What racing in Australia means for the future of F1's junior series

The news two weeks ago that the Australian Grand Prix had signed a 10-year contract extension with Formula 1 came as little surprise to many. The hugely successful Melbourne event drew in record crowds in 2022, as it hosted its first race since the ill-fated 2020 event cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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What did take many by surprise, however, was the news that FIA Formula 2 and 3 would race alongside the event, starting next season. Historically travel costs have kept the usual F1 support series away from Australia, and popular local categories such as Supercars have filled the undercard. Though the top flight touring car championship appears to be safe, Carrera Cup is another staple of the grand prix weekend and the one-make Porsche series could face pressure. So too could S5000, which has been on the bill for the past two Albert Park events.

The move is proof of the boom in popularity that F2 and F3 have seen in recent years. CEO Bruno Michel says they are in the best shape they have been for some time, drawing a “massive” resurgence in interest in 2022. With their further integration into the F1 pyramid, the series have benefitted from F1’s broadcast partnerships, including F1 TV, and seen a boost in social media engagement.

Michel says the announcement is “great news” and that “there are more and more promoters who are keen to have us around, because we add quite an interesting event to the Formula 1 weekend.”

He told Autosport: “I had a very positive reactions from I would say most of the teams. Then after that, you never know, but obviously they know that there will be a cost issue. And that's something that I told them that they would not have to worry about it, which is the most important thing.

“But I think on the other hand, the idea of going on this continent where we've never been, and racing in Australia is something that they all found a very, very positive thing for our two championships.

“Melbourne is a great event, it’s a fantastic event. We’ve got a few drivers from New Zealand or Australia and we've had them for quite a long time. So I think it's a great opportunity for them as well to be able to race in front of that crowd. And I understand that the fans are absolutely fantastic.”

Despite the rise in popularity, Michel is insistent that the size of the respective calendars will remain much the same as this year, with nine rounds in F3 and 14 in F2, although there could be “plus or minus one round”.

F2 says it will soak up the added freight costs of getting to Australia

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Though the championships are not yet sure how the event will fit into the calendar, it is thought that Bahrain will remain the season opener, with Australia following the Saudi Arabian round as it did this year.

Michel also pointed to F1’s announcement that it hopes to group more races by region in 2023 - in an effort to improve sustainability credentials by reducing freight movements and personnel travel - as evidence that the race will be well-integrated to avoid additional costs to teams.

Despite initial concerns over soaring freight costs, Michel says he has reassured teams that the championships will continue to cover them, despite having some “bad surprises” which saw the price of some routes “more than double” in 2022. The outbreak of Russia’s war in Ukraine and the effect this has had on the availability of cargo planes has wreaked havoc with global freight for motorsport in 2022.

Haas faced a delayed start to F1’s pre-season test in Bahrain after its cargo was left stranded in the UK - a transporter plane that was meant to be shipping it got delayed at Istanbul airport. MotoGP was forced to cancel Friday running of the Argentina GP earlier this year, after freight was delayed en route from Indonesia, while the series has also been forced to alter its schedule for September’s Japanese GP amid logistics headaches caused by its calendar positioning as a back-to-back with Aragon in Spain.

“We will cover [costs] for the teams, so that they don't have to increase their budget at all for this kind of event, which is the most important thing" Bruno Michel

“I told the teams, we cover the freight costs, even though as you said, we had some quite bad surprises this year in terms of freight costs,” Michel said. “And when I say bad surprises, it's an understatement.

“We don't foresee anything better for next year, so this is part of the equation. But we will cover it for the teams, so that they don't have to increase their budget at all for this kind of event, which is the most important thing.”

He is keen to see the series visit more countries, and though expanding towards more flyaway rounds is “not a clear strategy,” Michel said: “What it signals is that more and more promoters want to have Formula 2 and Formula 3 within the F1 weekends, whether they are in Europe, or whether they are in flyaway races.

“So we need to see how things are falling together. I would say we follow Formula 1’s calendar, you know, with less races, of course. But if there are opportunities to do interesting and iconic races and flyaways, yes, of course, we will do them, absolutely.”

F2 and F3 boss Michel says racing in Australia will open the championships up to new markets

Photo by: Andrew Hone / Motorsport Images

If the announcement that the single seater feeder series would join F1 in Australia came as a surprise to many, the team bosses within those series were given less than 24 hours notice of the news, though some say it was even less than that. Despite this, the reaction from team bosses has been overwhelmingly positive, with five teams across both series saying they were happy with the news.

Rene Rosin, team principal of Prema Racing, spoke to Autosport the day after the announcement, and said it was “very good news”. He highlighted the success of drivers such as Oscar Piastri, Jack Doohan and Marcus Armstrong as proof that a round down under was a positive move for the championships.

