Formula Three

Formula Three, also called Formula Three or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an significant step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula Three has traditionally been regarded as the very first major stepping stone for F1 hopefuls – it is typically the very first point in a driver’s career at which most drivers in the series are aiming at professional careers in racing rather than being amateurs and enthusiasts. F3 is not cheap, but is regarded as a key investment in a youthfull driver’s future career. Success in F3 can lead directly to a Formula two seat or even a Formula One test or race seat.

Contents

Formula Three (adopted by the FIA in 1950) evolved from postwar auto racing, with lightweight tube-frame chassis powered by five hundred cc motorcycle engines (notably Nortons and JAP speedway). The five hundred cc formula originally evolved in one thousand nine hundred forty six from low-cost “special” racing organised by enthusiasts in Bristol, England, just before the 2nd World War; British motorsport after the war picked up leisurely, partly due to petrol rationing which continued for a number of years and home-built five hundred cc cars engines were intended to be accessible to the “impecunious enthusiast”. The 2nd post-war motor race in Britain was organised by the VSCC in July one thousand nine hundred forty seven at RAF Gransden Lodge, 500cc cars being the only post-war class to run that day. Unluckily the race was a accomplish flop, as three of the seven entrants were non-starters, and, of the four runners, all but one were out of it in the very first lap, leaving Eric Brandon in his Cooper Prototype (T2) trailing round to a virtual walk-over at the unimpressive speed of 55.79 mph, tho’ his best lap (which was the fastest recorded for any 500) was 65.38 mph.

Cooper came to predominate the formula with mass-produced cars, and the income this generated enabled the company to develop into the senior categories. Other notable marques included Kieft, JBS and Emeryson in England, and Effyh, Monopoletta and Scampolo in Europe. John Cooper, along with most other five hundred builders, determined to place the engine in the middle of the car, driving the rear wheels. This was mostly due to the practical limitations imposed by chain drive but it gave these cars exceptionally good treating characteristics which eventually led to the mid-engined revolution in single-seater racing.

1950: Cooper Formula 500, Independent Rear Suspension, Norton Manx engine behind the driver..

The 500cc formula was the usual route into motor racing through the early and mid-1950s (and starlets like Stirling Moss continued to come in selected F3 events even during their GP careers). Other notable five hundred cc Formula three drivers include Stuart Lewis-Evans, Ivor Bueb, Jim Russell, Peter Collins, Don Parker, Ken Tyrrell, and Bernie Ecclestone.

From a statistical point of view, Don Parker was the most successful F3 driver. Albeit coming to motor racing late in life (at age forty one in 1949), he won a total of one hundred twenty six F3 races altogether, and was described by Motor Sport magazine (in his one thousand nine hundred ninety eight obituary) as “the most successful Formula three driver in history.” Albeit Stirling Moss was already a starlet by 1953, Parker hit him more than any other driver, and was Formula three Champ in 1952, again in 1953, and in one thousand nine hundred fifty four he only lost the title by a half-point. He took the title for a third time in 1959.

In 1954, Parker took on a youthful man named Norman Graham Hill as his mechanic and general assistant, and gave him his very first taste of competitive motorsport in a 500cc car at Brands Hatch. Some years later, now using his middle name of Graham, this youthfull man twice became Formula one World Champ (1962 and 1968).

Parker retired from Formula Three after the one thousand nine hundred fifty nine season, and chose not to stir to Formula two or Formula one because of his age. However, he did race for one final season (1960), signifying Jaguar in the British Saloon Car Championships, and winning at Oulton Park on June six in his XK150. As a retirement bounty in 1961, Jaguar’s Lofty England introduced him with a specially-designed Trio.8 litre Jaguar Mark Two. It was claimed to be the fastest Mark two Jaguar had built, being tested at one hundred forty mph on the freshly opened (but as yet unrestricted) M4 motorway in 1963.

500cc Formula Three declined at an international level during the late 1950s, albeit it continued at a national level into the early 60s, being eclipsed by Formula Junior for one thousand or one thousand one hundred cc cars (on a sliding scale of weights).

