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| Image courtesy of www.paddockscout.com |
Hello you! The name is Luca, but you can call me Luca. So in my last blog post, I spoke at length about how I have all these ideas and concepts but I don't have the power to make them happen, but it has never stopped me from at least trying. This is one of the many reasons I began this blog, so maybe someone with power could read it and be all like "This looks alright, maybe I'll try and make it happen". Oh and a little side note, I feel like if you read my last post and took a shot of strong alcoholic drink every time I said "Make it happen", you would have blacked out.
Anyway, back to the main topic here. So as I have already mentioned, I am a huge motorsport fan and it ranges from anything such as GT racing to junior formulae, and from cars to motorcycles. I consider myself incredibly invested in many major details of these racing championships to make a case for this concept I am going to be telling you about, as it has been a brainchild of mine for a couple of years.
So if any of you read my 'What is a voice with no power Part 1 (FIA F3 Europe)' (Link here: https://redsone-shot.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/what-is-voice-with-no-power-part-1-fia.html), I had been trying to make a case for the FIA European Formula Three championship to try and focus on it being a proper junior formulae for those heading to F1, and not a by-product of the German DTM championship.
But because I'm just some kid who has no significance, this never happened and European Formula Three is still trapped in the cycle of shitty tracks and clinging to DTM's hand like a man-child who cannot man up and move out of his mother's basement and get a job.
It won't stop me trying of course, and it never stopped me back then. This tale I have for you may actually be quite the amusing one, so sit back with your comedy popcorn and let us get started!
Back in 2013, the British Formula Three championship had downsized its schedule to include just four rounds, of which only 50% were actually in Britain. For many years proceeding the 2013 'mini' championship, British F3 whilst it was still a strong force, it was trying to be a European series, and that had been rather working for them, until the FIA took over the F3 Euro Series to become FIA European F3 in 2012. This being the period when I tried pointing European F3 in the direction to distance itself from DTM to an extent, but I've already spoken about that.
The FIA-led Euro F3 had become so affordable and accessible to younger drivers, that a lot of them were making the step up immediately to this tier of racing after racing in a lower tier national championship. Even Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen leaped up to FIA European F3 from Karts in 2014 and then the following year, made his F1 race debut, seemingly an exception to the rule of how drivers develop in the lower formulae.
Anyway, so I tried all I could to get in touch with the Stéphane Ratel Organisation, who are responsible for the Blancpain GT championships, British GT and at the time, British F3. The most I ever got was through the British GT Twitter account, and during the period that the 2013 smaller scale British F3 series was taking place, I tried to convince them that the way forward for British F3 was to go back to basics, with a schedule that mainly consisted of British tracks and only one round outside of Britain.
I tried to help but they must have seen me as an annoyance, because British GT blocked me on Twitter. However the idea of the schedule mainly consisting of British circuits must have struck a chord with them and they did do this for the following year, much to my delight but it didn't work out, as less than 10 drivers competed throughout the whole championship and after many successful years, British F3 in that guise was forced to fold.
Not trying to push the blame onto something else, but whilst I feel partly responsible, it was because of European F3's rise to now being a complete monopoly. We do have British F3 back under a new guise and without the cars to match that of European F3, and with a mostly British schedule to suit that of drivers looking to make a natural progression and with the sponsorship they have so it has worked out well in that regards.
However, I don't think SRO are best pleased to have lost control of a major junior formulae so that is why I have not only emailed them with this idea, I want to get it across to you lot in hopes I may be able to convince SRO the benefits of such a proposed series. So I give you everyone, the Formula Three EuroCup championship.
Remember how I spoke briefly about how in 2013, British F3 was watered down in terms of its calendar with only four rounds? Well I have to commend SRO for the concept, it just should never have been utilised for British F3 at all. However for what I have in mind, four rounds is perfect.
Looking back on how the 2013 British F3 championship played out, it consisted of drivers who were already competing in many major racing championships and were using it as a "bit on the side". The three main players when it came to competing to win the British F3 title, they were Jordan King, Antonio Giovinazzi and William Buller, all three of whom were competing in the European F3 as well.
