Junior Formula. Discussion of F2, F3, F4, Formula Renault, TRS, W-Series, Indy Lights, etcOpen Wheel 

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Very occasionally, I get E-Mail notifications so I know when he has updated it. Again, always very genuine and never one to shy away from saying what he wants.
 
I prefer F3s kind of open reg policy with engines and chassis which would be comparable to say Indycar back in the IRL days, But I think GP3 has the most relevant engine going forward.

If they could find a mix with that it could work, and maybe limit the engine power like they do in F3 now to limit engine domination.

I think it's important that Open reg junior formula exist for the future so to make the F1 leap not soo different, kind of like how Moto 3 is now and to a less extent Moto 2.
 
I think it's important that Open reg junior formula exist for the future so to make the F1 leap not soo different
Formula 1 cars have significantly more power and downforce - so much so that having open regulations in Formula 3 will offer little benefit to junior drivers. Especially when they have to go through the intermediary step of Formula 2. The only real benefit is that it encourages engine suppliers to get involved in the junior levels, which makes them more likely to run a driver development programme.
 
Formula 1 cars have significantly more power and downforce - so much so that having open regulations in Formula 3 will offer little benefit to junior drivers. Especially when they have to go through the intermediary step of Formula 2. The only real benefit is that it encourages engine suppliers to get involved in the junior levels, which makes them more likely to run a driver development programme.
Not all drivers have to go through formula 2, but the point I'm making is if you have manufactures in your series and possible factory teams it helps you build relationships for further on.

But as seen in Moto gp having factory teams in lower category with open reg actually improves the viewership for those categories as right now basically anything that isn't F1 gets zero eyes on it.

I think getting F2 to open reg will be hard as it's already expensive as it is and drivers know winning F2 gives a higher chance of progression so prices are inflated already, but F3 could surely go down that path and has for years.
 
F3 could surely go down that path and has for years.
I imagine that if the FIA wants to streamline the third tier, they will revise the regulations. They did for Formula 2 - the GP2/11 chassis and Mechachrome engine will be replaced next year.
 
Well, there's another dirty move by Ollie Rowland - he didn't leave Fuoco racing room, so Fuoco was forced to back out and Leclerc spun out trying to avoid him.
 
I notice a significant improvement in safety when looking at the start crash - Marciello's car barely disintegrated at all, which is something Michael Herck couldn't say when he plowed into the back of Petrov (?) under similar conditions years ago.
 
That was the best GP3 race I have ever watched.

The F2's were a bit of a dud, but I did have to clear 3 of them off the grid, so it wasn't all bad.
 
Sprint race was better. Some brilliant moves by Leclerc, Markelov, Canamasas and De Vries. I'm not sure what Rowland was thinking at the end there. He's under investigation for it.
I'm not sure what actually happened at the end there, the commentators weren't very clear about the incident. What did Rowland do?
 
I'm not sure what actually happened at the end there, the commentators weren't very clear about the incident. What did Rowland do?
He backed everyone up at the restart. Latifi was in the lead, so he had DAMS tell him to go early while he backed everyone up as much as possible before the restart line. He was staring down a five-second penalty for earlier contact with King or Markelov (I missed who it was for) and was trying to take everyone by surprise. Leclerc was really the only driver he was trying to finish ahead of, so I can only imagine that he was hoping Leclerc would get swamped or that everyone would trip over each other - but deliberately trying to force a messy restart seems ridiculously irresponsible.
 
Sprint race was better. Some brilliant moves by Leclerc, Markelov, Canamasas and De Vries. I'm not sure what Rowland was thinking at the end there. He's under investigation for it.
I think they're also investigating the Gelael spin. Was Rowland given his 5 second penalty for pushing King or Markelov off at the start?
 
He backed everyone up at the restart. Latifi was in the lead, so he had DAMS tell him to go early while he backed everyone up as much as possible before the restart line. He was staring down a five-second penalty for earlier contact with King or Markelov (I missed who it was for) and was trying to take everyone by surprise. Leclerc was really the only driver he was trying to finish ahead of, so I can only imagine that he was hoping Leclerc would get swamped or that everyone would trip over each other - but deliberately trying to force a messy restart seems ridiculously irresponsible.
Thanks.

Rowland's penalty was for not leaving Markelov any room down when he went for a pass down the inside of the Wellington Straight. The incident where King was forced off the road was considered a raving incident.
 
I think they're also investigating the Gelael spin.
I didn't see that.

Was Rowland given his 5 second penalty for pushing King or Markelov off at the start?
I don't know - I missed the start and only caught replays of both. I'm guessing it was the contact with King since it put King out of the race, but the move on Markelov was questionable. Markelov had the speed to pass him if Rowland hadn't put him on the grass. As we saw from Boschung's spin, getting out on the grass is dangerous, and Markelov was much further alongside Rowland than Boschung was alongside the other car.

Rowland's penalty was for not leaving Markelov any room down when he went for a pass down the inside of the Wellington Straight.
In that case, it was very well-deserved. It was a similar move at Hockenheim last year that soured me on Rowland. Good to see this kind of nonsense isn't tolerated.
 
Did Rowland get penalised for the restart? I assume he did - Wikipedia had him down as finishing tenth, but now he's seventeenth. If so, what did he get penalised for? At the time, the commentators pointed out that the rule about falling too far behind the safety car only applies when the lights are on.
 
Did Rowland get penalised for the restart? I assume he did - Wikipedia had him down as finishing tenth, but now he's seventeenth. If so, what did he get penalised for? At the time, the commentators pointed out that the rule about falling too far behind the safety car only applies when the lights are on.
Rowland was given a 20 second post-race penalty, according to Autosport, but there's no mention of what the penalty was actually for.
 
Did Rowland get penalised for the restart? I assume he did - Wikipedia had him down as finishing tenth, but now he's seventeenth. If so, what did he get penalised for? At the time, the commentators pointed out that the rule about falling too far behind the safety car only applies when the lights are on.
Rowland was given a 20 second post-race penalty, according to Autosport, but there's no mention of what the penalty was actually for.
Impeding other drivers under the safety car.
 
Impeding other drivers under the safety car.
Seems like a bit of a reach to me. He should have been penalised for it because it was bordering on dangerous driving - he seemed to think he could trip everyone up - but I'm guessing that there wasn't a specific penalty for it so impeding others was the best thet could do.
 
Whose face is it that appears on the Arden cars?

I really hope it's not some presently alive CEO of Pertamina, because that'd be the peak of self-righteousness in the motorsport world right there...
 
Sean-Gelael-Arden-GP2-2017.jpg

This one? He gets care space within GP3 as well, this time on the Trident though:
_W6I3943.4085117.jpg
 
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