In the auspicious setting of the
Ayrton Senna Theatre at
Williams' state-of-the-art
F1 Conference Centre at Grove in Oxfordshire, the new
FIA Formula Two Championship was launched yesterday – with Jonathan Palmer promising to unearth the next Formula One star during the series' first season.
Formula Two in its original incarnation ran from 1948 until 1984, when it was replaced by International F3000 – itself supplanted by GP2 in 2005, a championship that the new Formula Two will ironically be in direct competition
against. The thinking behind the original Formula Two conception was to provide a low-cost alternative to the top flight – and more than half a century on, not a lot has changed.
“The return of Formula Two after 25 years is an enormously significant moment in the history of motorsport,” affirmed Palmer, whose company MotorSport Vision (MSV) won the FIA tender to run the new category according to the world governing body's sporting and technical regulations. “It's always been a surprise to me that there has been such a long hiatus since 1984, as Formula Two is clearly a step to
Formula One.
“There has been concern that the cost of motor racing at levels at which drivers need to compete in order to get to Formula One is now so high that it is preventing so many from having the opportunity. In that context, the return of Formula Two – which will be run at a sensationally low cost – is perfectly-timed.
“We have made progress by the hour, let alone by the day or week. It's a very, very exciting time, and everyone at MSV is delighted to have won the tender to supply the cars to the championship.”
Indeed, in 1952 and 1953 all Formula One World Championship grands prix were actually run for Formula Two cars, Scottish racing hero
Jim Clark was tragically killed whilst competing in a Formula Two race with Lotus at Hockenheim in 1967 and later the same year the legendary Jacky Ickx made his grand prix debut at the Nürburgring at the wheel of a Formula Two machine.
