2017 GP3 season

[Valker]

Originally Posted by 10TENTHS

The "no comment" from Koiranen does not bode well for their continued presence in GP3.

Koiranen bros. will not race in GP3 in 2017. According to team manager "Afa" Heikkinen, there are no financial conditions to succeed. Hence the team will focus on Spanish and NEZ formula 4 serieses.

[10TENTHS]

Originally Posted by Valker

Koiranen bros. will not race in GP3 in 2017. According to team manager "Afa" Heikkinen, there are no financial conditions to succeed. Hence the team will focus on Spanish and NEZ formula 4 series.

I expected as much when they didn't turn up to pre-season testing.

[10TENTHS]

Looks like the field is complete, for now: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_G...ms_and_drivers

[Razzzor]

Not that special is it? Jack Aitken vs George Russell for the title?

[10TENTHS]

Originally Posted by Razzzor

Not that special is it? Jack Aitken vs George Russell for the title?

There's been a lot of driver turnover in the series lately.

[10TENTHS]

Who was it that said Pulcini would be no good?

[cds_uk]

Originally Posted by 10TENTHS

Who was it that said Pulcini would be no good?

That was me, decent result today but let's see over the course of a season, i was more impressed with Lorandi on the podium in a Jenzer car to be honest.

[10TENTHS]

Originally Posted by cds_uk

That was me, decent result today but let's see over the course of a season, i was more impressed with Lorandi on the podium in a Jenzer car to be honest.

Lorandi switched to GP3 last year and his first few races weren't nearly as impressive. We'll see what happens.

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Perhaps Jenzer have had a turn of fortune? Maini wins race 2, Lorandi on the podium again. Good results for what is probably the least favoured team. Boccolacci has also taken a real liking to these cars...

[10TENTHS]

Originally Posted by Biscuits In A Red Bull

Perhaps Jenzer have had a turn of fortune? Maini wins race 2, Lorandi on the podium again. Good results for what is probably the least favoured team. Boccolacci has also taken a real liking to these cars...

Jenzer have gotten podiums before (and they were 3rd in the inaugural GP3 season), it's just that ART has the inherent 4-car data advantage and better funded drivers.

[tux]

This series still exist? 😏

[Rob29]

Next round Austria F1?

[Juntos]

Originally Posted by tux

This series still exist? 😏

The car is homologated until 2019. The teams have a contract that expires only in 2008. You won't kill the animal so easily.

There’s nothing quite like Autumn in New York. But it’s not only the leaves that change. Something in the air brings out the true colors in everyone.

[tux]

Originally Posted by Juntos

The car is homologated until 2019. The teams have a contract that expires only in 2008. You won't kill the animal so easily.

There’s nothing quite like Autumn in New York. But it’s not only the leaves that change. Something in the air brings out the true colors in everyone.

I was just having a bit of sarcasm at how spread out the calendar is.

[tux]

Looking good if you drive for ART this weekend

[old man]

Somehow the corner entry speed to Brooklands was more impressive for the GP3 cars than the F1 cars. Not sure if this was to do with scale or noise or what but I was surprised by it first time through, looked really fast.

[Juntos]

Is it just me or there are waves of fear in the GP3 paddock regarding the future of the series? Most people looked at Bruno Michel with terror and with fear but Gerhard Berger is not a man to drink it all and say, I feel fine.

[NaBUru38]

Good question.

The FIA F3 / GP3 merger seems a terrible idea.
If GP3 is renamed FIA F3, then there would be two specs with the same name.
If GP3 is dropped, then the performance gap between F3 and F2 would be excessive.

In any case, the basic question is how can each series survive financially. We well know that motorsport has become ridiculously expensive. Junior formula racing is a notable example.

Yet GP3 changes cars every three years, and has an overseas race in Abu Dhabi.
And FIA F3 has just five teams, and budgets are outrageous for a 200hp car.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Good question.

The FIA F3 / GP3 merger seems a terrible idea.
If GP3 is renamed FIA F3, then there would be two specs with the same name.
If GP3 is dropped, then the performance gap between F3 and F2 would be excessive.

