Should GP2 be called F2?

[Andrew Hornsey]

I am probably being dumb, but should GP2 be called F2.

As always, motosport seems to like to confuse the ladder to the top, and GP2 will not let the average man in the street know what it is.

Apols if this has been covered before, but it takes forever to go through every thread! :-)

[Paul Rayner]

I think it should be. I think the argument may be that for it to be called Formula 2 it should be an open chassis series but I say balls to that - as you said, it's confusing to the average man on the street.

[BootsOntheSide]

I completely agree. Formula 2 is the logical name - supposedly some officials felt that it sounded second-rate, but sponsors support the 'third-rate' F3 championships? All that GP2 makes me think of is the Geoff Crammond simulation game.

[Kicking-back]

Bruno Michel says they considered the F2 name, but GP2 sounded more modern, researched better with potential sponsors and showed a direct link to "Grand Prix"

[Paul Rayner]

If it came up better on research then that's fair enough. At least GP2's a massive improvement on F3000.

[littleman]

Should be called Formula 2 without hesitation.This name has a tradition,history and pedigree to be proud of.GP2 means absolutely nothing.I utterly detest one-make single-seater championships and this will be yet another bland borefest.Why-oh-why didn't they at least allow freedom of choice for chassis.Has Briatore got shares in Dallara as well as just about everything else! No wonder so many chassis manufacturers have faded away over the past twenty years - there's hardly any markets left to sell to.

[Kicking-back]

One make series are essential to control costs - and having heard the plans for GP2 in great detail it'll be anything but bland and boring.

[sidsideways]

GP2 makes perfect sense in the World of Alice in Wonderland!! Back on planet earth F2 would fit the bill I think.

[Kicking-back]

It's been researched!

[Mackmot]

Anyone can do any research to fit any point of view.

[littleman]

One make series are a licence to print money.Where else will teams be able to buy spare parts for the next 3 years and I bet there's an expensive 'up-grade' kit every 12 months too.Controlling costs is a con - don't believe it.It goes against all the rules of commerce - a monopoly will NEVER provide a competitive commercial environment.

[Russfeld]

Formula 2 makes more sense than Grand Prix 2. A Grand Prix is an event, a Formula is a championship.

[Comtec Renault]

The FIA has F2 thats why so the new boys have to call it GP2.

[BootsOntheSide]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
It's been researched!

So was Thalidomide.

As for it being one-make, the ideal is to keep costs down, and ensure that every driver and team can compete on a level playig field with identical equipment. Whether that works out depends on GP2's car design, which seems like an improvement on F3000's.

[JJ Jet Plane]

If GP2 sounds more modern than Formula 2 from Bruno Michel's fantastic research, then does he also think that Formula 1 should be renamed GP1?

[climb]

I would reverse the question:
does GP2 deserve to be renamed F2?
It's a hard task, and only after having seen the whole thing go we'll be able to judge.

[DanFlag]

The FIA has F2, what??

[Mathias]

The whole flipping stupid thing is that if you have "GP2" the question people ask is "Well, what is GP1"? And if you're forced to say "F1 is". Of course, the next step down the ladder is F3...

Honestly, imagine if soccer did something like that...

D'oh!

[Kicking-back]

Mathias, to be fair, football does have confusing names.

The top level in England is the Premiership.

The league below that is "the Championship".

The third tier is called "League One"

The fourth tier is called "League Two"

Formula One and GP2 makes much more sense than that.

[Fuzzyfelt]

I really do despair at some of the decision making processes within motorsport.

When I first got interested in motorRACING, trying to understand what the various formulae (?) were was a nightmare.

What's wrong with Formula 2? It's so obvious - F3, F2, F1.

Like, duh

[Kicking-back]

GP2 is the name and it's not going to be changed.

While it might not be what you want, it's a hell of a lot more sensible than Formula 3000

[BootsOntheSide]

If GP2's management are so closed-minded as to ignore public majority opinion, they won't ge very far.

F3000 was reasonably sensible at the time, because it represented the 3 litre engines (when F1 had 3.5 litre). Unfortunately the engines changed to 2 litre some years later.

[Kicking-back]

Boots - the current F3000 engines are three litres.

[Rob29]

Originally posted by Russfeld
Formula 2 makes more sense than Grand Prix 2. A Grand Prix is an event, a Formula is a championship.

Not sure what you are trying to say here,Russfeld.A formula is a specification that cars are built to.Grands Prix have been held to many formulas,including F2 & F3000 until the powers that be decided to run F3000 on Saturday afternoons after most of the spectators for F1 qualifying have gone home. The old F2 European championship hardly ever supported anything.Around 1984 it was decided to make F1,turbos only,and someone(italian I think)had the idea of runing a series for the old 3 litre cars-F1-Serie B. F2 was in need of change,so the 2 things got amalgamated as F3000.4 rounds suporting F1 and about 8 stand alones made uo the 1985 championship.
GP2 will be an improvement if it can run on Sunday as warm up to F1 GPs.

[Asa]

The racing ladder is not going to be F1, GP2, F3

It is going to be F1, GP2, World Series by Renault then Formula Renault 2000 or F3.

BTW, GP2 is called GP2 because GPWC has planned to call their rival breakaway F1 series GP1.

RPM just annouced more details of the new World Series by Renault today. I suppose they could call it GP2.5...