Why is GP2 not called Formula 2?

[Dan Rear]

F2 was a 'real' series with different chassis, engines, tyres. IMHO single make series have destroyed single seaters, they're bad enough for saloons, but I can at least see the manufacturers marketing logic for the latter.

[bella]

gp2 is a brand name, not a technical definition of a formula... thats part of what i think anyway.

[diz]

Originally Posted by BootsOntheSide

You'll never again see drivers die in meaningless races either diz. What a dreadful shame that is.

What a dreadful thing to say BoS, or didn't you mean it to sound that way? Still let's follow this through and ban all motor sport - except the be all and end all Formula Business [sorry F1] Happy now?

[Rob29]

Yes,that did not sound nice did it. I guess he was referring to Jim Clark. Racing is much safer now so the point is irelevant. Drivers stopped doing other racing and non championship F1 dissapeared thanks to MrE.

[runshaw]

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

F2 was a 'real' series with different chassis, engines, tyres. IMHO single make series have destroyed single seaters

They haven't destroyed single seaters. Formula BMW has thrived, as has Formula Renault since 2000, GP2 is currently thriving, as well as the Renault World Series.

[runshaw]

Originally Posted by BootsOntheSide

You'll never again see drivers die in meaningless races either diz. What a dreadful shame that is.

Thats a stupid thing to say. Anyway, no races are meaningless unless they are not fun, the object of racing (in my opinion) is enjoyment. As Steve Mcqueen once said...'racing is life, anything before or after is just waiting.' To be honest I think its pretty cool that F1 drivers used to race against the up and comers in the lower formulas.

[Soms Racing]

Found this while search for other subject, source wikipedia

Formula Two


While Formula One has generally been regarded as the pinnacle of open-wheeled auto racing, the high performance nature of the cars and the expense involved in the series has always meant that there has needed to be a path to reach this peak. For much of the history of Formula One, Formula Two represented the penultimate step on this road.

Formula Two was first formally codified in 1948 by FIA as a smaller and cheaper compliment to the big 4.5L Formula One cars of the era. The engines were smaller and less powerful than those used in Formula One, and the cars were also shorter, lighter and cheaper than their big brothers. This encouraged privateer teams such as Cooper to start out in Formula Two, rather than to compete against the big manufacturers of Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati. In fact, Formula One in its early years was so expensive and entrants were so few that in 1952 and 1953 all Grand Prix racing was held using the Formula Two formula!

By the late 1960's however, with the 'Return to Power' of Formula One and the introduction of a new 1600cc engine formula for Formula Two, the junior series assumed its intended role as a feeder series for F1. [[1] (http://prorallypix.com/cover/ringf2.jpg)] Nevertheless, many Formula One pilots continued to drive the smaller and lighter cars on non-championship weekends, and often Grand Prix grids would be a mix of Formula One and Formula Two cars. Jackie Ickx made his Grand Prix debut in a Formula Two car, qualifying with the fifth fastest time overall! Forced to start behind even the slower Formula One cars, Ickx quickly regained his top position to finish in the points! Less happily, Jim Clark, regarded as one of the greatest race drivers of all time, was killed in a Formula Two race early in 1968, at Hockenheim.

This 'invasion' of Formula One drivers in Formula Two ranks (a situation similar to that of modern-day NASCAR racing) was permitted because of the unique grading system introduced. Any driver with an 'A' grading was not permitted to score championship points. A driver gained an 'A' rating by finishing in the points in two Grand Prix events or the top three in two World Sport Car events. The annual Formula Two champion was also granted an A rating for one year, and a Formula One World Champion was A graded for five. This system permitted young drivers to work towards the championship, while allowing older drivers to keep their hand in during the long breaks between Grand Prix's of the time.

In 1972, the formula was changed to 2.0L, and remained such for the remainder of the series. By the early 1980's however, declining grid sizes and declining interest in the series threatened it with extinction. In 1984, Formula Two disappeared and was replaced with Formula 3000.


