Well you did it. I hear you saying it to yourself looking at the title of this weekly column. The FIA killed autosport. There will be a lot of you who disagree with this opinion. Or don’t understand the title. Does he mean racing in shitty countries with Formula One cars? No, i actually mean that the FIA killed the opportunity for young drivers to develop themselves. Right now you have to go to F4, F3 and F2 to eventually arrive in the Formula One.
I understand somehow that the FIA choose for their own ladder to reach the top starting in the Karts and then keep on developing yourself. There are some other series still left like the Formula Alpine or whatever the Formula Renault is called these days. That’s basically it if you want to try a different road you probably won’t appear in the Formula One. Because of the lack of series, as well the fact you have to gain “points” as if you’re playing DTM Race Driver 3 all over again.
Perhaps I’m not a normal fan though I miss the days that I turned on the television and on Eurosport 1 and 2 the Formula Renault 2.0 and the Formula Renault 3.5 were broadcasted. When going a channel further the Formula Nippon was broadcasted, or how about the local broadcasting of the Formula Ford? Not to forget to mention the regional series of the Formula Renault.
Lets make it even more exciting the Formula 3 euro series, the Formula 3 and all its international and regional series, the Formula Nissan. How about the Formula 3000 remember that series? This became later, if im correct, the Auto GP series, which now is ill fated as well it seems. A1GP and Formula Ford. Just some race series I remind from the past, a past that wasn’t that long ago reality. I forgot to mention as well the amount of touring car series and endurance series around the world.
Those series where unknown drivers had a change, a dream, a goal to go further up the ladder and appear eventually in the Formula One. They are no more it seems. As already said it seems that there is only one way to go. F4, F3 and F2 before you, perhaps, appear on the Formula One. Here there was to come a new Formula series for the youth that was in-between Formula Ford and Formula 4. The Formula RP1 Benelux series. The RP1 car looked beautiful, simple and was a low cost series compared to the rest. It cars materialised, though the series died even before it could start.
Then there is the W-Series i had to reconsider my opinion before. However, I don’t see the advantage of the series. The main problem is the way they are dealing with it. Why give the ladies only 30 minutes + 1 lap on the track for one race? How can they develop themselves? It feels more and that the series is just a wrong joke. I prefer to see races that take at least 1 hour with wheel-banging action.
I really miss the days that there was every weekend somewhere on this beautiful globe some Formula race. Where the unknown drivers tried to make a name and appear in the spotlight. Waiting for that one chance to be seen by some bobo like Helmut Marko. I may be wrong for you, though for myself I miss it. Today’s autosport lost it all. I blame the FIA, and perhaps the FIA should reconsider their steps and fix it. It will never happen I know!
