Never got the break

GP2 strikes me as a series which is a stepping stone to F1. That's obvious. But, on top of that, it's not a series you can slog away at for too long. You really need to get into it, impress immediately and get into F1. Otherwise, you may find yourself struggling in the series for a few years. The longer the wait, the smaller chance you get.

So, who in the history of GP2 (and its former F3000) impressed enough to deserve an F1 seat but ultimately never got the break? And who got the break, only to soon revert back to GP2/F3000 with no success in fulfilling a second chance at F1?

Pantano clearly falls into the latter category. Zuber falls into the former, I think. And Bourdais almost did too, since he went straight into Champ Cars after winning the title a decade or so ago. Maldonado, Di Grassi and numerous others are at that stage now, only time will tell if they'll ever get to F1.

But who in the past can you think of?

Clearly Tomas Enge is among the ones who did the break into F1 and impressed in F3000 years. Tom Kristensen also had impressive outings in F3000 too, winning races for midfield teams, before his successful sportscar career.

Every US driver from the mid to late 90s. Such as Robby Gordon, or Bryan
Herta. Especially Herta when he tested a Minardi in 2003. He had sponsors,
but not even a backmarker team would wanted a US driver either. He had
that path.