Formula Two Technical rules

[Ogami musashi]

http://argent.fia.com/web/appeloffre.ns ... penelement

(go to page 25 to see the rules)

intersting as it seems downgraded version of 2009 F1 cars.

[Ogami musashi]

Quite surprisingly the F2 cars are set to have bigger rear wheels and disc pads diameters than F1 cars!

The power output for the engine is desired to be aourn 400bhp.

no kers, no adjustable wing.

The bodywork dimensions are exactly the same than in F1.

[Ciro Pabón]

Thank you very much. Quite interesting.

[WhiteBlue]

So it seems there are just six potential suppliers who have a design ready to go. McLaren Mercedes, BMW, Ferrari, Renault, Honda and Toyota. I did not think of this. It makes sense. I would bet the engine will be simply an F1 V8 detuned to something like 10,000 or 12,000 rpm. Lets have a bit of speculation which manufacturer will be making a bid. Ferrari, Renault and BMW I would certainly expect to do it. After all this is supposed to be a feeder series for F1 and in future all top drivers will go through this. This could be a very solid investment.

[WhiteBlue]

http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pr ... nship.aspx

Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision (MSV)got the contract for F2 after teaming up with Williams for the chassis and continuing their cooperation with Audi. This is a big surprise probably not only for me but for some of the other bidders. I did not think of Palmer and Audi because I did not know that Williams would want to supply chassis. It makes perfect sense though. Williams can fabricate customer chassis which will never be raced in F1 and can use their design and manufacturing capacity to generate additional sales. Aparently they will use the 1.8L turbo charged Audi engine which is used in FPA.

... The first prototype car is on schedule for its testing debut in November 2008, with the Championship due to start in May 2009 and comprising 16 races over eight events. Performance levels will be between Formula Three and Formula One and the cost per competing driver will be less than €250,000.

The cars have 300bhp from a 1.8-litre turbocharged Audi engine, which also incorporates an innovative "overboost" feature that increases power to 360bhp for an eight second burst. On the push of a button, each driver can call upon extra power to help complete a pass, or defend a challenge!

“The objective is to make top-level international single-seater racing available to drivers who at present have difficulty in raising enough money to demonstrate their talent. Formula One and other major championships will benefit by being able to draw on a far larger pool of drivers, while competitors from countries which do not yet have an established motor racing structure will find it easier to make progress.

We hope to reveal talent that might otherwise never have emerged and we look forward to seeing drivers coming into Formula One with Super Licences gained in Formula Two.

so it looks like a bit more power than the lawn mower engine that Bernie joked about. on the other hand I would not be surprised if the cost for the car is higher than the 250,000 EUR mentioned and lower than 50% of GP2. the advantage is that the cars will have F1 look being basically originally F1 designs.

The Williams/Audi connection will also raise heads. While Williams continues to cooperate with Toyota in F1 they will have another option with VW/Porsche/Audi based on their cooperation in F2. such start up deal can pave the way to a full blown F1 partnership. Toyota will have a weary eye on F2.

[Ogami musashi]

I didn't read it was the same audi engine at least at the same rating.

In the draft regs, the engine power is around 400bhp.

The good news is that since the car is up to the 2009 F1 regs bodywork wise, we'll see it in november.

[WhiteBlue]

I didn't say it was the same engine. I just noticed that both were 1.8L turbocharged Audi engines. How many of those designs do you think Audi has on the shelf?

including the boost the engine has 360 bhp which is 90% of what was advertised. that should be a good enough match if you can use existing design.

The whole thing looks like a fantastic opportunity to drive a derated F1 car for some youngsters.

some more details http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns20781.html

so the Audi engines will be uprated for more power and the composite tub build by contractors. the cars will be assigned to competitors for a whole year. this will allow them to attract sponsorship by fitting a branded livery.

[Ogami musashi]

The Formula Two site is up and you can see in the F2 car item that in fact the williams F1 designed single seater will not follow the lines of the 2009 F1 cars at all going to a (more conservative?) full length venturis+ moderate wings configuration.

The configuration is still subject to FIA approval.

www.formulatwo.com

[WhiteBlue]

Palmer unveils new Formula Two plans
Jonathan Palmer has unveiled his plans for the new FIA Formula Two Championship. Palmer's company won an FIA tender last month to supply the cars and operational expertise for the series, designed to make reaching Formula One more accessible for young drivers by providing the opportunity to race in an international championship at a low price.

There are planned to be twenty F2 drives available for 2009, at a cost of just £195,000 + VAT for the season.

Speaking at a briefing session yesterday (Thursday) for media and prospective drivers at the RBS Williams F1 Conference Centre, Jonathan Palmer said: “The return of Formula Two after 25 years is an enormously significant time in the history of motorsport. There is no doubt the FIA's eagerness to create a prestigious high performance new championship at a radically low cost is perfectly timed."

The Formula Two cars are being designed by a six person team from Williams F1, led by Director of Engineering Patrick Head. AT&T Williams Team Principal Sir Frank Williams also spoke at the briefing: “Patrick Head is a truly gifted engineer and I hope that Williams F1 can deliver to Jonathan Palmer a well engineered, safe car for the drivers that is not too difficult to work on or expensive to operate.”





