11 replies to this topic

[Merlin]

Last year Jenson Button came to F1 directly from F3 and Kimi Raikkonen is doing the same from even lower series. So the really talented guys are picked up quite early. Those who go to F3000 have lost their chance already. Atleast we'll see a bit of a comparison next year when we have the '99 F3000 champion Heidfeld in Sauber with the Formula Renault 2000 champion Raikkonen.
Are Zonta, Heidfeld and Montoya winners of a losers' series? (Montoya is as he won the Cart)

[b3nster]

CART being a loser series? Stay away from a career in diplomacy, merlin.;)
I just wish being a fan here in the states, we were able to watch SOMETHING between F3000 and F3. Its already like pulling teeth just to see F1 at a somewhat up-to-date timeframe.

[Witt]

I've been meaning to post a topic on this, but keep forgetting, so here's my take on the situation.

Since 1991, only one F3000 champion has won a GP, and that was Olivier Panis! Other champions like Chiristian Fitipaldi, Vincenzo Sospiri, Badoer, Zonta have all sucked in F1 or have not had a decent chance. What does that say about F3000? Hell, even Ricardo Rosset finished runner up!

Nick Heidfeld's career looks done already, Monotoya is the only one in the past 10 years to go on and win a higher level championship - CART. If history is anything to go by, he's already done for.

And while all these champions go onto be nobodies in F1, the team bosses still think F3000 is important enough to fund "Junior" teams, but they are not utilising their talent which they nurture.

It seems the best way to get into a F1 these days is to skip F3000, start F1 in a crap team (even though all young guys insist on not doing that) and then advancing up the grid, the old fashioned way. Either that, or win in CART, they seem to be the only ways to immediately get into a top F1 team. For example, Villeneuve won in CART before coming to F1, Fisi & Trulli started at Minardi, working their way up through the grid.

Schumacher and Wurz came from Sports Cars. Frentzen, Irvine, Salo, Ralf were all European rejects and had to go to Japan to revive their flagging careers?

The pattern is unmistakeable, to make it big in F1, you must avoid using F3000 as the final stepping stone to F1, because as history has shown it is not. History says you must take a step backwards first, before taking on F1.

[BuzzingHornet]

The sad thing is, F3000 is a really good racing series. Its like F1 with overtaking Drivers arnt afraid to stuff it in the scenery either because of 'political considerations', so they mostly really go for it.

If Heidfeld had gone to McLaren and not Prost I don't think we'd be having this discussion now. Part of the problem is thta the F3000 drivers arn't getting the chances to shine, so they don't. Its a vicious circle...

Shame about Jason Watt and Gonzalo Rodriguez. They would have been good in F1 for sure.

[HSJ]

To add to Witt's list, Hakkinen, like Button, came from F3, like essentially all greats do. Well, at least, didn't Senna come from F3? F3000 sucks careerwise, that's for sure.

[TF1WDCom]

I wouldn't think they are losers to be honest.

Jenson Button from F3, is only better in F1 than say Nick Heidfeld from F3000, because JB is in a better car .. if they the cars were neutral .. then I'd think there will be a challenge.

Give people time, its only Nick's first year in F1. He'll spread, he'll be a good driver. Don't judge yet.

Yet, everyone has their own opinion.

Cheers,

[mhferrari]

It is a good series, but you do not have good future prospects.

[aRTi]

The F3000, and F2 in the 70s and 80s, always was a difficult series.
The FIA changed F2 in F3000 and then started to race F3000 in the European Formula 1 race weekends to get more media attention. And then made it a single chassis/engine series in Europe to reduce the cost.

The costs compared with little media attention doesn’t attract many sponsors.
And it only could harm your career if you didn't win races, because you were in the wrong team.
A lot of skilled drivers didn't made it after driving one or more seasons in F2 or F3000. Some were better then most Grand Prix drivers!
It's also not good for a career to drive three or more years in Formula 3.
So the next step would be F3000 or Formula Nippon. And then there is always the option to drive in CART and IRL for Europeans and South-Americans. That has nothing to do with an inferior racing series, absolutely not, only with racing tradition.

If someone can go from F3 or even lower series come directly over to F1, then you also have to give credit to his management and loyal sponsors. I think it says nothing about other drivers who weren't that lucky.
And I think there is also a new trend going on in modern F1. How much media attention did Jenson got last winter!? Even the girls who only watched MTV to see the Back Street Boys, or something like that, started to watch F1.(Jenson did fine this year, no doubt about that!)
Peter Sauber will probably hopes he get his share this winter! Nice move because Finland is very F1 minded thanks to the Keke's, the JJ's and the Mika's. So mabey RedBull could be going to ship a lot cans to the Nordic in 2001! (I'm not saying anything about Räikkönen, because I don't know the guy…)

I think F3000 is not a losers series, only you can loose a lot (money and credit…).

[PeaQ]

mnahhhh...
M.Schumacher drove in F3000.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen drove Formula 3000 for Eddie Jordan Racing.
J.Herbert took the title in the serie 1987.
Barrichello drove in F3000, ended up third, but he still drove it.
R.Schumacher took the title.

I don't think anyone of the persons above can be classified as loosers.

[MattPete]

Originally posted by PeaQ
mnahhhh...
M.Schumacher drove in F3000.

Neither Schumacher, Hakkinen, or Villeneuve drove in F3000.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Schumacher did an F3000 race at Sugo. Formula Nippon actaully. Same thing though.

I beleive he was beaten by American Ross Cheever

aRTi part of the Button craze was down to the British motorsport press very much being the international motorsport press.

[PeaQ]

Yep, 1990 he raced in Sugo, finished second...