FIA firms up plans for new F1-promoted Formula 3 series
The World Motor Sport Council has rubber stamped plans for the new FIA F3 Championship to replace GP3 in 2019, and the series will be promoted by the F1 Group
The revamped single-make Formula 3 series will feature on the F1 support bill alongside Formula 2, with the suppliers of chassis, engines and tyres "selected by the FIA in collaboration with Formula 1."
The maximum size of the grid will be 30 cars, as opposed to the 24 announced after the last WMSC meeting in September, which will mean slots for 10 three-car teams.
Weekends will have a two-race format, mirroring GP3 rather than the current Formula 3 format, and there will be nine or 10 events.
The FIA stressed that the new car "will integrate the latest FIA safety technologies, making it the benchmark in safety standards for the Formula 3 category.
"It will feature increased chassis strength, increased cockpit rim height and strength that will be the same standard as in F1, the halo frontal impact protection device, and will be the first car to feature a frontal anti-intrusion panel."
F1 managing director, motorsport Ross Brawn said: "While race fans can enjoy the spectacle of drivers battling it out at the pinnacle of motorsport, which is Formula 1, one of our objectives is to also provide them with the opportunity of discovering new talent and watching them progress along a clearly defined and high-level pathway.
"Already, since 2017, this has led to the creation of the FIA F2 championship and, as from 2019, the grand prix weekends will also feature another step on the FIA's racing ladder, in which the best young drivers from national and regional categories will be able to race on the greatest and most prestigious race tracks of the world, on the same programme as those they might be racing against in Formula 1 in the future."
FIA Single Seater Commission president Stefano Domenicali agreed that having Formula 3 on the same programme as Formula 1 was an important step.
"The FIA has been refining the single-seater pyramid with great care over recent years," said the Italian.
"And the new FIA F3 Championship achieves an important goal of putting the top three FIA single-seater competitions on the same platform.
"This has great advantages for fans and competitors alike, as graduates of FIA-certified national and regional competitions have a clear first step into international racing, while spectators and viewers watching Formula 1 will be able to see a broader spectrum of future stars on their way to the pinnacle of our sport.
"Formula 3 has a long and rich heritage as a key category where the skills to reach the top are developed, and now with Formula 1 as the promoter, I'm sure it will continue to flourish."
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