F3000 is billed as the official feeder to Formula One, but for many it
has never truly fulfilled this role. That sums up its overriding problem
in one sentence.
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Nicolas Minassian. Photo by Cliff Rice.
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When F2 was restructured to form F3000 in 1985 it was with the clear
view of securing the series as the obvious stepping stone to Formula
One. Organizers hoped that F3000 winners of the day would be the Formula
One champions of tomorrow. This was a grand, and perhaps overambitious,
aim. From club racing to Formula One, the title doesn't always go to the
'best' driver, however you measure that claim. Then combine this with
the fact that the road to Formula One can be influenced by connections
and finance as much as talent.
To date there has never been an F3000 champion who has gone on to take
the Formula One crown. Of the nineteen F3000 champions to date, just two
have gone on to score a Formula One victory -- Jean Alesi and Juan Pablo
Montoya. The vast majority have turned the wheel of a Formula One car
but have failed to flourish in the elite class.
This is not to belittle F3000. Far from it. What I hope to encourage is
debate on how the class can move forward in light of the changes planned
for the formula in 2005. If the proposed changes are to lift F3000,
the first task is for all involved, from FIA to competitor, is to be
brutally honest when addressing the series' problems.
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Bjorn Wirdheim. Photo by Jordan Grand Prix.
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Tagging F3000 as the official route to Formula One is more of a
hindrance than a help, in my view. Why categorise F3000 wholly as a
route to better and greater things when we could celebrate the series in
its own right? If people subscribe to the tunnel-vision view that F3000
is only a Formula One feeder, essential energy is wasted in imagining
what might be and missing what is.
It is not new for drivers to leapfrog over F3000 from lower or
comparable formulae into Formula One. This is a fact. For many drivers,
competing in other formulae makes sense for financial reasons, for
building relationships with manufacturers and sponsors, or simply
because those other formulae are what is available to them. Sometimes
performance and connections allow them to jump from a 'lower' formula
into Formula One. Others can step from American-based series into
Formula One -- something now more accepted than in the past. The route
to Formula One doesn't even have to be strictly in single seaters.
No series can claim to be an "official" feeder for Formula One, and
claiming such a thing just sets F3000 up to be knocked down.
Of course the very timing of F3000 races highlights its (would-be)
connection with Formula One. Running F3000 races as a support to Formula
One Grands Prix in Europe was intended to increase the series' profile,
both in terms of TV coverage and in presenting up and coming drivers to
the Formula One community. I for one welcomed this change when it was
brought in, sure it would boost F3000's cachet.
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Nicolas Kiesa. Photo by Cliff Rice.
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Sadly, I do not think this move worked. By running F3000 on the
Saturday of a Grand Prix weekend some of the would-be benefits never
materialized. Television coverage has been hit-and-miss throughout the
world. It is not uncommon to find F3000 live coverage bumped down the
schedule since Saturday is a sports-saturated day. Even on dedicated
sports satellite channels, many promised races fail to be shown and
many viewers are lost who are unable or unwilling to put up with the
ever-changing schedules. For those with limited channels there is an
even bigger indignity: the delayed "magazine" program. Race reports
three and four weeks old do little to whet the appetite. If the FIA is
fixed on marrying F3000 and Formula One perhaps it is time it looked
towards encouraging the broadcasters to include timely F3000 reporting
in their programmes.
This format is also a burden on the paying race fan. For those who would
love to attend a F3000 race there is a price to pay, literally. The
magic of Formula One is reflected in ticket prices, making Saturday
tickets out of reach for many. I have spoken to too many fans who used
to enjoy attending F3000 races until Formula One made it too costly.
For race fans who go to the GPs on Sundays it is often as if F3000 had
never been there, with the paddock packed up and shipped off. This all
begs the question, when F3000 runs on a Grand Prix weekend do the cons
outweigh the pros?
It would appear these pros and cons are not being considered. Initial
reports about the 'all new F3000' to be introduced in 2005 note that the
series will remain a Grand Prix weekend fixture, subject to reaching an
agreement with Formula One Management Ltd. I hope (no doubt in vain)
that ticket pricing comes under scrutiny, and Saturday becomes as
accessible as possible whilst really pushing the F3000 as a worthwhile
race to attend regardless of other events taking place the same day.
And when the race is over I hope the series' departure isn't as swift
as it has been in the past few years. Would a victory lap on the Sunday
for the top three be possible? If I were a sponsor of an F3000 team
I'd certainly like the thought of my brand having a small piece of the
Sunday glory.
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Zsolt Baumgartner. Photo by Cliff Rice.
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The reshaped series will be called Formula GP2. It will remain a
one-make formula, but it will move from the current Lola-Zytek package
to a Dallara chassis and Renault engine producing some 600bhp. When
making this announcement the organisers came up with a most fascinating
quote. They did not say that the new series would be more challenging
or produce a more even playing field. They said it would be "more
sophisticated", which I feel is a telling choice of words. Formula One
has developed into the most extraordinary spectacle and it would appear
that the poor cousins are about to get a makeover to make them fit in
with the more refined world of Formula One. The series will, of course,
say it means sophistication purely in terms of technology, but I think
we all know how this works in a sport so driven (sic) by image.
Financial worries, shrinking grids and rumours dogged F3000's season
last year. I hope that 2004 isn't treated as a year of going through
the motions before the dawn of a new era. The news that 10 teams have
registered is heartening. There are those who belittle the calibre of
some competitors, saying that the money-hungry series means many a
driver is there because of sponsorship rather than talent. Well, that is
a sad fact of motorsport, full stop.
I will be watching F3000, looking forward to some close racing and
talent-spotting. I'll also be casting my eye over Euro 3000, the Nissan
World Series and Formula Nippon, among others. The stars of tomorrow are
out there, so let's support them and the grassroots now.