A one-litre Formula Three category for four-cylinder carburetted cars, with intensely tuned production engines, was reintroduced in one thousand nine hundred sixty four based on the Formula Junior rules and ran to 1970. These engines (a short-stroke unit based on the Ford Anglia [1] with a special 2-valve Cosworth or Holbay OHV down-draught head being by far the most efficient and popular) tended to rev very very and were popularly known as “screamers”; F3 races tended to involve large packs of slipstreaming cars. The “screamer” years were predominated by Brabham, Lotus and Tecno, with March beginning in 1970. Early one-litre F3 chassis tended to descend from Formula Junior designs but quickly evolved.

For one thousand nine hundred seventy one fresh regulations permitting one thousand six hundred cc engines with a restricted air intake were introduced. The 1971–73 seasons were contested with these cars, as aerodynamics began to become significant.

Two-litre engine rules were introduced for 1974, still with restricted air intakes. Today [update] engine regulations remain basically unchanged in F3, a remarkable case of stability in racing regulations.

As the likes of Lotus and Brabham faded from F3 to concentrate on Formula One, F3 constructors of the 1970s included Alpine, Lola, March, Modus, GRD, Ralt, and Ensign.

1980s: Ralt RT Trio

By the begin of the 1980s however, Formula Three had evolved well beyond its modest beginnings to something closely resembling the modern formula. It was seen as the main training ground for future Formula One drivers, many of them bypassing Formula Two to go straight into Grand Prix racing. The chassis became increasingly sophisticated, mirroring the more senior formulae – ground effects were shortly used in the early 1980s but were banned, in line with other FIA single-seater formulae; carbon fibre chassis commenced to be introduced from the mid-1980s.

Historically, March (up to 1981), Ralt (up to the early 1990s) and Reynard (1985–1992) had been the main chassis manufacturers in two-litre F3, with Martini fairly strong in France; Reynard pioneered use of carbon fibre in the mid-1980s substituting traditional aluminium or steel monocoque structures. Dallara however, after an unsuccessful Formula One project, focussed their attention on the formula in the early nineties and obliterated all the other marques with their F393. Within a duo of years, the chassis was considered a prerequisite to competitiveness, and today Dallara chassis are ubiquitous to the formula. In order to keep costs down, their chassis have had a three-year life-cycle, with only minor annual updates. It was agreed however to extend the life-cycle of the current F308 to four years to assist teams during the economic recession; this chassis however, has been substituted in two thousand twelve with the fresh F312 chassis, intended to be run until 2017. Most F3 championships, most notably the British series, suggest a secondary class for cars from the previous life-cycle in order to provide a cheap point of entry for lesser funded teams and drivers.

Formula Three cars are monocoque chassis, using slick racing tyres and wings. Presently, Dallara manufactures the terrific majority of F3 cars, tho’ Mygale, Lola (formerly in partnership with Dome of Japan), Arttech and SLC also have a limited output. In many smaller or inexperienced F3 racing series older cars are frequently seen. Usually these series are divided into two or more classes, to permit more participation.

Engines in Formula three are all 2-litre, 4-cylinder naturally aspirated spec engines. Engines must be built from a production model block (stock block), and often must be sealed by race or series organizers, so no private tuning can be carried out. Honda engines (ready by Mugen) have perennially been popular, as have engines produced by Volkswagen, Alfa Romeo, or Renault. Presently the HWA-tuned Mercedes and the Volkswagen engines predominate the British and European series, with Mugen, TOM’S–Toyota, Opel and Fiat all being used by some teams.

Car regulations Edit

• Width: 1,850 mm (72.8 in) maximum
• Wheelbase: Two,000 mm (79 in) minimum
• Track: 1,200 mm (47 in) minimum
• Weight: five hundred fifty kg (1,210 lb) minimum including driver
• Active suspension, telemetry, and traction control are prohibited
• Two-wheel steering only
• Two-wheel drive only
• Semi-automatic gearbox, six forward gears (maximum), and one switch sides
• Undrilled ferrous brakes
• Wheels, width 9.Five in (240 mm), diameter thirteen in (330 mm) maximum
• Fuel capacity: forty five litres (12 US gallons)
• Managed fuel from a single supplier, but of a comparative standard to pump/street gasoline (petrol)
• Stock derived two thousand cc engine with twenty eight mm (1.1 in) width restrictor, hence about two hundred hp (150 kW) inbetween Five,000 and 7,400 rpm

