Q&A: Martin Brundle on F2, Andy Soucek and his son Alex
Ex-F1 driver and BBC commentator reviews F2 season
The official Formula Two website spoke to Martin Brundle
recently in Barcelona for his views on the 2009 FIA Formula Two
Championship and his appraisal of son Alex's first year of
international motorsport.
How would you sum up the first year of the revived FIA
Formula Two Championship?
"I think the first season of Formula Two has gone very well. The
concept was good from the outset and there has been some fierce
racing. In terms of the championship it has been very competitive
and Andy Soucek emerged as the fastest and most consistent
driver.
"In my view the cars seemed very equal in terms of engine and
chassis performance and this has been reflected through the wide
variety of race winners and results. It has been down to the
drivers to get the set-up and driving style right for each circuit
which generated some stand-out performances. However, consistency
was the key.
The cars have clearly been manufactured well and quite often the
top 20 drivers were separated by less than a second, which is
further testament to how competitive the season has been.
"There have been some set-up and reliability issues, which was
inevitable really being as everything came together so late. The
fundamentals of the car have been very strong - the chassis,
engine, gearbox - but the ancillaries clearly needed development
through the season.
"We have had extraordinary value in motor racing terms; there
have been some frustrating times, but then I reminded myself that I
could be standing in the pouring rain in England watching Alex
drive in a considerably lesser championship for the same money. You
have to balance it out and understand that this is a new and
growing formula and I am sure MSV will be looking to improve it
further next year."
How did you rate Andy Soucek's championship-winning
season and his prospects of reaching Formula One?
"Andy has beaten a very good field of drivers with some fast and
stylish performances this season. He's won several races with
mature drives, but I was particularly impressed in Imola when he
made some strong overtaking manoeuvres to clinch the title.
"I think Andy will go well in the Williams F1 car and there is
no doubt he is a worthy F2 champion. He should be on the radar of
Formula One teams as he's still young enough and has shown enough
speed and flair to have a chance at getting an F1 seat."
How has your son Alex progressed during the 2009 season
in F2?
"Alex took a big step forward over last winter and has shown a lot
of speed and potential this season. He is very much worth investing
in especially given he's only just turned 19 - Alex is four or five
years younger than some of the other drivers, which is massive in
terms of top level motorsport experience.
"I remember at the start of the season I said that I hoped Alex
would finish in the top ten on occasion. He has regularly qualified
and raced well inside the top ten which has exceeded my
expectations. He didn't get the results to match his full potential
for one reason or another - he was very unlucky while running
fourth at Imola when Bortolotti's engine went right in front of him
and he went off on the oil. It has been hard for some of the
younger guys to get used to fewer engineering resources in Formula
Two. You have to cut costs somewhere, as the championship is
several hundred thousand pounds cheaper than other series, and I
think it is something the young guys have learned as the season has
progressed.
"I am extremely satisfied with Alex's performance. He is still
juggling a business degree at Nottingham University so it is hard
to balance it this with training and racing. He's is 18 months away
from completing his degree - we're trying to make sure he is
getting the right opportunity and experiences with his racing
career at the same time. He's a smart and determined lad who will
go far."