The FIA have announced plans to launch a new feeder series for Formula One, expected to appear on the calendar from 2009. At a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris today, the FIA revealed plans for a “Formula Two”, “an inexpensive platform to develop emerging driver talent for Formula One”.
The designation “Formula Two” was last used in 1984, before the series was renamed Formula 3000, before itself being relaunched as GP2 in 2005. While GP2 is currently the primary feeder series for Formula One, with such names as Hamilton, Kovalainen, Piquet and Rosberg all having graduated in the past three years, Formula Two would undoubtedly emerge as a competitor to GP2.
In its press release, the FIA said that it was inviting tenders for the new series, for a 2009 launch. The FIA hopes for a budget of €200,000 per car per season to be sufficient, a figure which is lower than the budget needed for GP2, although no specifications about the series have been announced.
Such is the success of GP2 to produce high-quality drivers and hone their skills, that many observers will wonder about the necessity to launch a new series. With the power struggle currently ongoing between the FIA and Commercial rights holders of Formula One, who incidentally also own GP2, it’s likely that the news of the new series will begin a new chapter in the battle for supremacy in F1.
Formula 2 To Launch In 2009
June 25, 2008 by Hello