FIA plans to resurrect Formula Two

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anti-net

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From Autosport.com

The FIA has announced a shock decision to resurrect the Formula Two name from 2009 as an 'inexpensive' platform for aspiring driver talent as a stepping stone for Formula One.

In a statement following Wednesday's FIA World Council meeting in Paris, the sport's governing body has invited tenders for the new low-cost feeder series.

The statement read: "The FIA will invite tenders for a new feeder series for Formula One. This championship, called Formula Two, would be launched in 2009 and used as an inexpensive platform to develop emerging driver talent for Formula One. It is hoped this can be achieved within a budget of around ?200,000 a car per season."

How the FIA hopes to achieve running costs of around ?200,000 per car per season remains to be seen. The target figure is significantly lower than it costs to compete in the current traditional ladder series - GP2 Series and F3.

It is not clear if the intention is to run the series as a support race for F1, or even if it is being introduced as a replacement on the bill for GP2, which costs around ?1.5m per season to run a car. Or indeed, whether it would co-exist alongside the second-string category that replaced F3000 in 2004.

One current GP2 team boss told autosport.com: "Our cars actually cost ?190,000, and that's without the engines. If it's a junior formula, like Formula Ford or something, then fine, but you cannot run anything substantial for that kind of money. For example, a Formula BMW costs just under ?300,000 to run per car in Europe, and that's with zero margin.

"I can't think what cars they expect to run for ?200,000, because there are people spending that kind of money in karting in Europe."

The use of the name F2 could be seen as a clear provocation against Bernie Ecclestone, showing that the FIA is willing to set-up their own championships and are ready to go up against a series that is backed by the commercial rights holder, and is partly financed by CVC.
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So...what's going to happen to GP2? Also ?200,000 won't get you much in motorsport to be honest.
 
Firing the first salvo in a war? LOL!

That does seem very cheap. It also seems kinda late for starting in 2009. Wouldn't contracts for the support races next year already be signed?
 
One word: WHY?

There's GP2 which is obviously not FIA's series but it's working really well, great races, exciting championship, the fans love it more than they loved Formula 3000, and obviously there have been great drivers in GP2 (Hamilton, Rosberg, Kovalainen, Piquet, Glock, Speed and Nakajima all got into F1 within 3 years - you didn't get that in F3000).
Formula 2 and GP2 would not work properly at the same time, and if they finish GP2 I'll be very sad...
 
I really can't see how they'd get it up and running for 2009. The cost-reduction idea is great in theory, but in practice costs would just blow out as top teams push each other and throw more money around.

In short - nice idea, but don't really see the point.
 
Crazy. This looks like the start of a Max v Bernie fight. Max has already started to challenge Bernie by trying to get a new Concord Agreement where the teams get up to 75% of the TV money, something that would screw up Bernie and the F1 rights holders.

This new is F2 is a shot a Bernie. Seems daft to have GP2 and F2.
 
^^Yeah, seems right to me...there is something more to this...
 
Yeah, it's a clear cut Max V Bernard thing.

You can barely even run a Formula BMW team for 200k these days, and that is including a cashcow of a paydriver involved in the team.
 
FIA plans to review F1 organisation

Wednesday, 25 June 2008 17:07

The FIA has upped the ante in its stand-off with Bernie Ecclestone by announcing plans to review how Formula 1 is governed.

After a meeting of its World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Wednesday, the FIA said it would be consulting teams on changes to the way F1 is run in future.

The move comes after a bout of megaphone diplomacy between Ecclestone and FIA president Max Mosley over how Formula 1?s multi-million pound revenues should be distributed.

Ecclestone wants the FIA?s signature on a new Concorde Agreement along the same lines as the recently lapsed one, whereas Mosley wants more revenue to go the teams and less to Ecclestone?s Formula One Management company.

Ecclestone has argued that the governing body has no right to ?interfere? in commercial matters and warned that the European Commission would intervene if it sought to do so.

However, the FIA believes its undertakings to the EU do not preclude it from trying to ensure that more of the sport?s revenues are recycled to the teams.

It said in a statement issued on Wednesday: ?The FIA will enter into a wide-ranging consultation with the Formula 1 teams to examine plans for improved efficiency, including new technical regulations for the championship.

?This will also involve a review of the governance of Formula 1.?

In what Ecclestone is likely to see as a further act of provocation, the FIA also announced plans to set up a new low-budget feeder category for F1 in direct competition to the GP2 Series which he conceived along with Renault boss Flavio Briatore.

The FIA said its proposed new championship ? which would revive the old Formula 2 name ? was needed to provide a more affordable route for talented young drivers lacking funds.

?The FIA will invite tenders for a new feeder series for Formula 1,? the statement said.

?This championship, called Formula 2, would be launched in 2009 and used as an inexpensive platform to develop emerging driver talent for Formula 1.

?It is hoped this can be achieved within a budget of around ?200,000 a car per season.?

The governing body has also floated the possibility of increasing the entry fee charged to F1 teams to cover the cost of the safety and organisational systems it provides.

Although it is only raising the fee by a small amount for 2009, it plans to discuss potential additional charges with the teams.

?Applications from teams wishing to compete in the 2009 championship must be submitted to the FIA during the period 1 to 31 July 2008 inclusive," said the FIA statement.

?The team entry fee for the 2009 championship will be ?309,000 [the 2008 fee plus a three per cent increase in line with inflation].

?The FIA will launch a consultation with the Formula 1 teams for the introduction of further fees to cover improved safety systems and equipment at every grand prix.?
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Source

Bernie vs Max, place your bets!!
 
Launching the series in 2009 does not necessarily mean they'd race next year. In any case, that would be an impossible equation unless the series would use existing machinery.