In any case, the basic question is how can each series survive financially. We well know that motorsport has become ridiculously expensive. Junior formula racing is a notable example.

Yet GP3 changes cars every three years, and has an overseas race in Abu Dhabi.
And FIA F3 has just five teams, and budgets are outrageous for a 200hp car.

But then F3 is a far, far better barometer of talent!

[NaBUru38]

F3 cars have just 200hp. It's far from the same as driving a 400hp or 600hp car. That's why there's several steps in the ladder.

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Surely the issue is that certain teams/constructors have monopolies, and therefore they are the only teams/constructors with any real demand, and so they push their budgets upwards and upwards as the prospective drivers are willing to pay more and more for a good seat? This then negates the smaller teams/constructors, as track time with them is deemed to be a waste of a season (or why bother when you can get a Prema seat?). Just open the formula up for constructors and things may end up being better? E.g. if someone developed a car better than the Dallara F3 car that cost less and a small team was the first to run it - suddenly the monopolies have been negated, all for a lower price!

The way I see it is that junior formula racing is too far down the road to nowhere, but the overwhelming desire of the FIA to have complete control over all potential junior formulae, and deny relevance to any viable competition through the needless superlicense points system (see Formula Renault Eurocup, only surviving due to prestige and the fact it offers actual value for money, especially when compared to F3/GP3 - which many good graduates have previously skipped without much hinderance to their career) means that there is no way out. The FIA is digging around looking for the treasure to save themselves but are really digging a grave for single seater racing.

A merger between the two also depletes the potential routes a driver can take - thus depleting the market for single seater drivers looking to move into F2 with "relevant experience." If there is meant to be a pyramid to the top, then it is a failure. If it is a ladder, then we'll have to get used to thin grids and few teams - the recipe for catastrophically high budgets for top drives. After all, there are many ways to climb a mountain, but only one way up a ladder.

A merger thus means that F2 will either thin out or be depleted in quality. Naturally, F1 will be next in line to be struck (although, given the current rates of rookies, it may be able to weather this). And also, what good are all of the F4 series' if only 10 from around Europe can graduate within FIA "licensed" series? Young drivers will pick up on this quickly - or at least management and teams will. We're already seeing many young drivers desert single seaters and aim for GTs or prototypes, or even touring cars! They know the system is broken, stagnant whilst simultaneously inflating and self-destructing.

This is very much me unpacking my thoughts on the issue, so sorry for the waffle, and inevitable incoherence.

The basic idea is that the regulated, closed nature of junior formulae is the core reason for these issues, the results of which are driving costs upwards as it puts severe, fairly strong limits on how success can be achieved - and that's what the money is for. Similarly, the FIA attempting to elevate their series above outsider competition is also a recipe for disaster, leading to depleted grids, less teams, thus higher costs and a greater exodus of young drivers to other disciplines.

Other issues I haven't mentioned are how this may actually be unavoidable and incurable due to a advanced technology in these cars, and of course logistics of a merger, although the post itself covers far more than just the merger!

[tux]

Race 1 was an ART domination, Calderon had a nightmare.

[jondownunder]

Niko Kari looks set to be dropped by Red Bull:

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns37188.html

[p-matt]

I'm not surprised - he hasn't done a good enough job. But I don't see who is the next big Red Bull superstar. I thought perhaps Verschoor but he's been disappointing this year. Ticktum is good but I'm not sure if he'll be able to shake the baggage of "the incident".

Makes me think that Red Bull's next move is to pick up a slightly more established driver in the junior ranks like they did with Da Costa, Lynn and Stoneman.

[Hawkwood]

Originally Posted by p-matt

I'm not surprised - he hasn't done a good enough job. But I don't see who is the next big Red Bull superstar. I thought perhaps Verschoor but he's been disappointing this year. Ticktum is good but I'm not sure if he'll be able to shake the baggage of "the incident".

Makes me think that Red Bull's next move is to pick up a slightly more established driver in the junior ranks like they did with Da Costa, Lynn and Stoneman.

Regarding that, when did Red Bull pick up Ticktum?