GP3 Series

GP3 Series
Category Single seaters
Country International
Inaugural season 2010
Folded 2018
Drivers 28
Teams 7
Constructors Dallara
Engine suppliers Mecachrome[1]
Tyre suppliers Pirelli
Last Drivers' champion TBD
Last Teams' champion France ART Grand Prix
Official website gp3series.com
Current season

The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, is a single seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel.[2]

GP3 follows the entire European leg of the Formula One series and the GP2 (now Formula 2) series as a support race for the two. In 2012, the series visited the Monaco street circuit after 2 years of attempts, as they were always unable to beforehand due to lack of room. Like the GP2 series, GP3 gives drivers the experience of the Grand Prix environment, and takes advantage of the infrastructure, such as marshals and medical facilities, in place for the Formula One events. GP3 Series mainly races on European circuits, but has appearances on other international race tracks as well with their most recent races in the only 2015 season at the Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain and the Yas Marina Circuit in United Arab Emirates since 2010 season but GP3 Series are planning for more international races such as Albert Park, Austin, Interlagos, Marina Bay, Mexico City, Montreal, Shanghai and Suzuka in the future as the GP3 Series international expansion project plan.

Many drivers have since stepped up to GP2 since the series began, with the 2010 champion Esteban Gutiérrez, Pål Varhaug and ninth-place finisher Stefano Coletti being the first to do so for the 2011 season. 2011 champion Valtteri Bottas did not follow suit however, and instead joined Williams F1 as a reserve driver. Meanwhile, James Calado, Rio Haryanto, Simon Trummer, Tom Dillmann and Nigel Melker all joined GP2 for the 2012 season. Other drivers who have graduated to other series are James Jakes who moved to the IndyCar Series for 2011, Josef Newgarden to the Indy Lights series in 2011 and Alexander Rossi and Robert Wickens who moved to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2011 and Lewis Williamson in 2012.

In the series' short history, nine drivers have gone on to compete, or are competing in Formula One currently after GP3. These include former champions Gutiérrez, Kvyat, Bottas and Ocon for Sauber, Red Bull Racing, Williams and Manor respectively, Jean-Éric Vergne and Carlos Sainz Jr. for Toro Rosso.

In 2019, the series will merge with the FIA Formula 3 European Championship to form the FIA Formula 3 Championship.[3]

GP3 Series cars

The GP3 Series car is a standardised car used by all of the competing teams.

Dallara GP3/10

A typical GP3/10 car driven by Tom Dillmann in 2011

For the 2010–2012 seasons, the GP3 series used the GP3/10 chassis.[4]

Chassis
The car had been designed and built by Dallara, who currently produces the GP2 chassis.
Engine
The GP3/10 used a four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbocharged 280 hp engine developed by Renault Sport, while turbochargers were supplied by Pankl Racing Systems. The wastegate was included due to turbocharger rules.
Gearbox
The GP3/10 used a 6 speed longitudinal sequential Hewland gearbox.
Tyres
Pirelli supplied the tyres for GP3 from 2010 to 2012, same supplier for the GP2 Series.

Dallara GP3/13

For the 2013–2015 seasons, the GP3 series used the GP3/13 chassis.[5]

Chassis
The car was also designed and built by Dallara.
Engine
The GP3/13 used a naturally aspirated 3.4-litre V6 400 hp engine, developed by AER Ltd. with designation P57.
Gearbox
The GP3/13 used a 6 speed longitudinal sequential gearbox developed by Hewland.
Tyres
Pirelli continued to supply the tyres for GP3 from 2013 onwards.
  • Engine displacement: 3.4 L (207 cu in) DOHC V6
  • Gearbox: 6-speed paddle shift gearbox (must have reverse)
  • Weight: 1,389 lb (630 kg)
  • Power output: 400 hp (298 kW)
  • Fuel: Elf LMS 102 RON unleaded
  • Fuel capacity: 65 litres (17 US gallons)
  • Fuel delivery: Fuel injection
  • Aspiration: naturally aspirated
  • Length: 4,480 mm (176 in)
  • Width: 1,880 mm (74 in)
  • Wheelbase: 2,780 mm (109 in)
  • Steering: Non-assisted rack and pinion

Dallara GP3/16

The series uses another new chassis for the 2016 season, and will continued to be used until 2018.[6]

Chassis
The car has also been designed and built by Dallara.
Engine
The GP3/16 uses a naturally aspirated 3.4-litre V6 400 hp engine, developed by Mecachrome, prepared and maintained by Teos Engineering.
Gearbox
The GP3/16 will again use a 6 speed longitudinal sequential gearbox developed by Hewland.
Tyres
Pirelli will continue to supply the tyres for GP3 from 2016 onwards.

