British F3 Silly Season 2012

[bella]

no, i think it's a discredit to the baffling nature of the gp3 car.

i think it's daft to throw away a couple of years learning work when you have a potential shot at the championship in favour of gp3. is it possible to run gp3 and bf3 together? or do the calendars overlap?

[edenrace]

I would not say Fortec had a better car....the teams in British F3 can all produce race winning cars...put Sims in a car and it is competitive with Sino/CF and T Sport...Bottas and Asmer competitive with RR...drivers are the most important when the teams are so equal.

[edenrace]

Catman,surprised re your comments about RR, they have run the Dallara spares business for the past 2 seasons after the previous company who ran it failed financialy, they have one of UKs biggest composite companies as a business partner, they secured a very big sponsor in Macau and nearly won with Bottas, in 2011 they finished building a state of the art simulator in there Woking premises ,late in 2011 they purchased a transporter from a F1 organisation that will be one of the best in the F3 paddock ,they have just purchased the assets of a F3 team that has closed down and RR will definetely be in British F3 this season.

[Go_For_Pole]

Originally Posted by bella

i think it's daft to throw away a couple of years learning work when you have a potential shot at the championship in favour of gp3

Does anyone ever get any credit for winning a title in their 3rd year?

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by bella

i think it's daft to throw away a couple of years learning work when you have a potential shot at the championship in favour of gp3. is it possible to run gp3 and bf3 together? or do the calendars overlap?

I thought he was going there because it was half the price of a season in BF3 ? It's mooted to have a bigger, better grid, will run as a support to the Grands Prix and come with a far superior media package. Given that he's already spent 2 years in BF3, it seems like a no brainer.

[bella]

depends if you're going to put a monetary value on having a series title, or a runners up position to your name really, doesn't it? especially if you've got no links to a f1 team already. fight for a title or disappear into the midfield under f1 teams noses?

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by bella

depends if you're going to put a monetary value on having a series title, or a runners up position to your name really, doesn't it? especially if you've got no links to a f1 team already. fight for a title or disappear into the midfield under f1 teams noses?

Que ? If he's out to win a title... then lifting the GP3 title at his first attempt would be preferable to lifting the BF3 title at his third attempt. If he's title material in BF3 and midfield material in GP3, then surely that in itself speaks volumes on the relative talent pool in each series.

[CATMAN]

Originally Posted by edenrace

Catman,surprised re your comments about RR, they have run the Dallara spares business for the past 2 seasons after the previous company who ran it failed financialy, they have one of UKs biggest composite companies as a business partner, they secured a very big sponsor in Macau and nearly won with Bottas, in 2011 they finished building a state of the art simulator in there Woking premises ,late in 2011 they purchased a transporter from a F1 organisation that will be one of the best in the F3 paddock ,they have just purchased the assets of a F3 team that has closed down and RR will definetely be in British F3 this season.

I admire your loyalty Edenrace. I heard that Macau was Double R "sales window". There were some interesting Macau media photo's and VT. I'm sure you and your lady would have chowed down with Brit F3 hoi poloi at the Double R Galaxy party. Double R had some "interesting" people in tow in Macau.
New ex F1 truck and off loaded assets could well be F3 spin and mirrors bought on a "neve neva" deal. Is the Sim still being marketed and used or has the sim engineer that built it joined other staff that jumped sinking ship faster than a Liverpool docks rat?
BRP Composites has to be more of a Technical partnership only and doesn't answer why the team is being sold.
Edenrace, in your F3 position it's a pity you haven't had a loud word in Buller and other F3 young gun talents ears and talked them in to an International F3 class drive with a team that could deliver with decent talent.
At the moment the most interesting thing that British F3 has to offer is a bet on who has bought the winning seat at Carlin for 2012.

Easton Neston.
Multi team outfits may blind short sighted drivers and managers. F3 and race insiders would have expected far different interesting championship results if Buller or a couple of others has taken a Double R Mercedes seat.