The racing cars feature a sophisticated carbon fibre composite survival cell chassis and will be built to comply with the 2005 FIA F1 safety regulations. The F2 car will be powered by a specifically developed new turbocharged Audi race engine, producing a base 400bhp with 450bhp available for a six second period that can be used ten times in each race to promote overtaking. A new Hewland six speed paddle shift gearbox is used. The cars will be assembled and prepared between races at MSV’s Bedford Autodrome facility, whose circuit complex provides direct testing access.

MSV will be responsible for the transportation of all race cars to the events and all cars will be run by MSV personnel at the events with the objective of achieving the highest levels of equality, reliability and safety. This operational structure results in a huge cost saving compared to the traditional way of selling cars to teams who all bring their own personnel and spend substantial funds continually trying to make their cars faster than their competitors’.

The championship will consist of sixteen rounds over eight events on some of the most famous circuits in Europe. Most races will be run alongside the FIA World Touring Car Championship and F2 will also headline race meetings in the UK and France.

FIA Formula Two Championship 2009 Calendar
31 May Valencia, Spain
21 June - Brno, Czech Republic
28 June - Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
19 July - Brands Hatch, UK
16 August - Donington Park, UK
30 August - Oschersleben, Germany
20 September - Magny Cours, France
4 October - Monza, Italy

Prior to the racing season there will be three exclusive official F2 test days at Snetterton on 27/28 April and Silverstone on 5 May, plus mid-season testing at Brands Hatch and Donington Park.

A dream prize awaits the winner of the FIA Formula Two Championship: a full test drive with the AT&T Williams team following training in the Williams F1 simulator.

Jonathan Palmer, a former Formula Two champion, added: “I am extremely excited about this fantastic new opportunity for MSV, Williams F1, the FIA and most importantly, the F1 drivers of the future. In partnership with Williams F1 we are establishing a formula leading directly to Formula One with an outstanding new high performance car yet at a fraction of the cost of the alternatives. I am absolutely determined that Formula Two 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.”

Source: Formula Two

wow, what a great project. the price sounds seriously low despite all the criticism of people who said it would not work. I'm particularly happy to see this job in Patrick Heads capable hands.

On the engines it looks like peripherals like dry sump and internal bits are tuned from FPA to F2.

[WhiteBlue]

First female for the inaugural F2 championship
Natacha Gachnang joins new F1 feeder series
17/12/08 11:10

Spanish F3 frontrunner Natacha Gachnang has today become the first female driver to sign up for the new FIA Formula Two Championship.

21 year-old Gachnang, who is the cousin of Sebastien Buemi, has experienced success on both sides of the Atlantic.

She joins Formula Two after finishing third in the 2008 Spanish F3 Championship and second in the Copa de España. In 2007 she raced in the American Star Mazda series, recording an unbroken string of top ten finishes, as well as finishing fourth in the Austrian Formula 3 Championship and competing in selected F3 Euro Series races.

Armaan Ebrahim, Tobias Hegewald, Julien Jousse, Jason Moore and Robert Wickens have all signed up for the new series. The first race takes place in Valencia on 31st May next year.

Natacha Gachnang
“I’m delighted to be doing Formula Two next season because it brings me that much closer to achieving my dream of getting into Formula One. To be honest, I try not to think about being a woman in a male-dominated sport. At times it has probably helped me, but I think it has also been hard to get people to really believe in me as a driver, especially as I climb the motorsport ladder."

“Everyone is talking about the test with Williams, but for me this is just a bonus – the real appeal of the championship is how well it has been put together, and how good the competition is going to be."

"F2 will be a big step up from F3, and people might expect me to struggle, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge and showing everyone what I can do.

I have already raced against Sebastian Vettel in Formula BMW ADAC so I’m not daunted; as a driver you want to be racing against the best because you need to be constantly challenging yourself to get better.”

Jonathan Palmer, F2 CEO
"I'm delighted that Natacha has joined Formula Two. I had the pleasure of racing with Desiré Wilson - one of the few women who has made it into Formula One - in the Brands Hatch 1000km race in the early 1980's, and she was mighty quick. It would be fantastic if Natacha could achieve similar success; certainly she has had some outstanding results and is the best female prospect around at the moment, so we're thrilled to have her in Formula Two."

E.A. © CAPSIS International

watch that space

[Conceptual]

What is the TV coverage going to be like on this?

I am seriously interested, since the only differentiator between the teams is going to be setup, and driving line, and that should hone the entire field to a razor sharp point.

I think I am more excited about this series than I am about 2009 F1.

Is there any info on TV coverage out there?

[ESPImperium]

Im really intrested on how theese cars will look compaied to a F1, GP2, A1GP and other single seaters.

[WhiteBlue]

Young Brundle will be a prominent name in F2 this season.

[Scania]

oh~~~I love turbo!!!

[Conceptual]

I hope that they show the races over the web on their F2TV link. That would be amazing!