Some info Please

[kylekosir]

Hey Everyone,
I was just wondering if you can help me out. Since the North American Motorsport Market usually focus' on NASCAR/ oval racing on TV, I cannot watch any of the other forms of racing. Formula 1 and GP2 are usually on but thats it.
Anywayz enough of that. I was wondering how F2 was this year? A Canadian Driver by the name of Robert Wickens has been moving up the levels pretty quickly so i was seeing how he did.
Italian Formula 3. A Friend of mine Gianmarco Raimondo, just graduated from his second season in Formula BMW Americas, and he has been doing some testing for Team Corbetta Competizion. How is Italian Formula 3 on a driving level basis?

Thanks
Kyle Kosir
Vallis Motorsport #19
Canadian Formula 1200 Championsip

[the sniper]

Originally Posted by kylekosir

Hey Everyone,
I was just wondering if you can help me out. Since the North American Motorsport Market usually focus' on NASCAR/ oval racing on TV, I cannot watch any of the other forms of racing. Formula 1 and GP2 are usually on but thats it.
Anywayz enough of that. I was wondering how F2 was this year? A Canadian Driver by the name of Robert Wickens has been moving up the levels pretty quickly so i was seeing how he did.
Italian Formula 3. A Friend of mine Gianmarco Raimondo, just graduated from his second season in Formula BMW Americas, and he has been doing some testing for Team Corbetta Competizion. How is Italian Formula 3 on a driving level basis?

Thanks
Kyle Kosir
Vallis Motorsport #19
Canadian Formula 1200 Championsip

You'll probably get some mixed reactions when it comes to F2, there are quite a few naysayers (including myself) who call it Super Palmer Audi and don't consider it to be on a par with either GP2 or World Series by Renault, which their publicity department (i.e. Jonathan Palmer) would wish you to believe. Tbh, Wickens did what I expected him to, finish behind decent ex-GP2 racer Sourcek (who had to win the title) and in front of Aleshin; who has raced at or above F2 level for a few years now, fast youngster Bortolotti and Jousse, who's quite highly rated by some (I was surprised he didn't do better). It'll be interesting to see where Wickens goes next, I suppose he should be looking at GP2.

On Italian F3, I can't say I follow it closely but it's reputation certainly seems to have improved recently, probably due to Bortolotti and Ferrari's involvement last season.

[kylekosir]

Ok, I raced agaisnt Wickens in Karts, and he had the best of everything, kart, driver crew, so on. For myself it was just my dad, and a few other guys from his work that helped. Its just good to finally see a Canadian Driver move up in the ranks its been a while since we had a Canadian driver up there. The Canadian Karting scene has actually been ruined. To Much politcs. No one seems to know where to go after karting, and know one is there to guide them. Unfortuanitly. So your saying GP2 and World Series by Renault is still the way to get into formula 1? Or at least the correct way to try get in there?
Wat was the repuation before? If you dont mind me asking?
Thanks

[kerrmanningjarv]

GP2 is not necessarily the best way to F1 - these days, it's more about the connections you have with F1 teams (through driver development programs etc) than the series you drive in. Jaime Alguersuari came straight to F1 after half a year of WSR, as he had Red Bull on his side. Nico Hulkenberg, while being brilliant in GP2, signed for Williams for 2010 due, in part, to being their test driver in 2008/09. Kamui Kobayashi drove the last 2 GPs of the year for Toyota as he is in their young driver program, not due to his GP2 results (which were poor).

The best places to get noticed are probably GP2 and WSR, the cars are powerful and they race on lots of GP circuits, but if you don't have established links with F1 teams, you will struggle to reach F1 these days.

[NaBUru38]

Dear kylekosir, welcome to the world of right turning! :P

From the top to the bottom, under Formula 1 we have several Renault-powered formula racng series: GP2, World Series by Renault, GP3 (from 2010), and Formula Renault 2.0. GP2 and GP3 race alongside the F1, whereas the WSbR has its own schedule around Europe next to a Renault Mégane Trophy and the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup. There are several other national or regional FR2.0 series.

F3 is also held by each national racing organization, and is a step above Formula Renault 2.0. The most important one is the F3 Euroseries, a support series to the DTM (German Touring Car Championship), with half of the races held in Germany and the rest around the continent. Its main rival is the British F3, which also attrcts drivers from all around the globe. Other similarly important categories are the International Formula Masters (support series to the World Touring Car Championship), the Italian F3, the European F3 Open (ex Spanish F3) and the German F3.

[ivanalesi]

While doing some research on other subjects, I found out, from the 20 F1 drivers - 17 have gone through F3! Also Felipe and Kimi had F3 testing. At the start of the year or last year's grid, almost all of the drivers have fought for a championship in their debut season.
So the most common F1 driver was ex-F3, who have fought for some championship on his debut.
It will be interesting to be made something similar for the F1 newbies since say 2002 to see the balance between FR and FBMW.

[runshaw]

Originally Posted by ivanalesi

It will be interesting to be made something similar for the F1 newbies since say 2002 to see the balance between FR and FBMW.

I think FR has produced a few more than FBMW. Kovalainen, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Kubica, Massa, Buemi, Kobayashi, Alguersuari, Grosjean. The best route to F1 when looking at the majority of them is Formula Renault, F3 and then GP2. Some say that Formula Renault is almost on a par with F3 nowadays in terms of competitiveness.

[ivanalesi]

Yep, I guess it's no wonder this is also the most expensive route

[duke_toaster]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

F3 is also held by each national racing organization, and is a step above Formula Renault 2.0. The most important one is the F3 Euroseries, a support series to the DTM (German Touring Car Championship), with half of the races held in Germany and the rest around the continent. Its main rival is the British F3, which also attrcts drivers from all around the globe. Other similarly important categories are the International Formula Masters (support series to the World Touring Car Championship), the Italian F3, the European F3 Open (ex Spanish F3) and the German F3.

Not really, France doesn't have its own F3 series any more. European F3 Open/Spanish F3/Whatever It's Called This Week is unusual in that it's not really F3, it's Dallara-FIAT only.

[NaBUru38]

Originally Posted by duke_toaster

Not really, France doesn't have its own F3 series any more.

FIA has more than 40 European member organizations and no, not every country has a F3 championship. I meant that F3 championships are usually based in one country, just like FR2.0 championships and unlike GP2, WSbR and GP3, which are held at an European level.