There has never been a World Championship for Formula Three. In the 1970s and into the 1980s the European Formula Three Championship and British Formula three Championship (once one series had emerged from the challenging British series in the 1970s) were the most prominent, with a number of future Formula One champions coming from them. France, Germany, and Italy also had significant Formula Three series, but interest in these was originally subsidiary to national formulae – Formula Renault in France and Formula Super Vee in Germany. These nations eventually drifted towards Formula Three. The Italian series tended to attract older drivers who moved straight across from karting whereas in other nations drivers typically graduated to F3 after a duo of years in minor categories. The European series died out in the mid-1980s and the national series became correspondingly more significant. For 2003, French and German F3, both suffering from a lack of competitive entrants, merged to recreate the Formula three Euro Series.

Brazil’s SudAm Formula Three Championship, which now has the most powerful engine of all Formula Three series, was known for producing excellent drivers who polished their abilities in the British Formula three championship. Perhaps the most nosey of all was the puny All-Japan Formula Three Championship. Albeit few drivers spent a significant amount of time there, future starlets such as Ralf Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve scored victories there. An Asian series was established in two thousand one and grew to produce past A1 drivers for Indonesia and Australia.

Special races Edit

In addition to the many national series, Formula Three is known for major non-championship races typically including entries from the national series, the best-known of which is the FIA World Cup at Macau. The very first Formula Three Grand Prix of Macau was held in one thousand nine hundred eighty three and won by Ayrton Senna. Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher, and Takuma Sato have also won there. The Formula Three Grand Prix of Macau traditionally marks the end of the Formula Three season, with drivers from almost every national series participating.

Other major races include the Pau Grand Prix (from one thousand nine hundred ninety nine to 2006), the Masters of Formula three (traditionally held at Zandvoort), and the Korea Super Prix at Changwon. These events give fans in locations not visited by other major series a way to practice major international racing.

The Monaco F3 Grand Prix held until one thousand nine hundred ninety seven was also a famous special race. It was restored in two thousand five only, as a part of the F3 Euro Series.

Formula Three

Formula Three

Formula Three, also called Formula Three or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an significant step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula Three has traditionally been regarded as the very first major stepping stone for F1 hopefuls – it is typically the very first point in a driver’s career at which most drivers in the series are aiming at professional careers in racing rather than being amateurs and enthusiasts. F3 is not cheap, but is regarded as a key investment in a youthfull driver’s future career. Success in F3 can lead directly to a Formula two seat or even a Formula One test or race seat.

Contents

Formula Three (adopted by the FIA in 1950) evolved from postwar auto racing, with lightweight tube-frame chassis powered by five hundred cc motorcycle engines (notably Nortons and JAP speedway). The five hundred cc formula originally evolved in one thousand nine hundred forty six from low-cost “special” racing organised by enthusiasts in Bristol, England, just before the 2nd World War; British motorsport after the war picked up leisurely, partly due to petrol rationing which continued for a number of years and home-built five hundred cc cars engines were intended to be accessible to the “impecunious enthusiast”. The 2nd post-war motor race in Britain was organised by the VSCC in July one thousand nine hundred forty seven at RAF Gransden Lodge, 500cc cars being the only post-war class to run that day. Unluckily the race was a accomplish flop, as three of the seven entrants were non-starters, and, of the four runners, all but one were out of it in the very first lap, leaving Eric Brandon in his Cooper Prototype (T2) trailing round to a virtual walk-over at the unimpressive speed of 55.79 mph, tho’ his best lap (which was the fastest recorded for any 500) was 65.38 mph.

Cooper came to predominate the formula with mass-produced cars, and the income this generated enabled the company to develop into the senior categories. Other notable marques included Kieft, JBS and Emeryson in England, and Effyh, Monopoletta and Scampolo in Europe. John Cooper, along with most other five hundred builders, determined to place the engine in the middle of the car, driving the rear wheels. This was mostly due to the practical limitations imposed by chain drive but it gave these cars exceptionally good treating characteristics which eventually led to the mid-engined revolution in single-seater racing.

1950: Cooper Formula 500, Independent Rear Suspension, Norton Manx engine behind the driver..