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by edenrace

Catman,surprised re your comments about RR, they have run the Dallara spares business for the past 2 seasons after the previous company who ran it failed financialy, they have one of UKs biggest composite companies as a business partner, they secured a very big sponsor in Macau and nearly won with Bottas, in 2011 they finished building a state of the art simulator in there Woking premises ,late in 2011 they purchased a transporter from a F1 organisation that will be one of the best in the F3 paddock ,they have just purchased the assets of a F3 team that has closed down and RR will definetely be in British F3 this season.

Or did they build a state of the art simulator which doesn't drive anything like the real car.

And more than one other F3 teams bought large parts of Hitech too.

[bella]

Originally Posted by davyboy

Que ? If he's out to win a title... then lifting the GP3 title at his first attempt would be preferable to lifting the BF3 title at his third attempt. If he's title material in BF3 and midfield material in GP3, then surely that in itself speaks volumes on the relative talent pool in each series.

*shrugs* i'm just presenting an alternate side of the argument, it's what discussion forums are about. is a gp3 title worse than a bf3 title to have on your cv? that's assuming either of them are easy to win. they're not. which title is more relevant? who knows. in the end it doesn't really matter, does it?

[CATMAN]

Originally Posted by peebee2

Or did they build a state of the art simulator which doesn't drive anything like the real car.

And more than one other F3 teams bought large parts of Hitech too.

Actually the Double R F3 simulator is far better than Carlins and other teams according to F3 drivers and others who've used it including at least one Carlin driver. There are videos on the teams web media sites. Said to be an impressive drive.
That's right about Hitech parts .
Received email suggesting there was a "buy now pay later deal" on the table and that 2011 staff who have left R R have said the team had no money and "being sold" is a done deal.

[dank]

T-Sport look set to run with a Nissan engine this year, with Nick McBride in one of the race seats.

[CATMAN]

Originally Posted by dank

T-Sport look set to run with a Nissan engine this year, with Nick McBride in one of the race seats.

Nissan 3bond tie up was rumoured to provide a near FOC engine package for T-sport. If not fully FOC then it will be far cheaper in comparison to VW or Mercedes I've heard.
If it competitive that'll be fine, if it spends the season trundling around a few seconds off the pace it's not going to help the F3 excitement quota.

[META4]

Sorry for my ignorance but what means "FOC"?

[CATMAN]

Sorry.
No Cost to the team.
Free Of Charge.

[davyboy]

Is the Nissan powerplant being developed by RenaultSport ?

[META4]

Thanks Catman

ThreeBond Nissan has never been successfull at Macau but lets wait and see ...

[Monkey Head]

Originally Posted by META4

Thanks Catman

ThreeBond Nissan has never been successfull at Macau but lets wait and see ...

Carbone was closed to 3rd place in 2004 but it the race has red flag and he dropped back to 4th

[strider]

Originally Posted by davyboy

Is the Nissan powerplant being developed by RenaultSport ?

Story here: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97649

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by strider

Story here: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97649

Thanks for that... just caught it a moment ago. Interesting.

[META4]

Originally Posted by Monkey Head

Carbone was closed to 3rd place in 2004 but it the race has red flag and he dropped back to 4th

Yes but this was in 2004 which means a complete different Era of Formula 3. In the meantime, VW and Mercedes have been keeping updating theirs engines .

Problem for T-Sport is they will have to hire an experienced driver if they want to be competitive or at least know the real potential of their car

[CATMAN]

Originally Posted by META4

Problem for T-Sport is they will have to hire an experienced driver if they want to be competitive or at least know the real potential of their car

"hire"
Sorry, but that reads as though 'T-sport' would have to pay a driver, now that is funny

[META4]

I am happy to have made your day Catman.

my meaning is just that Tsport should have to get an experienced F3 driver onboard to show the potential of their package.

[strider]

I don't know, but it may be that the driver they have came as part of the package.

[strider]

Originally Posted by EastonNeston

@Catman over the last few seasons I'd say that Fortec have had a better car than Double R, not that I am suggesting that Double R do not produce a good car.

The situation now is a matter of opinion, but it's a fact that Mike Conway won the 2006 championship with Raikkonen Robertson Racing when he had failed to do so the previous year with Fortec.