| Category | Open-wheel single-seater Formula auto racing |
|---|---|
| Country | International |
| Inaugural season | 1998 |
| Folded | 2017 |
| Constructors | Dallara |
| Engine suppliers | Zytek badged asRenault (2011–2015) Zytek (2016–2017)[1] |
| Tyre suppliers | Michelin[2] |
| Last Drivers' champion |  Pietro Fittipaldi |
| Last Teams' champion |  Lotus |
| Official website | Official website |
TheWorld Series Formula V8 3.5, formerly theWorld Series by Nissan from 1998 to 2004, theFormula Renault 3.5 Series from 2005 to 2015 and theFormula V8 3.5 in 2016 and 2017, was amotor racing series promoted by RPM Racing (1998–2004) andRenault Sport (2005–2015).
The series came out of theSpanish Formula Renault Championship, which ran from 1991 to 1997. The World Series was founded asOpen Fortuna by Nissan in 1998, and was mostly based inSpain, but visited other countries throughout its history, including France, Italy, Portugal and Brazil. The organization was handled by RPM Comunicacion, founded byJaime Alguersuari Tortajada. The series changed name a number of times, usually adopting the name of its main sponsor, but was also known by other common names such as the unofficial "Formula Nissan".
In its early years, the series used chassis built byColoni (type N1/C983), with a 2.0 LNissan SR20 engine developed by Nissan Motorsports Europe in Britain, fielding 250bhp. The series slotted in betweenFormula Three andFormula 3000. In 2002, it adopted a new format, with chassis supplied byDallara and the engine upgraded to theVQ30. The series also became more international, with more than half of the race calendar held outside Spain.
Renault started the Formula Renault V6 Eurocup in 2003, as a support series inEurosport's Super Racing Weekends (European Touring Car Championship andFIA GT Championship). The series ran withTatuus chassis and a Nissan 3.5 L V6 engine.
In 2005, Renault left the Super Racing Weekend and started the World Series by Renault and the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, merging both the World Series by Nissan (whose engine contract had finished) and Renault V6 Eurocup. The Dallara chassis was retained, while the Renault V6 was improved to 425 PS.Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and theEurocup Mégane Trophy also joined the series in 2005 to support the main FR3.5 series.
At the end of July 2015,Renault Sport announced it would be withdrawing its backing to the Formula Renault 3.5 from 2016 onwards, handing the control of the series to co-organiser RPM. However, Renault Sport also said it would continue the World Series by Renault with the Renault Sport Trophy and the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup.[3] As a result of this, RPM decided to change the series' name to Formula V8 3.5.[4] In December 2016, the series' name was changed again to World Series Formula V8 3.5, giving extra recognition to the championship.[5]On 17 November 2017 was announced that due to lack of entries the series would not take place in 2018 with a possibility of relaunch in the near future.[6]
From 2008 to 2011, the chassis for the Formula Renault 3.5 Series is theDallara T08 and the engine a 3.5 litre V6 Nissan VQ35 unit producing 480 bhp with a rev limit of 8500 rpm. The gearbox is a 6 speed semi-automatic supplied by Ricardo with steering wheel paddle shift. Total weight of the car is 600 kg (dry).
Starting from 2012 season, the Formula Renault 3.5 Series adopted a new chassis, theDallara T12, powered by a 3.4 litre V8 engine producing 530 BHP at 9250 rpm developed byZytek. The cars have 50 more horsepower than previous season and lost 15 kg (33 pounds) of weight. In addition, aDrag Reduction System is used, which operates in a similar way to the one in use inFormula One.[7]
| Season | Series Name | Champion | Team Champion | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Open Fortuna by Nissan |  Marc Gené | Campos Motorsport | [8] |
| 1999 | Euro Open MoviStar by Nissan | Fernando Alonso | Campos Motorsport | [9] |
| 2000 | Open Telefónica by Nissan | Antonio García | Campos Motorsport | [10] |
| 2001 | Open Telefónica by Nissan |  Franck Montagny |  Vergani Racing | [11] |
| 2002 | Telefónica World Series | Ricardo Zonta | Racing Engineering | [12] |
| 2003 | Superfund World Series | Franck Montagny | Gabord Competición | [13] |
| 2004 | World Series by Nissan |  Heikki Kovalainen | Pons Racing | [14] |
NOTE – 1998–2001, mainly Spanish-based series (also known as Formula Nissan) with 2.0L engine.
NOTE – 2002–2004, international series with V6 engine.
| Season | Champion | Team Champion | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Santiago Porteiro | Meycom | [15] |
| 2003 |  Juan Cruz Álvarez | Meycom | [16] |
| 2004 |  Miloš Pavlović | Vergani Racing | [17] |
| Season | Champion | Team Champion | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Tom Dillmann |  Arden Motorsport | [29] |
| 2017 | Pietro Fittipaldi | Lotus | [30] |
Formula One drivers in the future and/or past
Champions in other categories
Other notable drivers
World Series by Renault races were broadcast live as part of a package of the combined open-wheel and touring car races on the pan-EuropeanEurosport subscription channel or its sister stations Eurosport2 and British Eurosport. Eurosport is also on-sold to several non-European networks, extending World Series by Renault's international reach as far as South East Asia and Oceania. The races are also carried live by Estonia channelKanal 12[31] and Spain channelAragon TV.[32] Abbreviated highlights packages were carried by several other television networks and stations, including the British channelsSky Sports andMotorsTV, the DutchRTL 7 channel,ESPN Star Sports in Asia,Speed in South America andEsporte Interativo in Brazil.
