Tom Dillmann has secured a return to GP2 with new team Russian Time.
The Frenchman had topped the first winter test with Hilmer, another new entrant, before getting the chance to run with the Russian squad at Barcelona this week. Russian Time chief Igor Mazepa believes securing Dillmann gives a squad a shot at the title in its debut year.
"His talent and experience will be key to our objective of taking Russian Time to the top of the standings this season," said Mazepa. "I believe Tom can be a title contender this season. He has what it takes to win from the start."
Russian Time was created when Mazepa acquired iSport's GP2 squad last month. The team is run by Motopark Academy boss Timo Rumpfkeil.
Dillmann was a race winner during a part-season with Rapax last year. He is sure Russian Time's resources will allow it to be a front-runner from the outset.
"They are new to the series, but they have put everything in place to make sure that we are competitive from the start," he said. "I hope that my experience in GP2 will help them even more. I am convinced that we can challenge the other teams and drivers for wins very quickly."
2013 GP2 lineup so far:
DAMS Marcus Ericsson Stephane Richelmi
ART James Calado Daniel Abt
Arden International Johnny Cecotto Jr Mitch Evans
Racing Engineering Fabio Leimer Julian Leal
Carlin Felipe Nasr Jolyon Palmer
Russian Time Tom Dillmann TBA
Caterham Racing Ma Qing Hua TBA
Addax Team Rio Haryanto TBA
Rapax Stefano Coletti TBA
Trident Racing TBA TBA
Hilmer Motorsport TBA TBA
Lazarus GP Rene Binder TBA
MP Motorsport Daniel de Jong Adrian Quaife-Hobbs