Hilmer Motorsport absent from GP2 season opener

Hilmer Motorsport will miss the opening round of the 2015 GP2 Series which is set to take place this weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit.

The German team has completed a thorough pre-season testing schedule and were present at the final winter test in Bahrain earlier this month. Nick Yelloly and Nigel Melker drove for the team in Bahrain, with Melker topping the morning timesheets on the third day.

Headed by team principal Franz Hilmer, the team made its debut in GP2 in 2013 after replacing Ocean Racing Technology on the grid. Hilmer Motorsport has scored multiple race wins and podium finishes in its two years in the Formula 1 support series. Since 2014 it has acted as the official GP2 team of Force India and raced in similar car colours as the F1 squad.

Hilmer Motorsport also expanded into GP3 last year but for 2015 has chosen to focus solely on GP2, handing its GP3 grid entry slot to Campos Racing. The team is still yet to announce its driver line up and will not race in Bahrain, which has been confirmed by GP2 Series officials.