The 500cc formula was the usual route into motor racing through the early and mid-1950s (and starlets like Stirling Moss continued to inject selected F3 events even during their GP careers). Other notable five hundred cc Formula three drivers include Stuart Lewis-Evans, Ivor Bueb, Jim Russell, Peter Collins, Don Parker, Ken Tyrrell, and Bernie Ecclestone.

From a statistical point of view, Don Parker was the most successful F3 driver. Albeit coming to motor racing late in life (at age forty one in 1949), he won a total of one hundred twenty six F3 races altogether, and was described by Motor Sport magazine (in his one thousand nine hundred ninety eight obituary) as “the most successful Formula three driver in history.” Albeit Stirling Moss was already a starlet by 1953, Parker hammer him more than any other driver, and was Formula three Champ in 1952, again in 1953, and in one thousand nine hundred fifty four he only lost the title by a half-point. He took the title for a third time in 1959.

In 1954, Parker took on a youthfull man named Norman Graham Hill as his mechanic and general assistant, and gave him his very first taste of competitive motorsport in a 500cc car at Brands Hatch. Some years later, now using his middle name of Graham, this youthful man twice became Formula one World Champ (1962 and 1968).

Parker retired from Formula Three after the one thousand nine hundred fifty nine season, and chose not to budge to Formula two or Formula one because of his age. However, he did race for one final season (1960), signifying Jaguar in the British Saloon Car Championships, and winning at Oulton Park on June six in his XK150. As a retirement bounty in 1961, Jaguar’s Lofty England introduced him with a specially-designed Trio.8 litre Jaguar Mark Two. It was claimed to be the fastest Mark two Jaguar had built, being tested at one hundred forty mph on the freshly opened (but as yet unrestricted) M4 motorway in 1963.

500cc Formula Three declined at an international level during the late 1950s, albeit it continued at a national level into the early 60s, being eclipsed by Formula Junior for one thousand or one thousand one hundred cc cars (on a sliding scale of weights).

A one-litre Formula Three category for four-cylinder carburetted cars, with intensely tuned production engines, was reintroduced in one thousand nine hundred sixty four based on the Formula Junior rules and ran to 1970. These engines (a short-stroke unit based on the Ford Anglia [1] with a special 2-valve Cosworth or Holbay OHV down-draught head being by far the most efficient and popular) tended to rev very very and were popularly known as “screamers”; F3 races tended to involve large packs of slipstreaming cars. The “screamer” years were predominated by Brabham, Lotus and Tecno, with March beginning in 1970. Early one-litre F3 chassis tended to descend from Formula Junior designs but quickly evolved.

For one thousand nine hundred seventy one fresh regulations permitting one thousand six hundred cc engines with a restricted air intake were introduced. The 1971–73 seasons were contested with these cars, as aerodynamics embarked to become significant.

Two-litre engine rules were introduced for 1974, still with restricted air intakes. Today [update] engine regulations remain basically unchanged in F3, a remarkable case of stability in racing regulations.

As the likes of Lotus and Brabham faded from F3 to concentrate on Formula One, F3 constructors of the 1970s included Alpine, Lola, March, Modus, GRD, Ralt, and Ensign.

1980s: Ralt RT Trio

By the embark of the 1980s however, Formula Three had evolved well beyond its discreet beginnings to something closely resembling the modern formula. It was seen as the main training ground for future Formula One drivers, many of them bypassing Formula Two to go straight into Grand Prix racing. The chassis became increasingly sophisticated, mirroring the more senior formulae – ground effects were shortly used in the early 1980s but were banned, in line with other FIA single-seater formulae; carbon fibre chassis commenced to be introduced from the mid-1980s.

Historically, March (up to 1981), Ralt (up to the early 1990s) and Reynard (1985–1992) had been the main chassis manufacturers in two-litre F3, with Martini fairly strong in France; Reynard pioneered use of carbon fibre in the mid-1980s substituting traditional aluminium or steel monocoque structures. Dallara however, after an unsuccessful Formula One project, focussed their attention on the formula in the early nineties and obliterated all the other marques with their F393. Within a duo of years, the chassis was considered a prerequisite to competitiveness, and today Dallara chassis are ubiquitous to the formula. In order to keep costs down, their chassis have had a three-year life-cycle, with only minor annual updates. It was agreed however to extend the life-cycle of the current F308 to four years to assist teams during the economic recession; this chassis however, has been substituted in two thousand twelve with the fresh F312 chassis, intended to be run until 2017. Most F3 championships, most notably the British series, suggest a secondary class for cars from the previous life-cycle in order to provide a cheap point of entry for lesser funded teams and drivers.

