How the F3/GP3 war has been ramped up

The FIA's deal with the GP2 Series to rebadge the category as Formula 2 in time for the 2017 season was always going to raise questions over the futures of Formula 3 and GP3: two categories that have been at war since the inception of GP3 in 2010.

It quickly became clear that the FIA would try to rationalise the third tier of single-seater racing so that its Formula 3 European Championship would eventually slot in beneath F1 and F2 on the grand prix bill, with the name of GP3 disappearing.

In the immediate aftermath, we even speculated in a column in the magazine that in such a scenario it could be that DTM promoter the ITR, whose F3V subsidiary currently organises the F3 European championship on behalf of the FIA, may see fit to set up an additional F3 series away from the F1 package should its existing contest move under the wing of F2/GP3 boss Bruno Michel...

Well, look what's happening now, because that is exactly the scenario DTM chairman Gerhard Berger is preparing for.

What we didn't know was that in the interim, during May at the FIA Single Seater Commission's Technical Working Group, the governing body would present an alternative future of F3 once the homologation period of the current chassis and engines runs out at the end of 2019, and that this concept would involve a single-chassis, single-engine formula, giving approximately 50bhp more than is pushed out by the existing four-cylinder powerplants.

In such a period of uncertainty, it was little surprise when Autosport learned at last month's Hungaroring DTM/Euro F3 round that the teams were meeting in the paddock with DTM chairman Gerhard Berger, the very man who was the architect of the current FIA F3 European Championship as the then-president of the Single Seater Commission.

He relinquished that role at the end of 2014, spending two years away from any prominent role in the sport before returning at the helm of the DTM this season.

It therefore seemed appropriate to seek Berger out at the following event, last weekend at the Norisring.

So, about your meeting with the teams...

"They had a meeting with me, not I had a meeting with them!" Berger retorts. "They asked me if I could listen to them."

OK, so that's cleared that one up then; but what of the future of F3?

"Let's say I have two views on it. One view is that my heart and my history with Formula 3 is known [Berger also competed in the European F3 Championship in 1983-84]; with my FIA effort it's known.

"I would like to see Formula 3 going in the right direction as it did - at the moment perhaps it's a little bit sideways [with grids of just 18 cars], but I still believe Formula 3 is the core of youngster programmes in high professional motorsport.

"This has to be protected, this has to be saved, and this has to be supported by the FIA, by the manufacturers and whoever.

"The other thing is my position at DTM, or ITR: there has been a lot of effort and money invested in Formula 3 over many years, first in the Euro Series [the forerunner of the European championship from 2003-12], and a lot is given to Formula 3 with the platform, the races, the timetable, the position in the paddock - we all know this. It's something really advantageous for Formula 3.

"Today I would say that Formula 3 is the most important formula in bringing drivers into Formula 1, or bringing drivers into the DTM and through DTM into Formula 1.

"If you look at Lucas [Auer, Berger's nephew, who is currently second in the DTM with Mercedes and is tipped to test for Force India next month], if he is able to make a test in Formula 1 he is the next one to at least have a feed from Formula 3 [where he raced in 2013-14].

"I would love to see Formula 3 for a long time with the DTM - as long as I am here I will support it, but at the end of the day it's the decision of the FIA."

The word post-Hungaroring meeting was that Berger's preference was to encourage the FIA to go for a menu of half the rounds supporting grands prix and the remaining half alongside the DTM, thereby giving F3 the best of both worlds.

After all, for the vast majority of drivers it's just as important to be performing at the DTM under the noses of Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche (whose Carrera Cup also runs at DTM events) than it is to take the worst timetable slots, currently occupied by GP3, on the F1 bill.

What's more, the support of Euro F3 engine suppliers Mercedes and Volkswagen, which goes hand in hand with their DTM programmes (VW via sister brand Audi), has been vital for the youngsters in the category.

"Yes, absolutely," Berger affirms. "This would be the best for Formula 3 and I would always support the best for Formula 3. There's no business model behind it, it's simply that Formula 3 has to be kept in a good situation."

The 'business model' reference is in regard to GP3. Quite simply, F3 is an organic category that has become what it is, generally without outside interference, over seven decades; GP3, as a one-make category like big brother GP2, is supposed to turn a profit for Michel's company.

Berger's allusion is the beginning of a series of swipes against Michel, but hey, all's fair in love and war, and anyway the strong indications are that Michel's already sparked it by trying to poach two F3 teams (rumoured to be Prema Powerteam and Hitech GP) with the offer of free GP3 chassis for 2018 - one year before the new GP3 car's supposed to arrive in '19.

Berger moves properly onto the subject of Michel later in an answer to a question about whether he believes F3 should retain its current engine competition.

"It [a single engine] obviously would be the wrong direction, because we have engines where it's regulated in a way that the performance difference is really minimal," says Berger.

"Even if we see this year a little bit of a shift to Volkswagen, as we had in the past with Mercedes, at the end of the day both engines are winning. We are still able to see who is the best driver.

"The support that Mercedes and Volkswagen gives to the whole thing is enormous, and obviously it's a support that goes direct into F3, to the participants of F3, the drivers, the teams.

"If you make it a single-engine or one-chassis formula, somebody has to deliver something financially or support in another way, and it's not going to end up in the driver's or in F3's hands - it's going to end up somewhere else!

"Again, that's why I'm not interested; this isn't a money-making operation, it's something where every support has to end up in the hands of the drivers or teams to keep this formula healthy."

So we've got four possible scenarios here, based on the premise that something called F3 is going to be on the F1 package by 2019 at the latest: first, carry on with the existing F3 concept, with a fifty-fifty split between F1 events and DTM; second, keep the existing concept, and have it at F1 events (plus probably Macau); third, introduce a new single-make F3, and have that supporting F1 only (plus Macau GP); fourth, and probably not that much different to the third, simply rebadge GP3 as F3.

