The GP2 Series, Formula 1’s main feeder series, has officially been rebranded as the FIA Formula 2 Championship with immediate effect.
The decision was taken at Thursday’s FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Geneva. For a long time, it’s been the aim of the FIA to rebrand Formula 1’s support categorises.
It’s in line with FIA president Jean Todt’s vision of reconstructing the motorsport ladder. With aspiring Formula 1 drivers starting in Formula 4, then progressing through Formula 3 and F2 to Formula 1.
There has been a long struggle to rebrand the series, but since Liberty Media acquired F1’s commercial rights, negotiations have been smoothed and the renaming was finally completed.
Testing for the 2017 Formula 2 Championship season begins next week at Barcelona, where the ten F2 teams have been invited for a discussion on how best to move the sport forward.
The FIA have previously outlined plans for F1’s main support series to switch to cheap hybrid engines and it’s understood that there will be a push to bolster the grid, following the recent withdrawal of long standing teams such as Carlin.
