bahrain Sprint Race

The 2005 Bahrain Sprint Race, formally known as the 2005 Bahrain GP2 Series Race 2, was the twenty-third and penultimate round of the inaugural 2005 FIA GP2 Series, staged at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Southern Governorate, Bahrain on 30 September 2005. The race would see Nico Rosberg, freshly crowned Champion, create history as the first driver to win both races at a GP2 Series round.

Rosberg would start the race from eighth on the grid after winning the Feature Race, while Ernesto Viso would start from pole after claiming eighth. At the start Viso would sweep into the lead in the sprint to the first corner, while Heikki Kovalainen shot up to challenge for second, only to spin at the first corner and tumble down the field.

As the early laps unfolded the two ARTs began to climb up the field, with Alexandre Prémat leading Rosberg past José María López for fifth and sixth. Rosberg would also muscle past Prémat as he dived past the Argentine, before leading the Frenchman onto the back of Nicolas Lapierre.

Lapierre duly fell to Rosberg a few laps later, with Rosberg then catching and passing Hiroki Yoshimoto to claim third. Another five minutes would pass before he elbowed his way past Giorgio Pantano to claim second, before the German youth swept past Viso to claim the lead shortly after half-distance, having made all of his overtakes into the first corner.

With that Rosberg was away, leaving Viso to sit and wait for the arrival of Prémat, who had shadowed teammate Rosberg's progress up the field. Prémat, knowing he needed second to get into the top three of the Championship, tried the same move on Venezuelan racer as Rosberg had done, although Viso was able to swat the attempt aside.

That settled the race out front, with Rosberg sweeping across the line for his fifth victory of the campaign, matching Kovalainen's tally of victories. Viso kept Prémat to claim second, a result which denied the Frenchman third in the Championship, while López emerged in fourth after a race long brawl among the rest of the top ten. Indeed, Pantano would secure fifth after having a worsening brake issue that held up the rest of the pack, with Yoshimoto claiming the final point in sixth.

Background
The Bahrain International Circuit was unchanged after the Feature Race, with likewise no changes to the weather in the late Bahraini summer. There were likewise no changes to the field ahead of the final race of the inaugural 2005 season, with Ernesto Viso on pole after claiming eighth in the Feature. However, there would be a late revision to the grid, with Olivier Pla unable to start after an engine failure.

Bahraini Bounties
Victory and pole position for Nico Rosberg ensured that the German racer claimed the inaugural 2005 FIA GP2 Series title with a race to spare, having moved onto an unassailable tally of 114 points. That left him nine ahead of Heikki Kovalainen in second, with Finn having to settle for second having led the Championship from the opening round through to the 2005 Spa Feature Race. Scott Speed, meanwhile, would face a final day duel with Alexandre Prémat for third, while Adam Carroll was set to round out the season in fifth.

In the Teams' Championship ART Grand Prix had extended their title winning lead, moving onto 177 points after their third one-two of the season. Arden International, meanwhile, had secured second with their Feature double score, while Super Nova Racing had likewise done enough to claim third with a round to spare. iSport International and Racing Engineering would then round out the top five, with those two set to fight for fourth on the final day.

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:


 * * Pla was unable to start the race due to an engine failure.
 * † Speed started the race from the pitlane.

Results
The final classification of the is displayed below:
 * Italics indicate that a driver set fastest lap.

Milestones

 * 23rd and final race for Juan Cruz Álvarez, Can Artam, Heikki Kovalainen, Mathias Lauda, Nico Rosberg and Scott Speed.
 * Final race for Borja García until the 2007 Bahrain Feature Race.
 * Giorgio Mondini made his tenth and final GP2 start.
 * Nico Rosberg claimed his fifth and final victory.
 * Rosberg became the first GP2 Series driver to win both races in a single race meeting.
 * ART Grand Prix secured their seventh win as an entrant.
 * Speed recorded his fifth and final fastest lap.

Standings
Nico Rosberg ended the 2005 FIA GP2 Series as the inaugural Champion, having claimed 120 points and five victories. Heikki Kovalainen ended the season as runner-up with 105 points and five wins, while Scott Speed finished third on 67.5. That left the American racer half a point ahead of Alexandre Prémat, Adam Carroll completed the top five, with 23 of the 26 drivers having scored in 2005.

In the Teams' Championship it was ART Grand Prix who emerged as the Champions, having scored seven wins and 187 points. Arden International finished second on 126, while Super Nova Racing claimed third on 102. iSport International made it three British teams in the top four ahead of Racing Engineering, with all twelve teams having scored points across the season.