Race weekend

A race weekend features one 45-minute practice session on Friday, and one 30-minute qualifying session on Saturday, followed by two races. The qualifying session is a straight fight for the fastest laptime, and determines the order of the grid for Saturday's Race 1.

Race 2 is on Sunday. The grid is decided by the Saturday result with top 8 being reversed, so the driver who finished 8th on Saturday will start from pole position and the winner will start from 8th place.

The distance of each race is decided prior to the event, however, should 30 minutes elapse before the designated number of laps are completed the lead driver will be shown the chequered flag.[7]

Points system

2010–2011

Points system for feature race
 1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th 
10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1
Points system for sprint race
 1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th 
6 5 4 3 2 1
  • Pole for Saturday races: 2 points
  • Fastest lap: 1 point in each race
  • Driver recording fastest lap has to drive 90% of race laps and must finish in the top ten of the race to be eligible for the fastest lap point.

With this points system, the most number of points anyone can score in one round is 20 by claiming pole position, winning both races with the fastest lap in each race.

No driver ever did manage to get maximum points with this system. The closest drivers who have done so are Esteban Gutiérrez at the 2010 British round, who managed pole position for the feature race, won the feature race and got the fastest lap, and then came third in the sprint race, which equals a total of 17 points. Valtteri Bottas at the 2011 Hungarian round achieved pole position and won the feature race, and then came second in the sprint race, also totaling 17 points.

2012 onwards

Points system For Race 1
 1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th   9th   10th   PL   FL 
25 18 15 12 10 8 6 4 2 1 4 2
Points system For Race 2
 1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th   FL 
15 12 10 8 6 4 2 1 2
  • Pole for Saturday races: 4 points
  • Fastest lap: 2 points in each race
  • Driver recording fastest lap has to drive 90% of race laps and must finish in the top ten of the race to be eligible for the fastest lap point.

With this points system, the most number of points anyone can score in one round is 48 by claiming pole position, winning both races with the fastest lap in each race.

So far throughout the new points system, no driver has achieved the maximum amount of points in a single round. In the Hungarian round of 2012, António Félix da Costa became first driver to win both races of the weekend.

Teams and drivers

GP3 Series has ten European teams and thirty drivers representing the Series. Manor Racing, Atech CRS GP and Carlin represent Great Britain, whilst flying the French flag is GP2 Series 2009 Champions ART Grand Prix and Tech 1 Racing. MW Arden in association with ex-Formula One driver Mark Webber race under an Australian license. Spaniard Addax Team, German RSC Mücke Motorsport in association with Ralf Schumacher, Irish-Canadian Status Grand Prix, and Swiss team Jenzer Motorsport complete the lineup.

Champions

Season Champion Second Third Team Champion
2010 Mexico Esteban Gutiérrez (ART Grand Prix) Canada Robert Wickens (Status Grand Prix) Switzerland Nico Müller (Jenzer Motorsport) France ART Grand Prix
2011 Finland Valtteri Bottas (Lotus ART) United Kingdom James Calado (Lotus ART) Netherlands Nigel Melker (RSC Mücke Motorsport) France Lotus ART
2012 New Zealand Mitch Evans (MW Arden) Germany Daniel Abt (Lotus GP) Portugal António Félix da Costa (Carlin) France Lotus GP
2013 Russia Daniil Kvyat (MW Arden) Argentina Facu Regalia (ART Grand Prix) United States Conor Daly (ART Grand Prix) France ART Grand Prix
2014 United Kingdom Alex Lynn (Carlin) United Kingdom Dean Stoneman (Koiranen GP)* Germany Marvin Kirchhöfer (ART Grand Prix) United Kingdom Carlin
2015 France Esteban Ocon (ART Grand Prix) Italy Luca Ghiotto (Trident) Germany Marvin Kirchhöfer (ART Grand Prix) France ART Grand Prix
2016 Monaco Charles Leclerc (ART Grand Prix) Thailand Alexander Albon (ART Grand Prix) Italy Antonio Fuoco (Trident) France ART Grand Prix
2017 United Kingdom George Russell (ART Grand Prix) United Kingdom Jack Aitken (ART Grand Prix) Japan Nirei Fukuzumi (ART Grand Prix) France ART Grand Prix
2018 France ART Grand Prix

* Stoneman started season with Marussia Manor Racing.

