2011 British F3 off Season/Silly season news etc (merge)

[NaBUru38]

That one is called "silly season", and calendar discussion isn't. In addtion, this one is older and has more posts.

[JamesRamone]

Any idea if the Oulton round will remain on its traditional bank holiday slot ?

[strider]

Originally Posted by Morris Dancer

Calling it the 'British International F3 Series' implies that it attracts drivers of other nationalities, not that it includes overseas rounds.

If you have a national championship that includes races outside its own country the FIA insists that it should be called a Series.

Originally Posted by Morris Dancer

It might be OK if the organisers paid the teams' travel costs (pigs might fly), but adding overseas rounds can only raise the participation cost - as if it weren't high enough already.

It's the teams that want the overseas rounds because the more F1 venues there are the better as they help the teams attract drivers and it's not much of a Series without them.

[strider]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

That one is called "silly season", and calendar discussion isn't. In addtion, this one is older and has more posts.

And most of the posts seem to be from you!

Anyway, we now know how international next year's British F3 will be, so your question has been answered.

[NaBUru38]

Not yet, since there might be some team switches from or to British F3.

The title was a subplot to attract readers/writers.

[chunterer]

The return of a season ender at Silverstone in October, brilliant!

That'll feel like the old BRDC Finals meetings from years back!!

[strider]

Yes, it'll be much better than Brands. More atmosphere and better facilities.

[strider]

Here's a better laid out version of the provisional calendar:

Draft 2011 calendar

April     - Monza
April     - Oulton Park
May       - Donington Park
June      - Brands Hatch
July      - Paul Ricard
July      - Spa-Francorchamps
August    - Nurburgring
September - Rockingham
September - Snetterton
October   - Silverstone

It does seem strange to be starting at Monza, but if that's what it takes to get a meeting there, so be it. The trouble is it will probably be the best one of the year with more overtaking there than in the rest of the season put together!

I'm personally very sorry that there isn't a meeting at Thruxton, but once the decision had been taken to stay with the MSV circuits there was never going to be room. Rockingham is a truly boring circuit, but the facilities are so much better and it's much closer for most of the teams.

[Morris Dancer]

Originally Posted by strider

If you have a national championship that includes races outside its own country the FIA insists that it should be called a Series.It's the teams that want the overseas rounds because the more F1 venues there are the better as they help the teams attract drivers and it's not much of a Series without them.

It isn't as though the British International F3 Series has had full grids in recent years, probably because it's become so expensive. Overseas rounds can't help in that regard. The organisers should revert to a British F3 Championship instead of a fake European F3 Championship.

If they want to give their drivers F1 circuit experience, there's one in their own back yard that for some unknown reason isn't part of the British F3 series. A round on the British F1 GP program, as in the 'old days', would be better than trekking all over Europe to other F1 venues.

[bella]

Originally Posted by Morris Dancer

A round on the British F1 GP program, as in the 'old days', would be better than trekking all over Europe to other F1 venues.

suggest you sabre-rattle at bernie about that one. not a great deal that can be done at the f3 end...

[Morris Dancer]

Surely it's the BRSCC, not Bernie, that decides the British F1 GP support program.

[bella]

unless i'm being very forgetful, i don't remember seeing anything but gp3/gp2/fbmw/porsche on this year's support package.

[kipper]

Originally Posted by Morris Dancer

Surely it's the BRSCC, not Bernie, that decides the British F1 GP support program.

For European races, at least, the local organiser has no say in the programme and has to take GP2, GP3, Formula BMW and the Porsche Supercup as part of the package of having an F1 race. In the recent past the MSA has been 'allowed' to select one race (comprising a 30 minute qualifying session and a similar length race at the end of Sunday - although GP3's creation meant this didn't happen this year) and has regularly been allocated to a historic sportscar/saloon race. Generally the availability of this race was only confirmed at a late stage so wouldn't have helped the F3 organisers from issuing an accurate calendar at an early stage.

[westfieldbend]

Originally Posted by Morris Dancer

The organisers should revert to a British F3 Championship instead of a fake European F3 Championship.

At the moment we have:

British F3 'international series'.

'European F3 open'.

F3 'Euro series'.

Of course none are true European series, just British, Spanish and German respectively, I find it quite ridiculous.

[JohnMiller]

Don't think that is quite true.

British doesn't claim to be pan-European, just International and for 2011 has six race meeting sin the UK and four in the EU.

Euroseries so far has nine dates across six countries so can't really be called "German."

European Open has eight dates across six countries so really can't be "Spanish." (Germany is added next year already).

[strider]

Originally Posted by kipper

For European races, at least, the local organiser has no say in the programme and has to take GP2, GP3, Formula BMW and the Porsche Supercup as part of the package of having an F1 race. In the recent past the MSA has been 'allowed' to select one race (comprising a 30 minute qualifying session and a similar length race at the end of Sunday - although GP3's creation meant this didn't happen this year) and has regularly been allocated to a historic sportscar/saloon race. Generally the availability of this race was only confirmed at a late stage so wouldn't have helped the F3 organisers from issuing an accurate calendar at an early stage.

That's right except for the last sentence. It's academic now but the make-up of the meeting is known in January/February. It has nothing to do with the BRSCC.

As kipper says, there are no spare slots nowadays. The last time British F3 ran there it was as a non-championship race in 2001 and 2002 and it was a good opportunity because it was at 11:00 on the Sunday morning.

Then the only spare slot was given to the BRDC for historic sports cars and they raced after the GP on Sunday, having qualified on Friday!

[kipper]

Originally Posted by strider

That's right except for the last sentence. It's academic now but the make-up of the meeting is known in January/February

As you say, its academic, but recent 'local' races have been confirmed much later than January/February. For instance, the Historic Saloon race in '08 was only confirmed at the begining of June.

[strider]

Originally Posted by kipper

As you say, its academic, but recent 'local' races have been confirmed much later than January/February. For instance, the Historic Saloon race in '08 was only confirmed at the begining of June.

OK, I'm happy to believe you if that's the case. The trouble is it's the least important race on the programme so far as the organisers are concerned. I rather lost interest once F3 ceased to be a contender for the slot.

[Morris Dancer]

Given GP3's close association with the Ecclestone conglomerate, it's hard to imagine a rival category like F3 getting a guesney at the British F1 GP under the current deal - unless the F3 organisers find a wealthy backer to make the BRSCC an offer too good to refuse.

[bella]

which is kind of the point everyone except you was trying to make in the first place...

[strider]

...and it still has nothing to do with the BRSCC!!!

[strider]

Originally Posted by bella

unless i'm being very forgetful, i don't remember seeing anything but gp3/gp2/fbmw/porsche on this year's support package.

That's absolutely right, but it suddenly struck me that FBMW is no more, so in theory there should be a slot on next year's timetable, but I bet it gets taken up in some other way.

[alias99]

Huertas to Carlin for 2011. Should be a strong combination and potential title challenger.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by alias99

Huertas to Carlin for 2011. Should be a strong combination and potential title challenger.

It'll be his third season next year is that right?

Good driver, but very much depends on whether they sign up a superstar in any of the other seats I guess?

[strider]

Yes, it will be his third year.

The trouble is, and it's not good for BF3, that after recent seasons drivers think they have to be with Carlin to succeed and that the VW engine is better than the Merc. To some extent it's true, but I would expect Carlinto have another Red Bull potential star, but JEV being there didn't stop James Calado and Adriano Buzaid also getting race wins this season.

This limited JEV's total to 13, which meant that he did not equal or better Jan Magnussen's long-standing record of 14, which pleases people like me.