GP3

2013 GP3 calendar drops Monaco, adds Abu Dhabi

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  • #132536

    Monaco does not feature on the 2013 GP3 calendar but Abu Dhabi does. It will be the series’ first venture outside of Europe. However it does mean a wait of almost two months between the penultimate and final double-header races.

    A ‘TBA’ round is dated for the weekend of June 14th-16th. As with the GP2 calendar released earlier today, they expect to be racing at the Nurburgring on 5th-7th July.

    Here’s the schedule:

    10-12 May – Circuit de Catalunya, Spain
    14-15 June – TBA
    28-30 June – Silverstone, Great Britain
    5-7 July – Nurburgring, Germany
    26-28 July – Budapest, Hungary
    23-25 August – Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
    6-8 September – Monza, Italy
    1-3 November – Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Four tests are also planned at Estoril, Circuit de Catalunya, Silverstone and the Hungaroring.

    #220692
    PhilEReid
    Participant

    I feel it’s either going to be like having a disjointed finale, or it could be that it turns out to be a really anticipated, and tense, wait if the championship is set up with multiple drivers who can still win it.

    #220693
    katederby
    Participant

    A shame Monaco’s been dropped after just 1 year.

    #220694
    the_sigman
    Participant

    @katederby I agree but it is too dangerous for them.

    #220695
    andae23
    Participant

    I find it pretty ridiculous that they’be decided to have a two month break before the final round at Yas Marina. This probably has to do with things like sponsors, perhaps the young drivers’ test. But still, that is no excuse for letting these drivers wait for two months.

    #220696
    katederby
    Participant

    @the_sigman
    Yes there was that one horrid crash but wasn’t that because someone was allowed to race with no rear wing. That could happen at any track but shouldn’t anywhere.
    Agree the long wait for the finale is ludicrous.

    #220697
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    @the_sigman and @katederby if anything the GP2 sprint race crash could be seen as worse so i don’t think thats the reason for it being dropped.

    It’s most likely logistical reasons, trying to fit that many support races as well as the f1 teams over one weekend would be a nightmare… its still a shame it has to go though.

    #220698
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    It’s most likely logistical reasons, trying to fit that many support races as well as the f1 teams over one weekend would be a nightmare

    I would say so, too. In addition to Formula 1, GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5 both hold races there. I remember one mechanic from Force India saying that they basically park all of their non-essential gear in France for the Monaco weekend, and commute back to it to get anything they need (which means repairs for accidents in practice and/or qualifying can take a very long time). I can’t imagine how GP2, GP3 and FR3.5 managed it last year.

    Agree the long wait for the finale is ludicrous.

    It’s probably there because the organisers want a full eight rounds of the championship, but they won’t be going to Valencia next year because there is no European Grand Prix. So they needed to find an eighth round, and had to settle for a flyaway race. In an effort to keep costs down, they’ve gone to Abu Dhabi because geographically it’s the closest race to Europe once the championship finishes up the European season. So while they’ve succeeded in keeping the calendar full and costs to a minimum, the downside is that the championship has to wait two months for its finale.

    However, I wonder if they might be interested in changing it if Bernie secures a twentieth round at the Red Bull Ring or Istanbul Park.

    #220699
    the_sigman
    Participant

    @katederby I am not refering just to Daly’s crash only.
    There is also the video below and some GP2 crashes.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlPo5oPfxkU

    Also, maybe the organisers decided that they didn’t want GP3 because their programme would be very tight.

    #220700
    Ryan Williams
    Participant

    Could the location for the standalone GP3 event in June be revealed today?

    #220701
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    If it is an annoucement of the June event, I kind of hope the series goes to a circuit that the drivers might not have any experience with. Maybe Mantorp Park or Anderstorp.

    #220702
    Ryan Williams
    Participant

    False alarm. Turns out the announcement was simply a re-launch of the GP2/GP3 Insider magazine

    #220703
    Steven
    Participant

    It’d be cool to see them use the Istanbul circuit. I always loved that track, and now that F1 is not using it, it’s probably just been collecting dust, right?

    Only saw one GP3 race last year but it was amazingly entertaining. I believe it was the Spa round that I saw, since I remember seeing some cool bump-drafting (I thought they were just gonna crash, but apparently it’s a cool tactic I’ve never seen with open-wheel cars).

    #220704
    Alex green
    Participant

    The only drawback in this is that they have replaced the aussie v8s from abu dhabi,was my first time in abu dhabi last year and the v8s were amazing

    #220705
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    The V8 race in Abu Dhabi (and the old one in Bahrain) was very unpopular in Australia.

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