04-Oct-08: F2 Champ Will Get Chance of Williams Test
You’re listening to F1 Minute and today is the 4th October 2008.
This week, Williams hosted the launch of the F2 series at their factory, and we got to learn some more details of the new feeder formula. We already know that Williams have designed the F2 cars, and that Jonathan Palmer has secured the rights to operate the series. Now we know that the winner of the F2 championship will get to spend time in the Williams F1 simulator and then get a test in the car out on track. Of his hopes for the series, Palmer said: “I am absolutely determined that Formula 2 will attract the greatest depth of talent by virtue of its extraordinary cost effectiveness, and through its carefully considered format and equality of opportunity produce most of the best future F1 star talent in the coming years.”
Elsewhere, technical director of Renault, Bob Bell, has said the Alonso we saw in Singapore was “the Fernando of old”, the one who was capable of winning championships.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
12-Jul-08: The FIA Release New F2 Details
Welcome to F1 Minute for the 12th July 2008.
The FIA have given us a few more details about the F2 series they announced recently. The idea is to encourage more young drivers to the sport through a low-cost feeder series, and the tender process is now open for manufacturers to become the supplier of the single-chassis series. The calendar has also been released and information about how a race weekend will stack up. The series will feature across 10 weekends between April and September in Europe, and there’ll be an hour of free practice, qualifying and a 175 km race across just Saturday and Sunday.
There will also be three one-day test events before, and three one-day events during the season. Competitors can enter two drivers but must be signed up for the whole season, and it looks like the FIA are after a minimum grid of 14 cars – which means at least 7 teams.
All this for 200,000 Euros per car.
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.