Same for many of the other drivers, such as Nicholas Latifi, Jann Mardenborough, Sean Gelael and Tatiana Calderon. All of them were competing in European F3 that year, and it didn't stop there, as we also had 2012 British F3 vice-champion Jazeman Jaafar return for one round so he could qualify for the F3 Macau Grand Prix, since he had been competing in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2013.
For those out there who don't follow motorsport, the unfortunate truth is that money is what makes the world go round. I don't mean that as in wages for drivers, because car upgrades and repairing costs money, drivers need to have sponsorship behind them, and unfortunately, talent isn't the only thing that sponsors like. We have seen it in recent years that drivers make it to F1 on pure money alone, or at least where the money outweighs talent.
It is bad enough in the highly publicised championships such as F1, but you look further down the single seater ladder and it is even worse. I know for a fact that so many drivers particularly from Australia and New Zealand have it very difficult, since sponsors of theirs from their native countries find it difficult to sell in a market such as Europe.
I can also safely say it isn't isolated to just drivers from outside of Europe, we have so many drivers deserving of a shot in major racing championships, and can't get the chance due to the money involved. That is where this F3 EuroCup comes in, as I have been inspired by many other championships that use the EuroCup name, like the Renault Clio series and also Formula Ford from a few years ago.
There's a driver called Scott Malvern, he is one of the major victims of money dictating his career. I believe Scott could have been a very successful driver had he gone further, as he won the 2011 British Formula Ford championship, the Formula Ford EuroCup that same year and the 2012 Formula Renault BARC.
That aside, the Formula Ford EuroCup that he won in 2011 alongside his British FFord championship was a four round mini championship. This being the main source of inspiration I am taking with the F3 championship, because the EuroCup being a smaller scale series allowed Malvern to commit to it as well as his British FFord campaign.
So applying this idea to a higher tier format of racing such as F3, you could have drivers from so many disciplines compete either at one round or throughout the whole EuroCup. It would be very accessible for drivers who don't have a full season budget and may want to try and impress whilst competing with drivers who are using the EuroCup as a side campaign or competing in order to qualify at Macau, maybe sponsors will sit up and take note?
I know for a fact that I sound naïve as fuck, but when this format was tested for British F3 in 2013, it worked out exactly like so and I see this concept of a small scale and small budget F3 series being only more beneficial for drivers in a variety of different junior series.
So the F3 EuroCup, this is what I have proposed to the Stéphane Ratel Organisation. Back in 2013 with British F3, we had the four rounds with three races each at Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, Brands Hatch and Nürburgring, and for the F3 EuroCup I have pretty much the same tracks except Monza in Brands Hatch's place.
All rounds support the Blancpain Endurance Series, in their 3 hour races and their annual 24 hour race at Spa. Three races each weekend, using FIA grade F3 chassis that are left over probably from when the SRO's British F3 went down the pipe.
"So Luca, why are you writing this? What is the point of this?", well random person who doesn't actually exist and I only conjured up for the purpose of asking that question but probably nobody else gives a shit to answer, okay maybe some of you actually do.. I am proposing the SRO to create the F3 EuroCup because it is a perfect compromise.
You'll remember I said that the British GT Twitter account blocked me, so I made some enemies back then. I don't regret anything, I still think that British F3 was not meant for this four round and watered down concept, but the concept is genius and maybe SRO could take advantage of this hole in the market.
I do want to apologise to SRO for being a slight annoyance but I only ever did anything with good intentions. This small scale F3 championship will be very beneficial for many young drivers and I reckon you guys will have really large grids at every race meeting, I sent an email to Emily from your London base with the contacts on the SRO Motorsports Group website, and I go into a little more detail regarding a few other things such as how race start line-ups are dictated. Hopefully you see what I am trying to propose.
Because hey! I may have been one of the catalysts that led to you losing British F3 so why wouldn't you listen to a scrub like me? I know I sound like I have my head so far up my own arse that I am.. okay I won't go there but my point is, I am not. Heck if I was unreasonable, I could have the nerve to ask my parents for a Ferrari 458 Spider and tell them that if they didn't, I would not love them in the slightest, however my feet are firmly on the ground here.