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As boss of one of the series’ most successful teams, he acknowledged that Prema is in “a privileged position” when it comes to budgets, and said it was important to consider smaller teams when making decisions around where races would take place.

Rosin suggested that perhaps the move was “a bit too much” for F3, a series which predominantly competes in Europe, but said his opinion would depend on what next year’s calendar looks like. On the other hand, he highlighted the financial benefit to teams of racing further afield, adding that it would make them more visible to a wider range of sponsors.

“It’s very good news, it’s an amazing opportunity from my point of view,” he said. “Racing in Australia is meaning that the interest of Formula 2 and Formula 3 is growing massively, and it’s not limited just to the European continent, but we are expanding.

“Then of course, there will be some downsides, there will be some extra costs and so on. But up to now, we don't have any information. And I'm sure that the promoter, Bruno and so on, we will have a meeting in Silverstone to discuss it because we got the news a bit before the press release. For sure knowing how he does stuff, he will speak with us in Silverstone to explain to us everything behind. So in any judgement, of course, I need to wait to see what he will tell us.

Prema boss Rosin expects to hear more information about how the plans will work at Silverstone this weekend

Photo by: Ferrari

“We are really looking forward to a race in Australia, because it’s a circuit that we like, we see in Formula 1 it’s quite spectacular, and on the other hand it’s a good opportunity. Of course, there will be some challenges, but we will see.”

Trevor Carlin, whose career in junior motorsport stretches back over 25 years, agreed that the move was “absolutely crucial” for the championships, which “deserve to race all around the world.”

The Carlin team boss told Autosport: “It sort of came out of the blue for us, we weren't really aware that the conversation was going on, but we were told the night before, and I was really, really pleased.

“I think F2, certainly the last three or four years, has gone from strength to strength under the Liberty Media management, and that's then brought F3 along. So the more high profile events F2 and F3 can do, the better, in my opinion.

"It'll help that marketplace massively. It's a good thing. I think with the success of F1, and F2, and F3 is coming along now, we'll see us doing more and more events around the world" Trevor Carlin

“F2 is becoming a world championship as such, and deserves to race all around the world. I mean, the next thing I really hope for is to do a race in the USA, because there's a big market there as well. You know, F1 is booming, and it's about time F2 and F3 got some credibility as well, so going to more Grands Prix really helps us.”

Carlin acknowledged that there will be a level of expense associated with racing in Australia, but said due to a lack of certainty around next year’s calendar, it was “a bit early to say how it’s going to affect the budgets”. He said the added distance involved “doesn’t really change a lot,” suggesting that freight will “go to Bahrain as normal and instead of coming home, it will get flown straight to Australia.”

He also believes fans in the southern hemisphere, including supporters of Carlin's Kiwi F2 driver Liam Lawson, will also benefit.

“There are a lot of fans in Australia and New Zealand, and when the F2 races are on the European time zones, they're on really late at night, and it's difficult to watch," Carlin added.

It'll be easier for Kiwi fans to watch drivers like Liam Lawson, reckons Trevor Carlin

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“This time, they're actually gonna get to watch it live, so it'll help that marketplace massively. So yeah, it's a good thing. I think with the success of F1, and F2, and F3 is coming along now, we'll see us doing more and more events around the world. And hopefully the championships will see the benefit, and they'll help support the cost of it.”

Andreas Jenzer is team principal of F3’s Jenzer Motorsport, one of three teams (along with DAMS and Virtuosi in F2) to only run in one of the two championships. As one of the smaller teams on the grid, he said he “hopes that we will get some support,” but said he is “sure that Bruno Michel has something in place which will be acceptable for all the teams” and that “it’s great news for us.”

He added: “I think from the credibility of the championship and following F2, I think it's a natural thing that we are having more flyaway races to make it more interesting. Drivers are coming from all over the world and it looks like they want to go this way.”

Bosses of other leading teams have also supported news of the new event, with Trident team principal Giacomo Ricci saying in a statement that the team were “extremely happy and motivated to be racing in Australia.”

He added: “To be able to race in Australia means that the Formula 2 and Formula 3 championship are becoming more and more relevant and important. This is a point to highlight because if we have the possibility to race down under means that both series are gaining more value, especially for F2 where the calendar has grown a lot.

“This also means that our races are more and more appreciated by the public and both categories are preparatory for our drivers future in Formula 1.”

Hitech boss Oliver Oakes also said the race was “brilliant news for the series,” adding: “I know all my drivers are excited by it and the lads in the team. It is another F1 circuit on the calendar, something completely new too so we’re looking forward to it.”

With the teams keen to expand their horizons, and the championships eager to become truly global, Australia could be just the start of a new phase in their promising growth, especially as F1’s calendar continues to boom.

F2 bosses are uniform in their support for the Australia plans as F1's increasing popularity shows signs of benefitting its support series

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images