Bernie Ecclestone in talks for 'GP3' coup

By ,

From GMMBriton Bernie Ecclestone is working on a major coup to scuttle fellow Formula 1 powerbroker and FIA President Max Mosley's plans for a low-cost 'formula 2' feeder series.
Formula Master
Already in the driving seat of the official support category GP2, it is rumoured the F1 chief executive is in talks to fashion a third tier to his empire - 'GP3'.According to the authoritative Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell , his plans involve the European-based junior series International Formula Master (IFM), which was conceived in 2007 as a competitor to formula 3.It is believed Ecclestone sees his GP3/IFM concept as superior to FIA president Mosley's plans to revive F2 with an ultra-low budget in the realm of 200,000 euros per car.While a typical GP2 season costs each car up to 1.5m euros, and a berth in the F3 Euroseries costs about 800,000 euros, IFM is already competitively up and running with annual budgets of around 450,000 euros.