Neither of the last two options would be of interest to the ITR, as the DTM manufacturers wouldn't go for it. But the last of them - the one that would strike terror into the heart of purists - has to be seen as a very realistic prospect bearing in mind that F2 and GP3 are controlled by F1 rights holder Liberty Media.

"I think it's understandable of the FIA and Liberty to try to put GP3 out and put Formula 3 in its place - it gives them a natural pyramid," says Berger.

"Even though I have to say Formula 3 is going to lose a little bit on track time [supporting F1 races instead of DTM], and they'll lose a bit of attention and how they are treated, at the same time it's next to Formula 1 and that's a good thing.

"There is just the question of the base regulations, and if you say, 'Listen, put the F3 name on GP3', then I think it's destroying the Formula 3 history.

"GP3 is a completely different thing, it has nothing to do with Formula 3. Everybody tries to see the little bit more horsepower as a carrot, but it's all bullshit. Formula 3 is technically in some ways quite complex, but this is the right school for the drivers."

It should also be pointed out that experience in F3 obviously schools drivers well for GP3 too. After all, five of the seven GP3 champions (Esteban Gutierrez, Valtteri Bottas, Alex Lynn, Esteban Ocon and Charles Leclerc) came from F3, while a sixth (Daniil Kvyat) contested parallel F3/GP3 programmes. At the time of writing, the entire top eight (and the driver in 10th) in the 2017 GP3 standings have all raced in F3 chassis for at least one season.

Is that worth sacrificing F3 for? "Bruno Michel [pictured below with F1 chief Chase Carey] is making money out of the spare parts and whatever," says Berger, "and that's fair enough, this is his business.

"But it would mean the [F3] teams would have to buy different cars, and they can put everything they have invested over the years in the rubbish bin. I know that would play very much into the hands of Bruno by the FIA.

"He is trying to make it happen in such a way that he will offer one or two teams free GP3 cars - they don't have to invest in anything.

"But the idea is in two years to do a new [GP3] car, so any teams who go over have to invest in these GP3 cars now [unless they get free ones], and then have to invest in two years in new cars, and that would destroy the teams.

"So even if one or two teams would have the advantage of getting everything from Bruno for free, it's not fair to the others."

Is that annoying to Berger?

"Well, it's his only chance. I mean, he is fighting that his GP3 is not collapsing. At the end of the day it's clear that the FIA wants to keep one series, and Bruno of course is a business guy making money out of his GP3, and if it's dead he is not making money out of it, so it's clear that he's fighting and he's going to do what he needs to do.

"He might gift one or two teams from Formula 3 everything for free and the others are in the shit, but I think this is not the core of the issue.

"The core is more that we protect the history of Formula 3 - it's a little bit weak again, but it's easy to bring it back. And if yes, then the next question is can there be a win/win situation by having five or six races with the DTM and six with Formula 1, just with the FIA. Don't need Bruno Michel, don't need anything. Just keep it as a sport, not as a business tool."

It's clear there's a long path until this is resolved - after all, it needs negotiating between Liberty, Michel, the ITR, Mercedes, Volkswagen... and, of course, the FIA, whose president, Jean Todt, is a long-time friend of Berger's.

"It's all in the hands of Jean Todt," states Berger. "Formula 3 is his baby."

And now comes the answer to the question Autosport hasn't yet got round to asking, but was hoping to...

"On our side, I mean, it's also possible that we're just going to run Formula 3 [ourselves] and we go back to having a Formula 3 Euro Series. We keep it as it is. We keep the teams who want it. We have some ideas, and maybe they'll want to do this and we'll run it with the DTM. For us it's possible, but it's not the best solution for overall, and the best solution for everyone is that Jean takes it in the right direction."

So the DTM would, if necessary, run an F3 Euro Series against the FIA's F3 championship?

"Let's assume they are going to do GP3 regulations with the Formula 3 name," ponders Berger. "No problem. We'll take the [F3] cars as they are and we give them the platform. We'll see who invests in GP3. Maybe one team that gets everything free from Bruno Michel is going to move, maybe two teams, but I know two or three teams that would move over to Formula 3. So it evens it up.

"By the way, what I want to say is very clear: we are pushed very much by the manufacturers to do this. Mercedes is very strong behind it, Volkswagen too, even more so than in the past, and I just spoke with Jost Capito today who is the new guy [again] at Volkswagen. Everything is there. I just want to wait first to see what the FIA's position is."

But surely you wouldn't be allowed to call it F3 because it wouldn't conform to the new 'F3' regulations?

"Yes I would be."

Would you?

"Yes, the Formula 3 Euro Series, not the Formula 3 European Championship. The Formula 3 Euro Series [name] is protected by our guys. We can start tomorrow. Everything is in place."

So do you have the rights to the name throughout Europe, or just Germany?

"Oh no, in Europe."

Well, that's interesting...

"Nobody can forbid us to do this," Berger smiles. "The teams would like to do it, the platform is here and the manufacturers are behind it. Nothing is missing. The only thing is I would like much better to, as I say, give Jean first the chance to show the possibilities. Then if we find a good way I will always do what is best for Formula 3."

The next step in this saga will be interesting indeed. A lot of people wrongly label Berger as the man who killed national F3. He didn't. His time at the Commission merely brought an end to three series - the F3 Euro Series, British F3 and German F3 - that were already on their knees, and gave us a fantastically strong FIA F3 European Championship.

Now it looks that, far from killing it, he could be the man to save it.