Prema opts against 2018 GP3 Series entry
6 September 2017 – Leading junior single-seater outfit Prema Powerteam has opted against entering the GP3 Series in 2018, GPUpdate.net has learned.
Prema, following success in European Formula 3 and Formula 4, expanded into the GP2 Series in 2016, clinching both the Teams' title and Drivers' crown with Red Bull junior Pierre Gasly.
It has maintained its form in the rebranded FIA Formula 2 championship this year, having taken six victories, five courtesy of highly-rated Ferrari junior Charles Leclerc.
Prema considered expanding its roster to a three-car team in the GP3 Series next year, but the decision has been taken to focus its resources on its current squads across various categories.
The future of GP3, which was created in 2010 to act as a supporting division to GP2, is shrouded in doubt, amid ongoing negotiations over the third wrung of the single-seater ladder.
The FIA has been keen to streamline the path for young drivers from Formula 4 to Formula 1, with the rebranding of GP2 to Formula 2 facilitated in the wake of Liberty Media's arrival earlier this year.
The remaining sticking point is the direction taken for the future of GP3 and Formula 3, with a merger hinted at for 2019, once the current cycle of GP3 contracts come to an end.
When asked by GPUpdate.net for the latest at Monza, GP3 Series CEO Bruno Michel commented: "We are talking, we'll see, we have very advanced and interesting talks with the FIA.
"But we need to agree on many, many things, because this [renaming GP2 as F2] was quite easy, as there was no FIA championship at the same level.
"The FIA has F3, we have GP3, and we need to discuss how things will work together."
ART Grand Prix, Arden, Trident, DAMS, Jenzer and Campos currently compete in GP3, which has suffered from a reduction in entry numbers in recent years.