I see the benefits of the F3 EuroCup, and I hope you lot see where I am coming from. Hope to hear from you lot soon, and again, sorry for the inconveniences way back when. Oh and you don't have to get the British GT Twitter account person to unblock me, the Renault F1 team blocked me because they have signed a disgrace to the cause of getting a woman driver to compete in F1, and so many of the junior formulae drivers agree with me. (This by the way, I will come to it and some point in the future, I want a talented and competitive woman to represent female athletes in F1, and the one I am referring to here, is not. She, is just, NOT!)
Alright! Got off topic there, as for the rest of you, thank you for reading my article. If you're new here, follow me on Twitter @TheLucaFormat to get notified of when I post, or you can Follow By Email if you are on the desktop version.
So until we meet again.
Luca.
So applying this idea to a higher tier format of racing such as F3, you could have drivers from so many disciplines compete either at one round or throughout the whole EuroCup. It would be very accessible for drivers who don't have a full season budget and may want to try and impress whilst competing with drivers who are using the EuroCup as a side campaign or competing in order to qualify at Macau, maybe sponsors will sit up and take note?
I know for a fact that I sound naïve as fuck, but when this format was tested for British F3 in 2013, it worked out exactly like so and I see this concept of a small scale and small budget F3 series being only more beneficial for drivers in a variety of different junior series.
So the F3 EuroCup, this is what I have proposed to the Stéphane Ratel Organisation. Back in 2013 with British F3, we had the four rounds with three races each at Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, Brands Hatch and Nürburgring, and for the F3 EuroCup I have pretty much the same tracks except Monza in Brands Hatch's place.
All rounds support the Blancpain Endurance Series, in their 3 hour races and their annual 24 hour race at Spa. Three races each weekend, using FIA grade F3 chassis that are left over probably from when the SRO's British F3 went down the pipe.
"So Luca, why are you writing this? What is the point of this?", well random person who doesn't actually exist and I only conjured up for the purpose of asking that question but probably nobody else gives a shit to answer, okay maybe some of you actually do.. I am proposing the SRO to create the F3 EuroCup because it is a perfect compromise.
You'll remember I said that the British GT Twitter account blocked me, so I made some enemies back then. I don't regret anything, I still think that British F3 was not meant for this four round and watered down concept, but the concept is genius and maybe SRO could take advantage of this hole in the market.
I do want to apologise to SRO for being a slight annoyance but I only ever did anything with good intentions. This small scale F3 championship will be very beneficial for many young drivers and I reckon you guys will have really large grids at every race meeting, I sent an email to Emily from your London base with the contacts on the SRO Motorsports Group website, and I go into a little more detail regarding a few other things such as how race start line-ups are dictated. Hopefully you see what I am trying to propose.
Because hey! I may have been one of the catalysts that led to you losing British F3 so why wouldn't you listen to a scrub like me? I know I sound like I have my head so far up my own arse that I am.. okay I won't go there but my point is, I am not. Heck if I was unreasonable, I could have the nerve to ask my parents for a Ferrari 458 Spider and tell them that if they didn't, I would not love them in the slightest, however my feet are firmly on the ground here.
I see the benefits of the F3 EuroCup, and I hope you lot see where I am coming from. Hope to hear from you lot soon, and again, sorry for the inconveniences way back when. Oh and you don't have to get the British GT Twitter account person to unblock me, the Renault F1 team blocked me because they have signed a disgrace to the cause of getting a woman driver to compete in F1, and so many of the junior formulae drivers agree with me. (This by the way, I will come to it and some point in the future, I want a talented and competitive woman to represent female athletes in F1, and the one I am referring to here, is not. She, is just, NOT!)
Alright! Got off topic there, as for the rest of you, thank you for reading my article. If you're new here, follow me on Twitter @TheLucaFormat to get notified of when I post, or you can Follow By Email if you are on the desktop version.
So until we meet again.
Luca.
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