Drivers graduated to GP2

Driver GP3 GP2 Other major titles
Seasons Races Wins Podiums Seasons First team Races Wins Podiums
Mexico Esteban Gutiérrez‡ 2010 16 5 9 2011–2012 Lotus ART 44 4 8
Norway Pål Varhaug‡ 2010 16 1 1 2011, 2013 DAMS 22 0 0
Monaco Stefano Coletti†‡ 2010 14 0 2 2009, 2011–2014 Durango 88 7 15
United Kingdom James Jakes‡ 2010 12 0 3 2009–2011 Super Nova Racing 2 0 0
United Kingdom James Calado 2011 16 1 6 2012–2013 Lotus ART 46 4 14
Indonesia Rio Haryanto 2010–2011 32 3 7 2012–2014 DAMS 66 0 2
Netherlands Nigel Melker 2010–2011 32 1 5 2012 DAMS 23 0 0
Switzerland Simon Trummer 2010–2011 30 0 0 2012–2014 Arden 68 0 1
France Tom Dillmann 2011 14 0 1 2012–2014 iSport International 43 1 4
United Kingdom Adrian Quaife-Hobbs 2010–2011 31 1 3 2013–2014 MP Motorsport 40 1 4 Auto GP World Series
New Zealand Mitch Evans 2011–2012 32 4 8 2013–2014 Arden 44 2 10
Germany Daniel Abt 2012 16 2 7 2013–2014 ART Grand Prix 42 0 0
Italy Kevin Ceccon† 2012 16 0 1 2011, 2013 Trident Racing 19 0 1
United States Alexander Rossi‡ 2010 16 2 5 2013–2015 Caterham Racing 53 4 11 2016 Indianapolis 500
United States Conor Daly 2011–2013 48 2 11 2013–2014 Hilmer Motorsport 20 0 0
Italy Vittorio Ghirelli 2010–2011 28 0 0 2013 Venezuela GP Lazarus 10 0 0 Auto GP
Argentina Facu Regalia 2012–2013 20 1 2 2014 Hilmer Motorsport 8 0 0
Cyprus Tio Ellinas 2012–2013 32 3 4 2014 MP Motorsport 8 0 0
United Kingdom Alex Lynn 2014 18 3 8 2015–2016 DAMS 40 4 8
Romania Robert Vișoiu 2012–2014 40 2 3 2015 Rapax 18 0 0
New Zealand Richie Stanaway 2011, 2014 22 3 6 2015 Status Grand Prix 18 2 2
United Kingdom Nick Yelloly 2011, 2013, 2014 50 1 9 2015 Hilmer Motorsport 12 0 0
United Kingdom Dean Stoneman 2013–2014 20 5 7 2015 Carlin 6 0 0
United Kingdom Jann Mardenborough 2014–2015 32 1 4 2015 Carlin 2 0 0
Switzerland Patric Niederhauser 2012–2014 50 5 8 2015 Venezuela GP Lazarus 10 0 0
Switzerland Zoël Amberg 2011 6 0 0 2015 Venezuela GP Lazarus 2 0 0
Italy Luca Ghiotto 2014–2015 22 5 9 2016 Trident Racing 22 1 2
United Kingdom Emil Bernstorff 2014–2015 32 4 12 2016 Arden 2 0 0

Notes:

  • Drivers are listed by their last year in GP3 Series. Usually they started in GP2 at the start of the following season.
  • Gold background denotes GP3 champion.
  • † Coletti had three GP2 starts in 2009 for Durango; his first GP2 team since driving in GP3 2010 was Trident Racing. Ceccon also had 8 starts in GP2 with Scuderia Coloni; he joined Trident Racing for 2013 after a year of GP3 in 2012.
  • ‡ Denotes drivers who raced in the now defunct GP2 Asia Series.
  • Gutiérrez, Calado, Dillmann, Coletti, Haryanto, Melker, Trummer and Ceccon all participated in the 2 race 2011 GP2 Final.
  • Jakes raced in the 2008–2009, 2009–2010 and 2011 Asia Series along with two races in the 2010 Main GP2 series.
  • Also, António Félix da Costa and Alexander Rossi raced in the final (non-championship) round of the 2011 GP2 Series season at Yas Marina.

Drivers graduated to FIA Formula 2

Driver GP3 FIA Formula 2 Other major titles
Seasons Races Wins Podiums Seasons First team Races Wins Podiums
Monaco Charles Leclerc 2016 18 3 8 2017 Prema Racing 12 5 7

Notes:

  • Gold background denotes GP3 champion.

Drivers graduated to Formula One

Driver GP3 F1 Other major titles
Seasons Races Wins Podiums Seasons First team Races Wins Podiums
Finland Valtteri Bottas 2011 16 4 7 2013–Present Williams 88 2 16
Mexico Esteban Gutiérrez 2010 17 5 9 2013–2014, 2016 Sauber 59 0 0
Indonesia Rio Haryanto 2010–2011 32 3 7 2016 Manor 12 0 0
Russia Daniil Kvyat 2013 16 3 5 2014–2017 Toro Rosso 69 0 2
Spain Roberto Merhi 2010 12 0 3 2015 Manor 14 0 0
France Esteban Ocon 2015 18 1 14 2016–Present Manor 29 0 0
United States Alexander Rossi 2010 14 2 5 2015 Manor 5 0 0
Spain Carlos Sainz, Jr. 2013 16 0 2 2015–Present Toro Rosso 65 0 0 Formula Renault 3.5 Series
France Jean-Éric Vergne 2010 4 0 0 2012–2014 Toro Rosso 58 0 0
Monaco Charles Leclerc 2016 18 3 8 2018–Present Sauber FIA Formula 2 Championship

Notes:

  • Gold background denotes GP3 champion.

