2016 Formula 3.5 V8 (formerly Renault!) Silly Season

[Roninho]

yeah last year was a disaster. And it doesnt look good right now. Or it does look good if you feel the championship should just vanish

2015 was a disaster but tbh i feel they just blew it in 2014 with Acceleration and Autogp fighting for entries, basically killing of the market for both of them.

In 2014 there were 7 Autogp races and 5 Acceleration events. 40 drivers & 125 entries.
5 or more entries: 12 drivers
4 entries: 3 drivers
3 entries: 7 drivers
2 entries: 5 drivers

If Autogp & Acceleration had combined in 14 for a 5 or 6 event calendar they actually would have had a decent championship with probably on average something like 18 cars with 10-15 full time entries.

They didnt do that and i guess the experience of 2014 (showing up for 10-12 car grids) was enough to scare people away in 2015, since the 2014 group of drivers didnt show up at all in 2015.

[chunterer]

The entry for 3.5 won't be clear until much nearer the start of the season. I've said it before.

Budgets are hard to come by so there will be much negotiating to be done last minute by drivers and their managers who are keen to get themselves into a proper racing car rather than get swallowed up by the GP3 lottery or the engine dominated Euro F3.

I think the calendar isn't as definite just yet as some may think either.

I don't really see any major problems at the moment. Best reserve judgement on the entry til April.

[Roninho]

What do you mean with the gp3 lottery?

In a way i would expect the V8 3.5 grid to be decent this season, assuming rougly the same number of drivers with money as last year are looking for a ride above F4/Fr 2.0 level.

Last year the Euroseries f3 had close to 40 cars. GP2 and GP3 have a limit on number of cars on the grid. Basically i don't see more cars going to Euroseries and it's not possible in GP2 and GP3.

So if roughly the same number of drivers with money are available this year that would mean that after filling all the spots in Euro F3, GP2 and GP3 you'll still have over 40 drivers looking for a ride.

And unless i'm mistaken the only decent championships left would be Euroformula f3 and the FR V8 3.5 class.

[10TENTHS]

I'm amused as to where you get the idea that there more drivers than seats in the European formula scene.

Apart from European F3 (which relied on the FIA stamping out the competition), pretty much every continental championship lacked strength in depth beyond the top 10. They didn't have full fields either.

FR3.5 started with 20 and ended with 19, 15 of those being full season and the rest being seat swaps every few races.

GP3 fared better, although that dropped down to 20 cars during the Monza weekend (relying on a pair of one-offs to reach that number). With 7 teams for 2016, I see them hard-pressed to maintain 20 over the full season.

GP2 almost had a full field, but with only 15 full time drivers, that involved seat-switching on a frequent basis. Carlin had 6 different drivers, so did MP Motorsport.

When enough funded drivers don't emerge, the championships in question will wither and die - as we've seen with national F3, FR1.6 NEC, FR2.0 Alps, AutoGP, MSV F2, F.Renault UK, and Intersteps.

RPM's own F3 Open series has seen counts drop from a high of 30 in 2013 to only 18 for the Spa round last year. A mere 13 drivers completed the full 2015 season. I'd be surprised if Formula 3.5 V8 (dumb name) has more than 20 cars start the season opener.

[p-matt]

If 3.5 was struggling in terms of numbers and depth of talent when it was Renault backed, I can't see how it will improve matters now that it isn't. If drivers wanted to race bigger cars Auto GP would have been a hell of a lot more popular than it was.

A path through F3/GP3 -> GP2 is increasingly the way drivers will get through to F1, especially as FIA will rebrand GP2 as F2. The talent and the junior drivers of F1 teams are all going through this route - look at Red Bull U turning on abandoning GP2 by putting Gasly in last year. I suspect McLaren will follow suit with de Vries to avoid making the same mistakes they did with Magnussen.

[peebee2]

RPM's own F3 Open series

think not

[Mekola]

If Mr Ecclestone liked Argentina as he likes Reutemann, surely Julian Santero must have a place in this series this year, instead Turismo Nacional.

[Roninho]

Originally Posted by 10TENTHS

I'm amused as to where you get the idea that there more drivers than seats in the European formula scene.

