In an exclusive Q&A, Jolyon reflects on his fantastic year in GP2, in which he won the championship with a record-breaking points score.

What was key to winning the GP2 Championship?
Being the fastest, most consistent driver and making no mistakes. Our qualifying form was extremely strong, starting 8 out of 11 races from the front row. From there you have a good shot at winning or at least being on the podium which is what you need for a championship run. Then in the sprint races it's all about overtaking and gaining as many positions as possible.

It's also important to have a good team behind you and DAMS gave me a good car every weekend. It ran reliably and the pit stops were all good as well. I really enjoyed working with them this year, I think they helped extract a bit more out of me also.

Did you change your mental or physical approach in any way this year?
No, my mentality for the last couple of years has been to stay relaxed and try my best, there's nothing more you can do. Physically I was probably slightly fitter this year than I have been but I honestly don't think it made any difference to my performance.

Your qualifying performances this year were consistently strong - how did you achieve this?
It's always a difficult session because there is a lot more rubber down than in practice and we are using the option tyres which have a lot more grip but only for one lap normally, this means compared to the last time we were on track we can be up to 3 seconds quicker straight away. My strength was to nail a lap time on the first lap which was always strong. I'm not sure how exactly I did this, DAMS gave me a good car always and I managed to extract a good time from it.

You've earned a reputation as the most prolific overtaker in GP2. What was your best overtake of the year?
My best was in the Sochi feature race I won. Lap 1 I moved from 5th to 2nd in one move, around the outside at turn 5. Sadly it wasn't caught on camera though, it just suddenly showed me up in P2.

Other ones I was pleased with were my moves on Nasr in Hungary because I came from a long way back at turn 1 and there was a lot at stake. At that stage we were championship rivals and it was important to keep finishing ahead of him. Also passing Evans for the lead in Monaco, although I was quicker it is so difficult to overtake there and it was so crucial for the race.

And your best race of the year?
There's too many to choose from this year! The Budapest feature race I loved because I was fighting flat out for the lead with Nasr, the two of us were so much quicker than the rest of the field and we were swapping positions a lot. I had made up from my worst qualifying in 6th, to fight with him who started on pole. In the end with the strategy and the timing of the safety car we only finished 4th and 6th but the race was so tough and enjoyable and ultimately I came out on top!

Also Monaco was special this year, it's a track I love and nobody could get close to us all weekend. I topped practice by 0.3, then qualifying by 0.4. In the race it was hard work because I lost the lead at the start, had to get it back on a track that is so difficult to overtake, then a few times I had the race under control and there were red flags and safety cars which took away all my advantage again. There was a point in the race that I was lapping consistently around a second or more quicker than everybody else... That felt incredible.

Your most treasured memory from the year?
Has to be winning the championship in Sochi. I wasn't expecting to do it in that race because I had to win with Nasr not scoring. He qualified down the order but I was only 4th on the grid. Everything fell into place though for once and I led nearly all of it with Nasr out of the points. The last few laps were tough because I had Mitch Evans breathing down my neck for the win but when I finally saw the chequered flag I was so happy. It was something I had dreamt of to win the championship and to finally achieve it and in style as well with a win was incredible.

You've won a few awards this year too. Have you had time to reflect on your achievements or is your focus fully on a drive for next year?
I have time for everything in winter! With no driving there are other things to do but it is definitely a time to relax and reflect as well as look forward. It's really sunk in now and it's been great to pick up some awards at the end of the year. Being the first Brit to win GP2 since Lewis is fantastic as well. It shows how tough the championship is and the calibre of drivers that win it. A lot of Brits have done well in the past years but none have managed to take the title so I'm happy to have finally added my name to Lewis'.

What has GP2 taught you that will be of value in F1?
GP2 is the perfect feeder for F1. The Pirelli tyres are the hardest thing to get on top of, with high peaks and big degradation. Over my time in GP2 getting the most out of them in both qualifying and races has been a strength of mine which I'm sure will carry into F1.

Then I would say GP2 has prepared me very well mentally for F1. The series is so competitive, that to win a feature race you really have to put everything together...to win a championship even more so. Beating off the toughest competition outside of F1 is obviously the best training for the even tougher competition that lies ahead.

With all next year's F1 race seats apparently taken, would you be prepared to accept a role as a test or reserve driver?
I would but to be honest it would have to be with the right conditions in the right team. I would take a test or reserve role with a view to racing in the future still so it would have to be something that can prepare me as well as possible for this, in a team that provides a good learning environment.

Have you been looking around for a race programme that can fit in with this?
Not at the moment. After winning GP2 F1 is still the main focus. Of course with so few opportunities around at the moment you have to be aware that something might not happen and think of other options but at the moment that is not the focus.