GP2, GP3 and Why Moto GP Have Got It Right
Name 5 international Motorbike series that lead into Moto GP? Now I’m the first to say that I don’t know a huge amount about bikes but the most I can name is 2; 125cc and 250cc (now called Moto 2). Ok, so now name 5 international car series that lead into Formula 1? Ah well thats easy! GP2, GP2 Asia, Formula Renault 3.5, Formula Two, International Formula Master (IFM), GP3 as well as Auto GP, Euro F3, Formula BMW Europe, quite a few American series and I’m sure that I have forgotten some others too.
Over the past few years, with the invention of IFM in 2007, Formula Two last year and GP3 this year, there has been an increase in people in the motorsport community who say that there are too many single seater series. As they’ve given their reasons I’ve usually disagreed and then moved on only to find another series coming through only to have the same arguments all over again a year later. However I think GP3 has been the straw that’s broken this camels back (so to speak) but not necessarily in a bad way, it’s really made me wonder, are there too many single seater series?
Credit: Drew Gibson/GP3 Media Service
I think looking to Moto GP for the answer to this question is a good start, the guys and girls who are looking to move up to Moto GP almost always look to the 125cc class and then 250cc class and with good reasons; they follow the same circuits, the same bike-circus, they get used to how the meetings run and how Moto GP works. Not only this but in Britain atleast the television rights holders show these support races as well as the main Moto GP race, maybe not always on the main channels but it’s always there and always free. This is a bug bear of mine for the current crop of Formula 1 feeder series, every week I want to watch them and most weeks I struggle to find a feed on the internet that shows them, being one of the many people who dosen’t own a satellite or cable package I often miss seeing a race live. Credit where it’s due, Formula Two in the past 2 years have been very good, putting their Eurosport feed on their website along with live timing and this is to be applauded but when it comes to wanting to watch Renault 3.5, Formula 3 or even GP2 which is at the same events as Formula 1, well the series don’t do themselves any favours.
The more I think about this the more it makes sense, whilst yes there are places for alot of the series we currently see is it not just diluting the crop of drivers that one would race against on their way to Formula 1. It’s quite possible and not uncommon for a great driver to get from leaving karting to high level international motorsport or even Formula 1 without racing against some talent of equal measure. Not only does it make it incredibly hard for a driver to work out where the next step is, but for a driver who wants to have a learning year in a championship before making a title fight, especially in international series, it makes keeping your name above the rest almost impossible.
So the logical step is to say in a perfect world, what would the best thing be? The answer to my mind is to straight out copy Moto GP, GP2 and GP3 do as they are and follow Formula 1 events with a slow reduction in other series of the same level. Now there is only one reason to my mind as to why this would never happen, naturally it’s money, the reason Formula Two came about was because it’s cheaper than GP2, GP3 is cheaper than Formula 3 and so on. Now following my slight jumping of the gun when F2 was announced, I’m going to reserve my judgement of GP3 until I see the field next year as certain series have grids that are lacking some decent talents after the initial buzz of a new series has warn off.
I believe that over the coming weeks and months you’ll see a change of focus here at TFS, towards the series that truly do follow and that do lead (and will lead) to Formula One. Dont’ worry if you’re a fan of other things, they won’t be completely forgotten, I’ll make sure of that, but I think with so many series out there it’s important to take a rain check every so often and think about where the drivers are head and why.
With Formula 1 becoming a series that lacks excitment unless it’s raining, Motorsport is looking to the series next door to see if they have what Formula 1 lacks, the question is; do too many series spoil the broth?
The too many formulae argument has been around for ages. I first heard it in the 1980s. In the early 1980s if a driver wanted to go to F1 in the UK his route was clear; FF1600 (maybe) FF2000, F3(including maybe Euro F3), (maybe F2) then F1. France and Italy in particular had similarly clear routes. Then in the space of a few years formulae started spring up all over the place. We had the methanol fueled Formula Talbot, Formula Vauxhall Junior, Formula Vauxhall Lotus, Formula Renault etc etc.
It would be great to have a nice clear progression but I doubt it could happen. I just don’t see how you could finance a third level formula to follow F1. It would add a lot of expense without adding any real value.
I don’t think it needs to completely follow Formula 1, but how it is at the moment works well. As you say, I think in reality it wouldn’t happen.
I agree completely. The MotoGP format works very well and they also take from various Superbike series, though often it is the 125>250>MotoGP route which works best.
The MotoGP system has the lower classes at most of the races, not all of them but they are not restricted to Europe. I’d like to see at least GP2 follow F1 to more than the European GPs and I think that is more likely as the number of European rounds decreases. It would be good if GP3 could do the same. There is the cost issue though. I like the side-effect of having more racing on a GP weekend, the gaps in action has been a negative for a long time.
I agree that the jury is out on GP3. F2 had some good drivers in year 1 but they’ve all gone now, I’ve never heard of anyone on the current grid. I don’t think we should completely write off F3 yet either.
I like your future direction, I think TFS should follow feeder series that actually do feed upwards rather than send people into the wilderness. I don’t care whether that means to F1, IndyCar or sportscars, as long as they move up afterwards rather than across to another similar series.
Perhaps you could touch on fast runners in FBMW Europe or FRenault 2.0 (harder to do because there are so many FRenaults) so we know who’s likely to move into F3/GP3.
I wonder if GP2 and GP3 will naturally become the expected path to F1.
It used to be that a stop-off in F3 was needed because it gave drivers the opportunity to be involved in car development – something that doesn’t happen in GP2.
But as F1 cars themselves become ever more tightly restricted, and development work is done in simulated environments, perhaps real-world car development experience is less important for drivers.
Spec series like Formula BMW, GP2 and GP2 may thrive while F3 grid sizes dwindle. Just look at what’s happened to F3 Euroseries this year.
I think the F3 Euroseries point is very valid, in previous years people would have said that you should do F3 Euroseries because of the development and because of the F1 and Euro tracks, but with GP3 now, I don’t think it’s necessary, which as you say is being shown in the sizes of the grids this year.
What about those of us that want to see some single seater racing live? I’m a big F1 fan, but would rather stay at home to watch it because F1 tickets are quite expensive (plus, the excellent BBC coverage and FIA live timing online make my sofa the best seat in the house!).
For the last couple of years, I went with some friends to the A1GP at Brands, which was cheaper and more accessible – pre-race pit access was easily affordable and allowed us to see the cars and drivers up close.
A1GP is gone now, so this year we’re going to the WTCC/F2 instead. Again, much more affordable than F1.
So I think it’s good to have some single seater series that aren’t F1 support races.
Of course, I completely agree. I didn’t mean to get rid of all of them and just keep those 2, I just think it’s important that there is a clear route to Formula 1, one that is seen as an expected path. As for A1GP, it was never really meant as a series that led to Formula 1 although some used it as such, something like Superleague Formula has taken it’s place.
The overall point I was trying to make was that a lot of racing drivers are now getting lost in the Motorsport system, and I don’t think that’s good for anyone
well maybe we need less formulas but there well always be the same problem ,what is need is cars the is fast on and off the line so we saw more overtaking
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