List of Champions:
(Except the 1952 and 1953 seasons were Formula Two were used for the World Championship for Drivers, Formula Two never crowned a World Champion, and many nations had their own national series. However, from 1967 a European Championship was conducted in more direct support of Formula One)

1967 - Jacky Ickx - Matra
1968 - Jean-Pierre Beltoise - Matra
1969 - Johnny Servoz-Gavin - Matra
1970 - Clay Regazzoni - Tecno
1971 - Ronnie Peterson
1972 - Mike Hailwood - Surtees
1973 - Jean-Pierre Jarier - March
1974 - Patrick Depailler - March
1975 - Jacques Laffite - Martini
1976 - Jean-Pierre Jabouille - Elf 2
1977 - Rene Arnoux - Martini
1978 - Bruno Giacomelli
1979 - Marc Surer
1980 - Brian Henton
1981 - Geoff Lees
1982 - Corrado Fabi
1983 - Jonathan Palmer
1984 - Mike Thackwell
No Formula Two champion ever won the Formula One Championship.

[sonic]

Originally Posted by Mystery

And GP2 doesn't?? Great racing - terrible name

Hey, its better than A1GP!

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

So the FIA GT Championship should not be so called because it existed in a different form in the 1950s/60s? Hmmm... not sure about that.

There is much more difference. Not just in the change of cars etc, but fundamentally. It is a single spec. formula.

The change in the GT championships between then and now make it just the modern equivelent. The GP2 series maybe what the modern world prefers, but it isn't the equivelent it is the different series that replaced it.

Although maybe the GT championship could change it's name to the FIA weight ballast and air restrictor handicap trophy (said because I know you know I am joking).

[Rubinho]

Originally Posted by runshaw

They haven't destroyed single seaters. Formula BMW has thrived, as has Formula Renault since 2000, GP2 is currently thriving, as well as the Renault World Series.

Sorry guys but this needs some more discussion either here or elsewhere.

Personally I think that Dan is right. Don't you think that the racing would be better if all of the single spec series were built to a set of formula regulations and raced together as opposed to separately?

[Rob29]

Would not work.Reason for all the spec series is F2 & F3 priced themselves out of most budgets.No one can afford a technology war,look at only 20 cars in F1 despite the money that goes in that.
Any sport needs a level playing field.

[Rubinho]

Wouldn't the costs be offset by the manufacturers not having to promote multiple series and the fact that the spectators would be less fragmented? They'd get more advertising coverage too as the TV companies wouldn't have to show (or not show) so many different series thus the fewer series would have better coverage.

[Jackman]

But who would run the, now fewer, series? No one would be willing to say "no problem, we'll just pull the plug on our series."

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

F2 was a 'real' series with different chassis, engines, tyres. IMHO single make series have destroyed single seaters, they're bad enough for saloons, but I can at least see the manufacturers marketing logic for the latter.

Dan, you're completely correct. Motor racing is about the combined challenge of man AND machine. Single make series' completely eliminate the engineering challenge. Sorry to rant on about days past, but the different car/engine/tyre combos of F2 and early F3000 performed differently depending on the weather, track etc... The race weekend was a lot busier in terms of driver and engineering problem solving. What's more, the best talent always showed their mettle over a season AND spectators could see genuinely interesting machinery at a meeting, and not just 30 Clio powered Taatus with different paint jobs ! Cost control in motorsport is directly related to how well conceived the technical regulations are and little else.

[courageous]

Originally Posted by Soms Racing

No Formula Two champion ever won the Formula One Championship.

OT, But that is quite an interesting fact, nobody won F3000 & F1 championships either.

Why has nobody ever managed it?

[Russfeld]

Havent been that many F3000 champions to begin with, havent been that many F1 champions full stop...

[davyboy]

Possibly two reasons. First F2/F3000 was not a compulsory step to F1. Second, Euro F3000 and F-Nippon aside, there has only been one F2/F3000 championship in the world, whereas there have always been lots of F3, F-Renault series and other level 3 categories. Most drivers who have reached F1 have not gone through F2/F3000 and as a consequence the chances of somebody winning an F2/F3000 and F1 championship are probably quite low.

[esorniloc]

Prost, Senna and Piquet never bothered with F2, they went straight from F3 to F1.

There have been F2 champions who won F1 in the same year in the 60's but this was before the European series started in 1967.

Jim Clark - 1965 British F2 champion
Jack Brabham - 1966 British & French F2 champion

[nickyf1]

Originally Posted by sonic

Hey, its better than A1GP!

when i first heard of it i thought it was sposored by A1 (the A1 ring sponsor)

[SpawnyWhippet]

Yeah, 'A1GP' really bites the big one.