Formula Three cars are monocoque chassis, using slick racing tyres and wings. Presently, Dallara manufactures the breathtaking majority of F3 cars, tho’ Mygale, Lola (formerly in partnership with Dome of Japan), Arttech and SLC also have a limited output. In many smaller or fledgling F3 racing series older cars are frequently seen. Usually these series are divided into two or more classes, to permit more participation.

Engines in Formula three are all 2-litre, 4-cylinder naturally aspirated spec engines. Engines must be built from a production model block (stock block), and often must be sealed by race or series organizers, so no private tuning can be carried out. Honda engines (ready by Mugen) have perennially been popular, as have engines produced by Volkswagen, Alfa Romeo, or Renault. Presently the HWA-tuned Mercedes and the Volkswagen engines predominate the British and European series, with Mugen, TOM’S–Toyota, Opel and Fiat all being used by some teams.

Car regulations Edit

• Width: 1,850 mm (72.8 in) maximum
• Wheelbase: Two,000 mm (79 in) minimum
• Track: 1,200 mm (47 in) minimum
• Weight: five hundred fifty kg (1,210 lb) minimum including driver
• Active suspension, telemetry, and traction control are barred
• Two-wheel steering only
• Two-wheel drive only
• Semi-automatic gearbox, six forward gears (maximum), and one switch sides
• Undrilled ferrous brakes
• Wheels, width 9.Five in (240 mm), diameter thirteen in (330 mm) maximum
• Fuel capacity: forty five litres (12 US gallons)
• Managed fuel from a single supplier, but of a comparative standard to pump/street gasoline (petrol)
• Stock derived two thousand cc engine with twenty eight mm (1.1 in) width restrictor, hence about two hundred hp (150 kW) inbetween Five,000 and 7,400 rpm

There has never been a World Championship for Formula Three. In the 1970s and into the 1980s the European Formula Three Championship and British Formula three Championship (once one series had emerged from the contesting British series in the 1970s) were the most prominent, with a number of future Formula One champions coming from them. France, Germany, and Italy also had significant Formula Three series, but interest in these was originally subsidiary to national formulae – Formula Renault in France and Formula Super Vee in Germany. These nations eventually drifted towards Formula Three. The Italian series tended to attract older drivers who moved straight across from karting whereas in other nations drivers typically graduated to F3 after a duo of years in minor categories. The European series died out in the mid-1980s and the national series became correspondingly more significant. For 2003, French and German F3, both suffering from a lack of competitive entrants, merged to recreate the Formula three Euro Series.

Brazil’s SudAm Formula Three Championship, which now has the most powerful engine of all Formula Three series, was known for producing excellent drivers who polished their abilities in the British Formula three championship. Perhaps the most nosey of all was the puny All-Japan Formula Three Championship. Albeit few drivers spent a significant amount of time there, future starlets such as Ralf Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve scored victories there. An Asian series was established in two thousand one and grew to produce past A1 drivers for Indonesia and Australia.

Special races Edit

In addition to the many national series, Formula Three is known for major non-championship races typically including entries from the national series, the best-known of which is the FIA World Cup at Macau. The very first Formula Three Grand Prix of Macau was held in one thousand nine hundred eighty three and won by Ayrton Senna. Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher, and Takuma Sato have also won there. The Formula Three Grand Prix of Macau traditionally marks the end of the Formula Three season, with drivers from almost every national series participating.

Other major races include the Pau Grand Prix (from one thousand nine hundred ninety nine to 2006), the Masters of Formula three (traditionally held at Zandvoort), and the Korea Super Prix at Changwon. These events give fans in locations not visited by other major series a way to practice major international racing.

The Monaco F3 Grand Prix held until one thousand nine hundred ninety seven was also a famous special race. It was restored in two thousand five only, as a part of the F3 Euro Series.

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