The FIA's deal with the GP2 Series to rebadge the category as Formula 2 in time for the 2017 season was always going to raise questions over the futures of Formula 3 and GP3: two categories that have been at war since the inception of GP3 in 2010.

It quickly became clear that the FIA would try to rationalise the third tier of single-seater racing so that its Formula 3 European Championship would eventually slot in beneath F1 and F2 on the grand prix bill, with the name of GP3 disappearing.

In the immediate aftermath, we even speculated in a column in the magazine that in such a scenario it could be that DTM promoter the ITR, whose F3V subsidiary currently organises the F3 European championship on behalf of the FIA, may see fit to set up an additional F3 series away from the F1 package should its existing contest move under the wing of F2/GP3 boss Bruno Michel...