FIA ponders new F2 formula

The FIA is continuing to work on a new Formula 2 to complete its ladder from the junior levels to Formula 1, but the project will not be fast-tracked.

Jean Todt, the governing body's president, alluded in his election manifesto late last year to a "redefined F2 class we intend to create as the final stepping stone to truly top-flight competition." But FIA Single Seater Commission President Gerhard Berger said development of the concept has been delayed.

"Yes, we are talking about it but I have honestly put a little bit of a handbrake on it for different reasons," Berger told AUTOSPORT. "First, we need to make the ground strong. We are halfway or 70 percent to making Formula 3 strong, now the next project is Formula 4, so for two years we have been quite busy on this. I think the next thing we would look at is Formula 2."

The GP2 Series and Formula Renault 3.5 Series jointly fill the "F2" role at present. Berger has no interest in having three categories at this level, and would prefer one or both of the existing series to fall by the wayside.

"If you have three championships, no one's going to look good and it would fail," he said. "For the good of the sport we should not jump into something before we have a real concept that maybe forces things together and we make, out of three, one [series]."

Speaking of whether the FIA could simply align with GP2 or FR3.5, he added: "Cooperation also does not work out well because everyone has to put his own interests forward. Bruno Michel [GP2 boss] is an entrepreneur and he maybe has to think a different way to how I think at the FIA, and Renault is a manufacturer that has again a different goal for what it needs to get out of 3.5. Renault are selling marketing weekends, while Bruno is making money out of spare parts and using the Formula 1 platform.

"We have to know that what we are doing is good for the sport; that's the process we are in now – thinking carefully."

Renault Sport Technologies boss Patrice Ratti said that FR3.5 (RIGHT) will continue "as long as the spectators keep coming to the events, and television is interested, and drivers go on to careers from here [in F1 or other professional branches of the sport].

"We of course have to work on costs because times are very tough for everybody; we have made some effort but probably not enough, as we want to do this without decreasing the performance.

"It's not easy, but we are thinking of extending the life of the car [a fourth year for the current chassis was confirmed last season] so we can really work on improvements cost-wise. Our challenge is to improve costs so that we can continue for a few years. The whole market is struggling right now."