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Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class ofopen-wheelformula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospectiveFormula One drivers.
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Formula Three (adopted by theFIA in 1950) evolved frompostwarauto racing, with lightweight tube-framechassis powered by 500 ccmotorcycle engines (notablyNortons andJAP speedway). The 500 cc formula originally evolved in 1946 from low-cost "special" racing organised by enthusiasts inBristol, England, just before theSecond World War; British motorsport after the war picked up slowly, partly due to petrol rationing which continued for a number of years and home-built 500 cc cars engines were intended to be accessible to the "impecunious enthusiast". The second post-war motor race in Britain was organised by theVSCC in July 1947 at RAF Gransden Lodge, 500cc cars being the only post-war class to run that day. Three of the seven entrants were non-starters, and, of the four runners, all but one retired on the first lap, leavingEric Brandon in hisCooper Prototype (T2) trailing round to a virtual walk-over at an average speed of 55.79 mph (89.79 km/h), though his best lap (which was the fastest recorded for any 500) was 65.38 mph (105.22 km/h).[citation needed]
Cooper came to dominate the formula with mass-produced cars, and the income this generated enabled the company to develop into the senior categories. Other notable marques includedKieft, JBS andEmeryson in England, and Effyh, Monopoletta and Scampolo in Europe. John Cooper, along with most other 500 builders, decided 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 handling characteristics which eventually led to the mid-engined revolution in single-seater racing.
The 500cc formula was the usual route into motor racing through the early and mid-1950s (and stars likeStirling Moss continued to enter selected F3 events even during their GP careers). Other notable 500 cc Formula 3 drivers includeStuart Lewis-Evans,Ivor Bueb,Jim Russell,Peter Collins,Don Parker,Ken Tyrrell, andBernie Ecclestone.
From a statistical point of view, Parker was the most successful F3 driver. Although coming to motor racing late in life (at age 41 in 1949), he won a total of 126 F3 races altogether, and was described byMotor Sport magazine (in his 1998 obituary) as "the most successful Formula 3 driver in history". AlthoughStirling Moss was already a star by 1953, Parker beat him more than any other driver, and was Formula 3 Champion in 1952, again in 1953, and in 1954 he only lost the title by a half-point. He took the title for a third time in 1959.
500cc Formula Three declined at an international level during the late 1950s, although it continued at a national level into the early 60s, being eclipsed byFormula Junior for 1000 or 1100 cc cars (on a sliding scale of weights).
A one-litre Formula Three category for four-cylinder carburetted cars, with heavily tuned production engines, was reintroduced in 1964 based on the Formula Junior rules and ran to 1970. These engines (a short-stroke unit based on theFord Anglia[1] with a special 2-valveCosworth orHolbayOHV down-draughthead, initially pioneered by Brian Hart, being by far the most efficient and popular) tended to rev very highly and were popularly known as "screamers"; F3 races tended to involve large packs ofslipstreaming cars. The "screamer" years were dominated byBrabham,Lotus andTecno, withMarch beginning in 1970. Early one-litre F3 chassis tended to descend fromFormula Junior designs but quickly evolved.
For 1971 new regulations allowing 1600 cc engines with a restricted air intake were introduced. The 1971–73 seasons were contested with these cars, asaerodynamics started to become important.
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 includedAlpine,Lola, March,Modus,GRD,Ralt, andEnsign.
By the start of the 1980s however, Formula Three had evolved well beyond its humble 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 briefly used in the early 1980s but were banned, in line with other FIA single-seater formulae;carbon fibre chassis started to be introduced from the mid-1980s.
Historically, March (up to 1981), Ralt (up to the early 1990s) andReynard (1985–1992) had been the main chassis manufacturers in two-litre F3, withMartini fairly strong in France; Reynard pioneered use ofcarbon fibre in the mid-1980s replacing traditionalaluminium orsteelmonocoque 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 couple 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; this chassis however, has been replaced in 2012 with the new F312 chassis, intended to be run until 2017. Most F3 championships, most notably theBritish series, offer 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 aremonocoquechassis, usingslick racingtyres andwings. Currently,Dallara manufactures the overwhelming majority of F3 cars, thoughMygale,Lola (formerly in partnership withDome of Japan),Arttech, and SLC also have a limited output. In many smaller or amateur F3 racing series older cars are frequently seen. Usually these series are divided into two or more classes, to allow more participation.