Apart from European F3 (which relied on the FIA stamping out the competition), pretty much every continental championship lacked strength in depth beyond the top 10. They didn't have full fields either.

FR3.5 started with 20 and ended with 19, 15 of those being full season and the rest being seat swaps every few races.

GP3 fared better, although that dropped down to 20 cars during the Monza weekend (relying on a pair of one-offs to reach that number). With 7 teams for 2016, I see them hard-pressed to maintain 20 over the full season.

GP2 almost had a full field, but with only 15 full time drivers, that involved seat-switching on a frequent basis. Carlin had 6 different drivers, so did MP Motorsport.

When enough funded drivers don't emerge, the championships in question will wither and die - as we've seen with national F3, FR1.6 NEC, FR2.0 Alps, AutoGP, MSV F2, F.Renault UK, and Intersteps.

RPM's own F3 Open series has seen counts drop from a high of 30 in 2013 to only 18 for the Spa round last year. A mere 13 drivers completed the full 2015 season. I'd be surprised if Formula 3.5 V8 (dumb name) has more than 20 cars start the season opener.

Well first of all, if i gave the impression that there are more funded drivers then seats then i understand why you find that amusing. I certainly don't think that is the case. It will be hard for V8 to get 20 cars.

However, assuming that the same number of drivers with money are available this year compared to last year again (which we don't know obviously) then were do they end up if they don't go 'WSR'/V8 3.5?

• 23 drivers raced in 8, 9 or 10 out of 10 GP2 races last year. 26 cars were available.
• 22 drivers raced in 7, 8 or 9 out of 9 GP3 races last year. 24 cars were available.
• 29 drivers raced in 9, 10, or 11 out 11 Euro F3 races last year. There is no limit.

If you look at last years WSR:

• 17 drivers raced in 7 or 9 out of 9 races last year.

The main question i would have is where do these ~17 drivers end up at if V8 3.5 was not available or they don't want to go that route with the uncertainty the class currently has?

I don't think they end up in GP2 since if you could afford it and had the experience you probably were allready in that class. But let's assume the 3 remaining spots would be filled up by WRS drivers. I could see 2 drivers end up in GP3 filling up the grid since budget and experience are a better match with GP3 then GP2.

That would leave 12 WSR drivers & obviously a bunch of part time drivers from GP2 and GP3 who's spot now have been taken, as well as the part time drivers that were allready in WSR. Where do they end up? They all go to the Euroseries? I could see that happen if the Euroseries had like 20 cars, but there are allready 30 cars on the grid.

[SKYpz]

I'm really curious how this season will turn out for this series. I really liked the Renault 3.5. great cars and great racing. I hope they will continue and only the name will be different.

[10TENTHS]

Originally Posted by Roninho

The main question i would have is where do these ~17 drivers end up at if V8 3.5 was not available or they don't want to go that route with the uncertainty the class currently has?

Okay, here's my take:

-Rowland does GP2 full-time instead of just 8 races
-Vaxiviere goes to sportscars full-time (he's only here because SMP are paying for him to mentor Atoev)
-De Vries to GP3
-Ellinas to sportscars as well (Strakka connection helps here, and his budget is always limited)
-Orudzhev: GP3
-Stoneman is another one that's very marginal on financial support. Sportscars for him as well
-Dillmann to LMP2 with Signatech, who he's already driven for. His F3.5 presence is to tutor another rich kid (Celis)
-Jaafar with his Mercedes\Petronas connections would probably end up in AsLMS or Blancpain depending on where a Merc GT seat is available
-Malja: full-time F3 instead of just the Pau races
-Fantin goes back to Brazil as Draco folds
-Latifi full-time in GP2 instead of just the 8 races he did
-Panis: GP3/F3 or one of the tintop series that Tech 1 runs in
-Nissany: GP3
-Celis: concentrates on his GP3 campaign, with select GP2 appearances
-Gelael: full-time GP2
-Visser: FR2.0

So the GP2 and GP3 grids get closer to being full depending on the exact nature of the part-time deals, and some drivers move on to tintops as they would probably have done anyway (see: Fabio Leimer as an example).

