Take a look at the podium of this year's Monaco Grand Prix. All three drivers have progressed to the pinnacle of motor sport, and all three of them can now lay claim to be Grand Prix winners. What is more important to acknowledge is the breeding ground that has produced all of these drivers, and indeed many more talented drivers in F1 today.
The series which has produced the majority of drivers in Formula 1 is F3000. Of the current crop of drivers, only Brundle, Hakkinen, and Verstappen can lay claim to have jumped straight from Formula 3 to Formula One. Almost the remainder of the grid have spent time in European or Japanese F3000 (The Japanese series previously known as F3000 is now called Formula Nippon in reference to the different rules run by the FIA in the European championship).
This year, the European Championship underwent drastic changes in a effort to reduce season costs to a level not much beyond a season in British or German Formula 3. A standard chassis, designed by Lola, and standard engine now are the requirements of the formula -- a decision which sounds sensible enough to let the best drivers shine.
What is not shining is the series itself.
Why should such a formula, which plays a critical part in development of drivers, be relegated to a second string "warm-up" event to the International Touring Car race at Nurburgring the weekend before Monaco?. F3000 is not a stand alone event granted, but packaged together with the European races of the Formula One season, it would provide the ideal vehicle for putting young drivers in front of their prospective employers.
The reason lay in the history of the series. Since the early 80's, F2 (as it was then known) was the second "tier" of the sport. The majority of Formula 1 drivers arrived direct from Formula 3, bypassing F3000 or F2. Additionally, while champions of F3000 (except 1995 champion Vincenzo Sosprisi) have graduated to Formula 1 the next year, there have only been two who have gone on to win actual Grands Prix. Jean Alesi and Olivier Panis, are the only F3000 champions to have win, and only one win each. Not exactly the greatest ambassadors for the series.
While Panis and Alesi shined in F3000, it is ridiculous to wipe off drivers who did not necessarily excel in the series. Damon Hill never won a single race in F3000, yet his record of success in Formula One speaks for itself. David Coulthard is another who's career never excelled in F3000, but he has recently shown his worth against the highly rated Mika Hakkinen
Some distress for the series has been the result of flak it has received from a very prominent corner. McLaren International boss, Ron Dennis, has said that F3000 as a controlled formula is of no use to F1 team. His opinion is that the teams ability will mask the ability of the driver. I'll say that again. Ron Dennis rejects F3000 on the basis of teams abilities masking the ability of a driver. Noticeably, Jan Magnussen, who is McLaren's test driver is absent from F3000. Instead, he is a works Mercedes driver in the ITC touring car championship. For those unfamiliar with this series, it can hardly be described as a level playing field. On a equal with Formula One, the equipment is of paramount importance, not necessarily the driver.
What F3000 does have on its side is strength in numbers. The new regulations have brought forward a huge mass of entries, numbering nearly 30 cars. Building on this is now crucial for the continued success of the formula.
Aligning the races alongside the current rounds of the European Formula One races will have many benefits. Drivers who would be familiar with the current circuits could come to Formula One with much greater experience and would be more likely to perform well -- which must be a plus for any team manager.
Whether or not it will happen is another question. Bernie Ecclestone has recently acquired the global television rights to the ITC championship. He looks likely to tie it in heavily with the Formula One European season. F3000 could just be the dead wood that gets in his way. Does anyone remember Group C... ?