The GP2 Asia Series will begin in January 2008, and in its first season will include five weekends of racing, including two events as the support race at Formula One Grands Prix.

The 2008 Calendar begins in January with two tests (18-19 January, 22-23 January), at the Dubai Autodrome - the circuit at which the GP2 Asia Series will be based. The second of these tests will back onto the inaugural GP2 Asia Series race weekend, as we join the Speedcar Series for the first Grand Racing event (25-26 January). The second race of the season will take place in the second full week of February (15-16) at the Sentul Circuit in Indonesia, again forming part of a Grand Racing weekend.

From here, there will be a one month break before the GP2 Asia Series links up with Formula One for the Grands Prix in Malaysia (20-23 March) and Bahrain (3-6 April). One week after Bahrain, the series will return to its base in Dubai for its season finale and the final Grand Racing event of 2008 (11-12 April).

The teams who will compete in the 2008 GP2 Asia Series will be those who have taken part in the 2007 GP2 Series with one exception, as one of Asia's biggest and most successful outfits Meritus takes the place of Racing Engineering.

Bruno Michel: GP2 Asia Series Organiser: "One of the reasons for the creation of the GP2 Asia Series has been to ensure that the excitement of the GP2 concept is taken around the world. In order to do this however, we were very aware that the heightened cost integral in such an expansion would have gone against one of our principal values. As such, a separate series in Asia, with operations based in the region, has been the perfect method by which such an expansion could be realized. By splitting GP2 into the GP2 Main Series and GP2 Asia Series, we will ensure that teams and drivers can take part in both championships, without suffering the large costs which would have come with one pan-continental championship.

"We will have five races in the first year of the GP2 Asia Series, with this number increasing to eight in 2009. As the Formula One World Championship extends its reach into Asia, we will race at an increasing number of Grands Prix to bring the excitement of GP2 and the high level of competition and technology of the series to the new motorsport markets.

"We received many requests from teams around the world to be entered into the GP2 Asia Series, but we have given priority to the existing teams of the GP2 Series to reward them for their hard work and loyalty. I have been delighted to see that, almost without exception, all of the existing teams have displayed their commitment and faith in this new venture, and we are all very excited and really looking forward to the start of the championship."

Team Entry List (alphabetical order)

Arden International
ART Grand Prix
BCN Competicion
Campos Grand Prix
Dams
DPR
Durango
FMS International
iSport International
Meritus Racing
Minardi Piquet Sports
Super Nova International
Trident Racing

2008 Calendar

18th–19th January - Dubai (test)
GP2 Asia Series

22nd–23rd January - Dubai (test)
GP2 Asia Series

25th-26th January - Dubai
GP2 Asia Series – Grand Racing Weekend

15th-16th February - Indonesia (subject to circuit approval by FIA)
GP2 Asia Series – Grand Racing Weekend

22nd–23rd March - Malaysia
GP2 Asia Series – Formula One World Championship Support Event

5th–6th April - Bahrain
GP2 Asia Series – Formula One World Championship Support Event

11th–12th April - Dubai
GP2 Asia Series – Grand Racing Weekend