The original series, which was launched in 2005, was generally regarded as successful. It attracted good teams and talented drivers – Nico Hulkenberg used it as a key stepping stone to Formula 1 – and the concept of nations battling each other was popular with fans.
However it didn’t work out in commercial terms, and the whole thing collapsed in 2009. Initial attempts to revive it with the existing cars proved unsuccessful, and the new project shares nothing with the original other than the name and the overall concept.
