Two in one thread - another of the "what would you do to", and a continuation of musings about the state of the step below the pinnacle of the pyramid that started in the F1 Forum.
Quote:
Originally Posted by duke_toaster
The new owners [of Hispania] inherited a car that had little work on it, it's not their fault. The team running the cars isn't the problem for anyone, it's the car itself - something they can't learn in GP2. Ideally GP2 would be junked and replaced with a multi-chassis (and probably multi-engine) formula so that chassis builders can supply teams in whatever it's called (Formula Two being the logical name), build up experience constructing single seaters and then apply for F1. But that isn't going to happen.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chillibowl
costs obviously, but out of curiosity, are there other reasons?
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I think it's mainly politics rather than anything else. The FIA are already using the F2 name, but I think this will expire after 2011. GP2 effectively replaced F3000, but now the FIA have no control over GP2. This was a boneheaded move, but a consequence of a previous one. There was no need to get rid of the F2 name for that matter, just introduce Bernie's 747ful of DFVs that he bought of Rameses as a new engine formula.
Costs wouldn't be so much of an issue, there could be a franchise system for chassis and engine suppliers, restricting the number to three or four, some form of balancing system like GT3 and a chassis/engine lease price cap like the Indy Racing League had when it wasn't a spec series. A number of parts could be spec (brakes, wheels, digidash bits). Pillaging the spare parts bin of other series would be a logical step, allowing existing 3.5 litre V8s as they are already used in Formula Nippon, Super GT and LMP2s. Obviously there would be a homologation period of three or four years.
These cars would presumably be used in effectively two series, one in Europe and another elsewhere, presumably the Pacific Rim, either killing off Formula Nippon or reinforcing it, whichever it would look like. To defray the development costs there could even be more than two series if it would be possible.
Such an arrangement would be far better for junior drivers as they would be able to race against different cars - something that they aren't able to do below F1, have more of a role in feedback to a car. It would be good for identifiying good chassis builders. You can't tell if Swift, Panoz or Dallara would do a better job in F1 as they aren't racing cars against each other, and you can't compare lap times. Ideally we'd also get a mass cull of these various spec series that have been springing up and diluting entries for everyone.