Engines in FIA Formula 3 are all 3.4-litre, 6-cylinder naturally aspiratedspec engines.[2]
Engines in other Formula 3 series must be built from a production modelblock (stock block), and often must be sealed by race or series organizers, so no privatetuning can be carried out.Honda engines (prepared byMugen) have perennially been popular, as have engines produced byVolkswagen,Alfa Romeo, orRenault. Currently the HWA-tunedMercedes and the Volkswagen engines dominate the British and European series, with Mugen,TOM'S–Toyota,Opel, andFiat being used by some teams.
Complete regulations:"fia.com"(PDF). (1213 kiB)
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Until the launch of theFIA Formula 3 Championship in 2019, there had never been a World Championship for Formula Three. In the 1970s and into the 1980s the European Formula Three Championship andBritish Formula 3 Championship (once one series had emerged from the competing 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 important Formula Three series, but interest in these was originally subsidiary to national formulae –Formula Renault in France andFormula Super Vee in Germany. These nations eventually drifted towards Formula Three. The Italian series tended to attract older drivers who moved straight across fromkarting whereas in other nations drivers typically graduated to F3 after a couple of years in minor categories. The European series died out in the mid-1980s and the national series became correspondingly more important. For 2003,French andGerman F3, both suffering from a lack of competitive entrants, merged to recreate theFormula 3 Euro Series.[3]
Brazil'sSudAm Formula Three Championship, which now has the most powerful engine of all Formula Three series, was known for producing excellent drivers who polished their skills in the British Formula 3 championship. Perhaps the most curious of all was the smallAll-Japan Formula Three Championship. Although few drivers spent a significant amount of time there, future stars such asRalf Schumacher andJacques Villeneuve scored victories there. An Asian series was established in 2001 and grew to produce past A1 drivers for Indonesia and Australia.
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 theFIA Formula 3 World Cup (previously known as FIA Formula 3 Intercontinental Cup) atMacau. The first Formula Three Grand Prix of Macau was held in 1983 and won byAyrton Senna.Michael Schumacher,David Coulthard,Ralf Schumacher, andTakuma 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 thePau Grand Prix (from 1999 to 2006), theMasters of Formula 3 (traditionally held atZandvoort), and theKorea Super Prix atChangwon. These events give fans in locations not visited by other major series a way to experience major international racing.
TheMonaco F3 Grand Prix held until 1997 was also a famous special race. It was restored in2005 only, as a part of the F3 Euro Series.
| Series name | Zone/country | Active years | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIA Formula 3 regulations | |||
| FIA Formula 3 Championship | International | 2019– | Replaced theGP3 Series and theFIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2019. |
| FIAFormula Regional regulations | |||
  Formula Regional Americas Championship | North America | 2018– | Was known as F3 Americas until 2019. |
 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine | Europe | 2019– | Replaced theFormula Regional European Championship and theFormula Renault Eurocup in 2021. |
 Formula Regional Japanese Championship | Japan | 2020– | K2 acquiredFormula Regional rights for 2020 afterJapanese Formula 3 Championship officials changed specifications away from Formula Regional, thereby abandoning nomenclature rights under FIA rules. |
  Formula Regional Middle East Championship | Asia | 2023– | Replaced theFormula Regional Asian Championship in 2023. |
  Formula Regional Oceania Championship | New Zealand | 2023– | The series switched to the Formula Regional chassis for 2020 and rebranded as Formula Regional championship from 2023 onwards. |
| Europe | 2023- | Eurocup-3 is a single-seater series bridging F4 and F3, often running alongside the Spanish Formula 4. Since 2024, it also features a short Winter Series as a season warm-up. |