Seasons

2010

The 2010 GP3 Series was the inaugural season of the Series. The championship was contested over sixteen races held at eight rounds, beginning on May 8 at Circuit de Catalunya and ending on September 12 at Autodromo Nazionale Monza. The title was clinched by ART Grand Prix driver Esteban Gutiérrez at the final round by taking pole position, who won the championship 17 points clear of Robert Wickens in second, who was a further 18 points ahead of third place driver Nico Müller.

2011

The season began at Istanbul Park on 7 May and concluded at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 11 September after eight rounds made up of two races each and all in support of European Formula 1 Grands Prix. The title was claimed by Valtteri Bottas who was only 7 points ahead of his teammate James Calado in second, while Nigel Melker finished 17 points adrift in third. This was to be ART Grand Prix's second championship in as many seasons.

2012

The season began on 12 May at Catalunya, Barcelona, and finished at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 9 September. It supported the entire European leg of the 2012 Formula One Season again and included the series' first visit to Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Going into the final round of the season, four drivers were in with a chance of winning the championship, but ultimately a move on the penultimate lap gave Mitch Evans the title with 151.5 points, only beating Daniel Abt by just two points on 149.5 while António Félix da Costa finished off the top three with 132 points. The teams title was also won during the last round by Lotus GP, their third title in as many seasons.

2013

The season began on 11 May at Catalunya, Barcelona, and finished at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi on 3 November. It followed most of the European leg of the 2013 Formula One season again other than Monte Carlo, Monaco and for the first time it hosted a non-European race at the last round in Abu Dhabi.

The title was clinched by Daniil Kvyat at the final round with 168 points, beating Facu Regalia by 30 points on 138 while Conor Daly finished off the top three with 126 points. The teams title was won by ART Grand Prix, their fourth title in as many seasons.

2014

The season began on 10 May at Catalunya, Barcelona, and finished at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi on 23 November. It once again followed most of the European leg of the 2014 Formula One season other than Monte Carlo, Monaco and the only non-European race at the last round in Abu Dhabi.

The title was clinched by Alex Lynn at the final round with 207 points, beating Dean Stoneman by 44 points on 163 while Marvin Kirchhöfer finished off the top three with 161 points. For the first time, the teams title was won by Carlin, becoming the first team other than ART Grand Prix to take the teams title.

2015

The season began on 9 May at Catalunya, Barcelona, and finished at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi on 29 November. It was contested over 18 races at nine rounds. There were nine teams with three cars each. Esteban Ocon won the title by 8 points despite winning only one race compared to second placed Luca Ghiotto winning five races. Ocon did however finish on the podium 14 times. The teams title was won by ART Grand Prix, their fifth title.

2016

The season began on 14 May at Catalunya, Barcelona, and finished at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi on 27 November. It was contested over 18 races at nine rounds. There were seven teams with three to four cars each, with DAMS making its debut. The title was clinched by Charles Leclerc at the final round with 202 points, beating Alexander Albon by 25 points on 177 while Antonio Fuoco finished off the top three with 157 points. The teams title was won by ART Grand Prix at Monza, their sixth title.

2017

The season will begin on 13 May at Catalunya, Barcelona and will finish at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi on 26 November. It will be contested at 18 races at nine rounds. George Russell, Jack Aitken and Nirei Fukuzumi ended season in top 3 with ART Grand Prix. All drivers after season join 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship. The second race at Italy was cancelled after heavy rain during 2017 Italian Grand Prix.

2018

The season will start on the 12 May in the Barcelona, and will finish in 26 November in Yas Marina. The season will be except of 9 rounds and 18 races.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "GP3 unveils new car and engine package for 2016 at Monza". 3 September 2015.
  2. ↑ Elizalde, Pablo (2008-10-03). "GP2 organisers announce GP3 series". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
  3. ↑ Simmons, Marcus (22 September 2017). "FIA confirms new single-make Formula 3 category for 2019". autosport.com. Autosport. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  4. ↑ "The Car". GP3 Series Website. Retrieved 2010. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ↑ "GP3 Series announce new generation car". GP3 Series Website. Archived from the original on 8 August 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  6. ↑ "GP3 unveils new car and engine package for 2016 at Monza". Autosport.com. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  7. ↑ "The Rules and Regulations". GP3 Series Website. Retrieved 2012. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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