Formula Racing series around the world - how they are doing

As we have the half way of the 2014 racing series I want to discuss with you how the Formula Racing series around the world are doing.

I think we could exclude Formula One because the situation for Formula One is discussed in many other threads.

GP2

GP2 is the first feder series for Formula One. This season the standing in relation to WSbR is better as in WSbR the top teams are struggling to bring two cars to the grid. Top rated junior drivers like Vandoorne and Marciello also decided to go to GP2, which has a full grid of 26 cars which is very impressive in this time. There were also some cost-cutting plans which do work well. So the GP2 series is currently very healthy, but I think there are some big problems:

1. Experienced drivers have much more chances than youngster in their first season. So drivers like Palmer, Leimer or Valsecchi win the title in their 4th or 5th season. In WSbR talented driver could fight for title in the first season.

2. The reverse grid is also not really good. In WSbR there are two qualifyings which garantee that the best driver has also the best chances. It's more sport, less show.

3. The spare parts are expensive.

WSbR

The series has a future, with a cost-cutting plan that includes longer life for some parts of the car, a longer life for the current car and more money for the teams for far-away-races as Moscow or a possible race in China. But there will be just 12 teams in 2015 (so a maximum of 24 cars). I think the series have a good future because of it's second class, the 2.0-litre Formula Renault which has very talented drivers who can climb up to the 3.5 litre-series.

GP3

GP3 looks also very good although the F3 European series is getting more and more stronger. So I think Bruno Michel is very strong race promoter who will held the GP3 on a wealthy level.

F3 European

Renault is still continuing with the F3 programme, so it would be very nice to have a third car maker and a fourth engine maker in F3 European series. Also Signature will definitly return to the series, so I think the series will still have an amzing amount of drivers. And currently there are very string drivers in the series like Verstappen and Ocon.

Formula E

This series has a very strong future I think. There are many teams who wants to build their own electric car which will be allowed the second season onwards. Currently it's not really a series for young talented drivers, it's more for former F1 drivers in a good age or drivers which could not climb up to F1 due to money as Bird or something like that. So Formula E is something very different, but it has a great future, I think.

Super Formula

The series want to become more than a very nice championship: It want become the highest Formula Series for whole Asia. But I think the way is long as there are still no races outside of Japan and no engine suppliers or something like that. Just one team is outside from Japan (KCMG - Hong Kong). But I really like these series with youngsters from Japan competing against well-known drivers like Lotterer, Liuzzi or Karthikeyan.

Auto GP

I think the series is done, which is a little bit sad. It's not the best Formula Series, but it's good racing and it's a place for some young drivers but also for gentleman drivers and something like that. The FA1 World Series with almost the same cars do not help Auto GP. Racing in Italy is also in a difficult situation, as we see with the death of Italian F3 Series.

FA1 World Series

Two race weekends are cancelled what is very sad. I think the A1 GP Series was very great. But I think the time is over. The series could just survive if they make it interesting as a additional practice series for F3 drivers or something on that level. But with almost a half of a million for a whole season it is not very interesting for such drivers.

F3 UK / ATS F3 Cup

Perhaps they will have races together, so the grid will improve, but what's that? Races together, but drivers competing in two different championship - but on one track in the same time. The winner is leader in championship one but the second place driver perhaps in race two. That does not make sense for me. I think the national F3 series are in danger and teams, organizer and all others should concentrate on national F4 series.

F3 Open

I don't know why, but the F3 Open has still fully grid. I don't know what they make better than German and British F3

Japanese F3 Series

Japanese Formula 3 is also in a difficult situarion, but I think they will survice as the Japanese racing scene is still very, very strong. I dont't think so about Australien F3.

Formula Renault 2.0

The national and international F4 series will be a strong competitor for the 2.0 litres series, which I think is very, very strong with very big grids and talented drivers.

Formula 4

I think there is no need for a Formula 4 Racing series. Perhaps national F4 series in Asia, Russia, South America make sense, but in Europe we have many Formula Renault 2.0 series which do work very well.

IndyCar

I like the series very, very much and I hope it will get stronger in the next years. The problem is that NASCAR is very strong in America.

Indy Lights

Indy Lights will get stronger next season I'm sure with the new car. I know that some teams like Euro International and Carlin show interest for competing there in 2015.

Thanks for the summary.

Cool summary, but I guess not so well, judging by the interest in this thread ;)

Ignoring the fact that most of these series are not available here in the U.S. anyway, I really only have time for F1 and IndyCar. In Canada there seems to be more top level bicycle racing on television, than open-wheel. Not sure about the States yet, as I just moved here.

Edited by HeadFirst, 17 July 2014 - 03:07.

Most of these have some coverage here in the UK,exept japanese & indylights.Reason F3 open has more support than FIA F3 is its cheaper to run I belive? You seem to have missed US F2000 & Pro Mazda? We get one hour hightlights of these about a month later..Some of these like Auto GP/FA1 need to be merged?

FA1/Auto GP will be dead in a year or two. Sponsorship will flow to Formula E and Super Formula.

F3 Open does well because the organisers realise they need to keep costs down if they are going to run a successful second tier F3 series.

If you were a young driver and had to chose between a burgeoning F3 Open grid or the more expensive British/German F3 with worse grids you'd go F3 open any day of the week. 

why is it cheaper?

And what does it cost and what British/German F3?

Well I watch pretty much all of them (from the UK), embarassingly enough. Except for Indy Lights, German & Australian F3  and the Japanese series as there is no UK TV (plus E which hasn't started yet!)

Keep thinking I ought to tweet the commentators while watching. If they answer, I'll know no-one else is ;)

Euro F3 and Indy Lights have youtube channels with full races uploaded to them. Not sure about the other F3 series. USF2000\Pro Mazda have highlight shows on Motors TV and their youtube channels.

FA1\Auto GP should merge or they're not likely to last long. It seems that some entry level series have switched to F4 regulations (eg F. Abarth in Italy, ADAC Formel Masters in Germany) but in the UK there's a duplication with BRDC F4 vs FIA. In general the European single seater ladder suffers from a glut of series that are often too expensive for cash-strapped talents to advance through. No wonder the streamlined and scholarship funded Mazda Road to Indy is attracting more drivers from Europe (especially with the links to Formula Ford series around the world).