| Former FIA F3 regulations | |||
 Monoposto Championship | United Kingdom | 1977– | Monoposto racing championship runs Formula 3 cars up to the 2011 year MY of the Dallara chassis. Featuring a BOP to ensure fair racing between the years. F3 A class cars have F3 engines, and F3 B have F4 engines. The series is open to many engine manufacturers. |
 Drexler-Automotive Formula 3 Cup | Austria | 1982, 1984–[4] | "Drexler-Automotive Formel 3 Pokal" for the main Cup and "Drexler-Automotive Formel 3 Trophy" for B division older chassis cars. |
| FIA Central European Zone Formula 3 | Europe | 1994–2005, 2016– | |
| Australian Formula Open Series | Australia | 1999–2019, 2021– | |
 F2000 Italian Formula Trophy | Italy | 2014– | Formerly known as F2 Italian Trophy. Mainly running older F3 chassis and engines. |
| Euroformula regulations - based on 2018 F3-chassis | |||
| Euroformula Open Championship | Europe | 2009– | Formerly the Spanish Formula Three Championship. The Spanish Formula Three title continues to exist as a sub-championship. |
| Super Formula Lights | Japan | 2020– | Formerly theJapanese Formula 3 Championship until 2019, when the series adoptedEuroformula Open Championship regulations in 2020, forcing a name change. |
| GB3 Championship regulations (Upgraded FIA Formula 4) | |||
| GB3 Championship | United Kingdom | 2016– | Although called British Formula 3 in the UK, this is to avoid confusion with Formula 4. The car is a Tatuus Formula 4 tub with superior aerodynamics to the F4 cars in other series. The engines are tuned 2 liter Ford Duratec engines without air restrictor. |
| Planned Series | |||
| Australia | 2026- | AU3 is an Australian Formula Regional series launched in 2025, bridging F4 and international F3. It uses Tatuus FT-60 cars and offers top drivers European test opportunities |
 Formula Regional Indian Championship | India | The Formula Regional Indian Championship was set to start in early 2022 but was postponed and eventually canceled. It remains a planned series with hopes for a future launch. | |
| Series name | Zone/country | Active years | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| German Formula Three Championship | Germany | 1950–1953 1971–2014 | The main Championship merged into theFormula 3 Euro Series in 2003. A lower-level Formula 3 Cup was run between 2003 and 2014. |
| British Formula Three Championship | United Kingdom | 1951–1961 1964–2014 | |
| Soviet Formula 3 Championship | Soviet Union | 1960–1987 | The championship was cancelled due to the financial problems of the Soviet Union and later replaced withRussian Formula Three Championship |
| Italian Formula Three Championship | Italy | 1958–1966 1968–2012[5] | |
| FIA European Formula 3 Championship | Europe | 1975–1984 | |
| Formula 3 Euro Series | Europe | 2003–2012 | Incorporated into theFIA Formula 3 European Championship from 2013 |
| FIA Formula 3 International Trophy | International | 2011 | Replaced by the revivedFIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2012 |
| FIA Formula 3 European Championship | Europe | 2012–2018 | Replaced theFIA Formula 3 International Trophy andFormula 3 Euro Series. In 2019, joined withGP3 Series, to createFIA Formula 3 Championship |
| Japanese Formula 3 Championship | Japan | 1979–2019 | With the rebranding of the series toSuper Formula Lights, theJapanese Formula 3 Championship officially ended after 41 years.[6] |
| Spanish Formula Three Championship | Spain | 2001–2008 | Replaced by European F3 Open Championship |
| Formula Three Sudamericana | South America | 1987–2013 | Replaced byFórmula 3 Brasil |
| Brazilian Formula Three Championship | Brazil | 1989–1995 2014–2017 | ReplacedFormula Three Sudamericana in 2014, renamed to Super Fórmula Brasil, but canceled in 2018. |
| French Formula Three Championship | France | 1964–1973 1978–2002 | Replaced byFormula 3 Euro Series |
| Belgian Formula Three Championship | Belgium | 1964–1967 | |
| Swedish Formula 3 Championship | Sweden | 1964–1994 1997–2000 | |
| Danish Formula 3 Championship | Denmark | 1949–1966 1976–1977 | |
| Norwegian Formula 3 Championship | Norway | 1999–2000 | |