In any case, I don't see this happening. FIA can't be stupid enough to start a figth against GP2 just as the series has somewhat filled the void the old F2 left and F3000 never really fulfilled. Not that it would be the first time FIa would prove me wrong in that respect. I'm guessing this is only politics and we are in for an interesting year as far as that side of the sport goes, as sad as it is that the politics are once again stealing the limelight from actual racing.

Joc? said:
There's GP2 which is obviously not FIA's series but it's working really well, great races, exciting championship, the fans love it more than they loved Formula 3000, and obviously there have been great drivers in GP2 (Hamilton, Rosberg, Kovalainen, Piquet, Glock, Speed and Nakajima all got into F1 within 3 years - you didn't get that in F3000).
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I'll correct you a bit on here if I may :)

The current field incldues some notable drivers who took the F3000 route, including Nick Heidfeld (2000), Fernando Alonso (2001), Felipe Massa (2002) and Mark Webber (2002). So F3000 wasn't shabby proving ground either, although it was never in as visible role as GP2 is these days.
 
wtf? We have too many series already, I can't follow everything!

Theres F1
There's A1GP soon
There's GP2

etc...
 
I don't buy the pricepoint. I know what it costs to run a mere Spec Racer on a club racing budget, and it's a sizeable chunk of money. For something like "F2" I'd expect the tyre budget alone to be 30,000 euro a year.

Steve
 
200K a car, I really wonder how they are going to do it? Maybe Max is going to buy all the 2007 champ cars. I hope this doesn't harm GP2, but I have a feeling its just a threat.
 
Hazardous said:
I'll correct you a bit on here if I may :)

The current field incldues some notable drivers who took the F3000 route, including Nick Heidfeld (2000), Fernando Alonso (2001), Felipe Massa (2002) and Mark Webber (2002). So F3000 wasn't shabby proving ground either, although it was never in as visible role as GP2 is these days.
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Heidfeld and Webber really were significant in F3000, but as far as I know Massa only raced in F3000 Euro Series (not the main F3000) while Alonso's performance in 2000 wasn't really overwhelming (he finished 4th with 17 points - series champion Bruno Junqueira scored 48 points).
 
Joc? said:
Heidfeld and Webber really were significant in F3000, but as far as I know Massa only raced in F3000 Euro Series (not the main F3000) while Alonso's performance in 2000 wasn't really overwhelming (he finished 4th with 17 points - series champion Bruno Junqueira scored 48 points).
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to add to the list of ex F3000 drivers, there are also Sebastian Bourdais and Juan Pablo Montoya... who ended up in Champcar before finding their ways back into F1 (and off to America gain in the case of JPM).

and a bunch that couldn't find their ways back then into F1 and still hasn't now, and is not going to, has ended up in America...
 
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FIA reveals further F2 plans

Saturday, 12 July 2008 20:01

The FIA has revealed further details about its planned Formula 2 series, while also opening the tender process for the championship.

F1?s governing body made the surprise announcement last month that it was to revive the F2 name via a new low-cost feeder category from 2009, a move it says is necessary to provide a more affordable route for talented young drivers lacking funds to reach F1.

It has now said in a statement that the tender process is open for manufacturers to bid to become the exclusive supplier of the single-seater series for the years 2009-2011, along with announcing the schedule for its inaugural season.

The proposed championship, which seems to be a direct rival to the Bernie Ecclestone-backed GP2 Series, will comprise 10 events in Europe between April and September.

Unlike GP2, however, each weekend will last just two days (Saturday and Sunday) and include one hour each of free practice and qualifying and a single race of about 175km (109 miles).

There will also be six official one-day testing events, with three coming before the season?s first race and a further three during the campaign.

The FIA reiterated that it hoped the cost to a competitor competing in the championship, including all official tests and events, to be around ?200,000 per car per season.

However it added that no minimum or maximum price would need to be indicated in this tender.

Bids by interested parties have to be submitted by 29 August 2008, with the FIA to notify the winning bider on 8 September.

In a separate document, which includes a further summary and draft technical regulations, the FIA said that competitors would be allowed to enter up to two drivers in the championship, but must enter for the entire season.

It added that its preliminary view was that for the championship to go ahead there would need to be a minimum of 14 cars on the grid.

There was no mention, however, whether the planned F2 series would run alongside next year?s F1 championship ? a status GP2 currently enjoys.

There are exactly 10 European races on the provisional 2009 F1 calendar, although none are in April when the F2 season is scheduled to start.
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Source
 
Sure 200K Euros makes it a bit easier to enter, but without stricter regulations it'll make it damned near impossible for privateers to compete since its quite likely F1 teams will dump money into it. If they want it to be easier to access than GP2 why wouldn't they keep thing as equal as possible?

Also - GP2 v. Formula 2 war? If Bernie loses I'll be happy. Bastard has been raping F1 since 1980.
 
That means Mosley will win. Which is just as bad.
 
Also - GP2 v. Formula 2 war? If Bernie loses I'll be happy. Bastard has been raping F1 since 1980.
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I think it's the other way around... the FIA has been raping F1, and whenever Bernie gets down to getting something done, it gets done...

Sure, his motives are to mint money off F1, but he hasn't done the sport any "harm" as such...
 
WTCC and BTCC and DTM is where its at

even ALMS, and the various other GT champs (British GT is the best) are much more fun to watch. not sure how much they cost tho
 
mclarensmps said:
I think it's the other way around... the FIA has been raping F1, and whenever Bernie gets down to getting something done, it gets done...

Sure, his motives are to mint money off F1, but he hasn't done the sport any "harm" as such...
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I don't know what sort of pills your on, but going back and watching the highlights of the 1970s and 1980s seasons can quickly change anyone's mind about F1 being more "entertaining". Even the early 90s were gold. But now? Ugh.
 
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