[Mekola]

Fantin must go back to Brazilian F3 and go for the title this year. Sign immediately with Cesario, he must do. That could shoot him back to Europe, with reborn hopes.

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Originally Posted by Mekola

Fantin must go back to Brazilian F3 and go for the title this year. Sign immediately with Cesario, he must do. That could shoot him back to Europe, with reborn hopes.

Or he could look towards V8 Stock Cars. He could have a career there. Right now I'd be surprised if he tries to continue a single seater career.

[chunterer]

Why not?

People have carried on in GP2 for over 3 years sI why not 3.5?

[10TENTHS]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Why not?

People have carried on in GP2 for over 3 years sI why not 3.5?

As far as I can see he hasn't been in any kind of racing car since September, his website has been down for a while, and his last post on Twitter dates 4th September 2015.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by 10TENTHS

As far as I can see he hasn't been in any kind of racing car since September, his website has been down for a while, and his last post on Twitter dates 4th September 2015.

Maybe he's retired!!

[p-matt]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Why not?



People have carried on in GP2 for over 3 years sI why not 3.5?

You'd bang on endlessly about them being journeymen.

Like Aleshin, Move and Grubmuller!

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by p-matt

You'd bang on endlessly about them being journeymen.

Like Aleshin, Move and Grubmuller!

Yes but if it helps fill the grids in the absence of enough talent with sufficient budgets it's fair enough.

[old man]

Does the "new" series still get the same super licence points? Renault canned it on Bernie's instructions so if the licence points have gone or drastically reduced drivers will not do it

[Formulahistory]

Fortec: Louis Delétraz – Anthoine Hubert (?)
Lotus: Alex Fontana (?) – Kevin Jörg (?)
Strakka: Tio Ellinas (?) – Jake Hughes (?)
Arden: Egor Orudzhev – Jimmy Eriksson (?)
Carlin: Dean Stoneman (?) – Gustavo Menezes (?)
Tech-1: Aurélien Panis (?) – Roy Nissany (?)
Pons: Beitske Visser – Alex Bosak
AVF: Alfonso Celis jr. – Tom Dillmann
Comtec: Mahaveer Raghunathan (?) – Ukyo Sasahara (?)
Spirit: Matthieu Vaxivière – Vladimir Atoev
Teo Martin: Yu Kanamaru – José Manuel Vilalta (?)
RP: Vitor Baptista (?) – Domiano Fioviranti (?)

[JD Media]

Pietro Fittipaldi joins Fortec

[Formulahistory]

Source?

[jodi]

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/world-ser...5-with-fortec/

[p-matt]

Can't get excited about any of these names. Either drivers that are hardly superstars or the usual Eurocup drivers that do suspiciously well against more experienced drivers.

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

I would've said that Vaxiviere, Orudzhev and Delétraz are all quite exciting young drivers. The recent announcements are hardly spectacular and I can't imagine a superstar grid, but there are enough solid drivers out there to provide competition.

[Roninho]

Originally Posted by Formulahistory

Fortec: Louis Delétraz – Anthoine Hubert (?)
Lotus: Alex Fontana (?) – Kevin Jörg (?)
Strakka: Tio Ellinas (?) – Jake Hughes (?)
Arden: Egor Orudzhev – Jimmy Eriksson (?)
Carlin: Dean Stoneman (?) – Gustavo Menezes (?)
Tech-1: Aurélien Panis (?) – Roy Nissany (?)
Pons: Beitske Visser – Alex Bosak
AVF: Alfonso Celis jr. – Tom Dillmann
Comtec: Mahaveer Raghunathan (?) – Ukyo Sasahara (?)
Spirit: Matthieu Vaxivière – Vladimir Atoev
Teo Martin: Yu Kanamaru – José Manuel Vilalta (?)
RP: Vitor Baptista (?) – Domiano Fioviranti (?)

So assuming all the names without a (?) were allready confirmed and including Fittipaldi, this would mean we have 10 confirmed drivers before the end of january. This is not going to be an 'Autogp'-like of grid.