| Scandinavian & Nordic Formula Three Championship | Scandinavia | 1984–1985 1992–2001 | |
| Finnish Formula Three Championship | Finland | 1958–1960 1984–1986 2000–2010 | Known as Nordic Formula Three Masters in 2010 |
| North European Zone Formula 3 Cup | Northern Europe | 2008–2009[7] | |
| Russian Formula Three Championship | Russia | 1997–2002 2008 | |
| Greece Formula 3 Championship | Greece | 1990–2002 | |
| Turkish Formula Three Championship | Turkey | 1994–2006[8] | |
| Swiss F3 Championship | Switzerland | 1978–2008, 2014–2021 | Run as Cup sub-division of theAustria Formula 3 Cup from 2014 to 2021 |
| East German Formula Three Championship | East Germany | 1950–1958 1964–1972 | |
| Asian Formula Three Championship | Asia | 2001–2008 | Known as the Asian F3 Pacific Series from 2007–2008. |
| United States Formula Three Championship | United States | 2000–2001 | |
| Mexican Formula Three Championship | Mexico | 1990–2002 | |
| Mexican Formula Three International Championship | Mexico | 1990–2003 | |
| MSV Formula 3 Cup | United Kingdom | 1986–2021 | Precusors of MSV Formula 3 Cup were Toyota F3 Championship, ARP F3 Championship, Club F3 andBRSCC F3.MotorSport Vision took over BRSCC F3 in 2011. MSV F3 Cup folded in 2020. It was run by theMonoposto Racing Club in 2021 before being integrated into their series. |
| Formula Lites | United States | 2015 | |
| Formula Renault Eurocup | Europe | 2019–2020 | The series utilized Formula 3 chassis for the first time and new 1.8-litre turbocharged engine in 2019. The 2020 season was the finalFormula Renault Eurocup season organised byRenault Sport, as starting from 2021 it merged with theFormula Regional European Championship.[9] |
| W Series | International | 2019, 2021–2022 | Formula Regional championship exclusively for women |
| Chilean Formula Three Championship | Chile | 1972–1974 1976–2012 2016–2019 | The Chilean championship did not follow the FIA's Formula 3 regulations. |
| Event | Track | Region | Country | Championship | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Events | |||||
| FIA Formula 3 World Cup | Guia Circuit | Macau |  Macau | standalone event | 1983–2019, 2023 |
| New Zealand Grand Prix | alternating | alternating | New Zealand | Formula Regional Oceania Championship | 2020–2021, 2023– |
| Grand Prix de Pau | Circuit de Pau-Ville | Pau |  France | Euroformula Open Championship | 1999–2006, 2011–2012, 2014–2019, 2022 |
| Masters of Formula 3 | Circuit Park Zandvoort | Zandvoort |  Netherlands | standalone event | 1991–2016 |
| Formula 3 Brazil Open | Autódromo José Carlos Pace | São Paulo |  Brazil | standalone event | 2010–2014 |
| Eastside 100 | EuroSpeedway Lausitz | Klettwitz |  Germany | German Formula Three Championship | 2005–2006 |
| Monaco Formula Three Grand Prix | Circuit de Monaco | Monte Carlo |  Monaco | 1950, 1959–1997, 2005 | |
| Korea Super Prix | Changwon Street Circuit | Changwon |  South Korea | standalone event | 1999–2004 |
| FIA European Formula Three Cup | alternating | alternating | Europe | standalone event | 1985–1990, 1999–2004 |
| Inter F3 League | Fuji Speedway | Oyama | Japan | standalone event | 1990–1993 |
| Australian Grand Prix F3 Support Race | Albert Park Circuit | Melbourne | Australia | standalone event | 2006–2007 |
| Indy 300 F3 Challenge | Surfers Paradise Street Circuit | Surfers Paradise | Australia | standalone event | 2008 |
| Wakefield Park Open Wheel Festival | Wakefield Park | Goulburn | Australia | standalone event | 2017 |
| New Race Festival | Circuit Zolder | Heusden-Zolder |  Belgium | standalone event | 1999–2000 |
| MRF Madras Formula 3 Grand Prix | Madras International Circuit | Chennai | India | standalone event | 1995, 1999 |
| Sardinia F3 Masters | Circuito di Cagliari | Cagliari | Italy | standalone event | 2003 |
| Lady Wigram Trophy | Ruapana Park | Christchurch | New Zealand | standalone event | 2003–2004 |
| Privilege Formula Festival International | Circuit Paul Armagnac | Nogaro | France | standalone event | 1992–1993 |
| Japanese Grand Prix F3 Support Race | Suzuka Circuit | Suzuka | Japan | standalone event | 1988–1993 |
| Cellnet Superprix | Brands Hatch | Kent | United Kingdom | standalone event | 1988 |
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