The 2012 Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series season is the 62nd
British Formula 3 International Series
The British Formula Three Championship was an international motor racing series that took place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It was a junior-level feeder formula that used small single seat ...
season. The series, promoted by the
Stéphane Ratel Organisation
SRO Motorsports Group (formerly the Stéphane Ratel Organisation) is an international sporting organisation best known for promoting and running a variety of racing events and series, including the Total 24 Hours of Spa, Intercontinental GT Challe ...
, began on 6 April at
Oulton Park
Oulton Park is a hard surfaced track used for motor racing, close to the village of Little Budworth, Cheshire, England. It is about from Winsford, from Chester city centre, from Northwich and from Warrington, with a nearby rail connection a ...
and ended on 30 September at
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, still owned b ...
after 29 races held at ten meetings.
The first two poles of the season were claimed at Oulton Park by second-year driver
Jack Harvey for the
Carlin team, and he won the opening race of the year ahead of teammates
Jazeman Jaafar
Jazeman Firhan bin Jaafar (born 13 November 1992) is a Malaysian racing driver.
Career
Karting
Jazeman started his career at a tender age of 6 in Shah Alam, Malaysia. A hobby which turned to a full time career, Jazeman has won a total Eleve ...
and
Carlos Sainz Jr.
Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro (; born 1 September 1994), otherwise known as Carlos Sainz Jr. or simply Carlos Sainz, is a Formula One drivers from Spain, Spanish racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. He is th ...
In the reverse-grid second race,
Fortec Motorsport
Fortec Motorsport Ltd. is a motor-racing team that races in the GB3 Championship. The team was bought in 1995 by current owner Richard Dutton.
Past drivers for the team include Juan Pablo Montoya, Gianmaria Bruni, Danny Watts, Jamie Green, ...
s'
Pipo Derani Pipo is a masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Pipo (actor) (1933-1998), Mexican actor
* Pipo Nguyen-duy (born 1962), Vietnamese photographer
* Pipo of Ozora (1369–1426), Italian soldier
* Pipo (footballer, born 1992) ...
scored his first win in the series, while teammate
Félix Serrallés
Félix Juan Serrallés IV (born June 24, 1992) is a Puerto Rican racing driver. After gathering two second-place finishes in the Caribbean Karting Championship, Serrallés joined the Skip Barber National Championship and finished third. Afterwa ...
won the third race of the weekend in his first Formula Three meeting. A week later at
Monza
Monza (, ; lmo, label=Lombard language, Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po River, Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capit ...
, Serralles and Sainz claimed their first poles in Formula Three. Rain before the start of the first race forced drivers to change from slick tyres, and in effect, the race started from the pit lane. Sainz, Jr. left pit lane first and won his first race in the championship. Derani and Jaafar, who had left the pits seventh and eighth respectively, joined Sainz, Jr. on the podium, while Serralles finished tenth. Serralles won the second race held in torrential rain, ahead of Harvey and teammate
Pietro Fantin
Pietro Fantin (born 28 November 1991 in Curitiba) is a Brazilian racing driver.
Career
Fantin began his racing career in karting, where he remained until 2009. In 2010 he began his formula racing career. For Hitech Racing Brazil he participat ...
, while Sainz, Jr. comfortably won the third race, almost seventeen seconds clear of Serralles, with Serralles' teammate
Alex Lynn
Alexander George Lynn (born 17 September 1993) is a British racing driver. He most recently competed in Formula E, driving for Mahindra Racing in the 2021 season, winning the second race of his home ePrix in London. Lynn has also competed full- ...
taking his first podium in third place.
Regulation changes
In a change to the
2011 season, all races award championship points on the same points system.
Previously, the second race had awarded points on a reduced scale – 10 points for the winner and decreasing by one point down to tenth place – compared to races one and three.
Drivers and teams
* For the
Norisring
The Norisring is a street circuit in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as a motorcycle racing venue in 1947 and named in a 1950 competition to win a light motorcycle, the track became known as a sports car racing venue in the ...
event, drivers used different numbers in line with
Formula 3 Euro Series
The Formula 3 Euro Series was a European-based junior single seater formula for Formula Three chassis that was launched (in its current form) in 2003 as a merger of the French Formula Three Championship and German Formula Three Championship. The ...
regulations; each driver's Norisring race number is displayed in tooltips.
Driver changes
; Changed Teams
*
Pipo Derani Pipo is a masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Pipo (actor) (1933-1998), Mexican actor
* Pipo Nguyen-duy (born 1962), Vietnamese photographer
* Pipo of Ozora (1369–1426), Italian soldier
* Pipo (footballer, born 1992) ...
, who finished in fifteenth place in
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, moved from
Double R Racing
Double R Racing is a motor racing team, which races in Formula Three and other junior levels of formula racing including the MSA Formula Championship for the 2016 season. The team was formed in November 2004 as Räikkönen Robertson Racing by th ...
to
Fortec Motorsport
Fortec Motorsport Ltd. is a motor-racing team that races in the GB3 Championship. The team was bought in 1995 by current owner Richard Dutton.
Past drivers for the team include Juan Pablo Montoya, Gianmaria Bruni, Danny Watts, Jamie Green, ...
s.
*
Pietro Fantin
Pietro Fantin (born 28 November 1991 in Curitiba) is a Brazilian racing driver.
Career
Fantin began his racing career in karting, where he remained until 2009. In 2010 he began his formula racing career. For Hitech Racing Brazil he participat ...
switched from
Hitech Racing
Hitech Grand Prix (formerly known as Hitech Racing) is a British motor racing team. It was founded in 2002 by Dennis Rushen and David Hayle. The team started racing in the British Formula 3 Championship in 2003. The team also competed in the So ...
to
Carlin.
* After a season with Fortec Motorsports, Fahmi Ilyas joined
Double R Racing
Double R Racing is a motor racing team, which races in Formula Three and other junior levels of formula racing including the MSA Formula Championship for the 2016 season. The team was formed in November 2004 as Räikkönen Robertson Racing by th ...
.
*
Harry Tincknell
Harry Tincknell (born 29 October 1991 in Exeter, Devon) is a British professional racing driver currently racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Mazda Team Joest. He won the LMP2 class on his Le Mans 24 Hour race debut i ...
changed teams for his second season in British F3 moving from Fortec Motorsports to Carlin.
; Entering/Re-Entering British Formula Three
*
British Formula Ford
The British Formula Ford Championship was an entry level single seater motor racing category, designed to give racing drivers their first step into car racing after karting. Drivers from around the world were attracted to the United Kingdom to ...
racers
Spike Goddard
Richard "Spike" Goddard (born 17 August 1992) is an Australian racing driver.
Career
Karting
Goddard began his racing career in karting at the age of fourteen and raced in his native Australia.
Formula Ford
In 2009, he graduated to single– ...
and
Nick McBride moved into the championship with T-Sport. Fellow Formula Ford compatriot
Geoff Uhrhane joined Double R Racing.
*
Formula Renault UK
British Formula Renault Championship referred to one of two Formula Renault championships that were held in the United Kingdom. The main series was Renault Sport UK's Formula Renault 2.0 UK championship which was held from 1989 to 2011 and was g ...
champion
Alex Lynn
Alexander George Lynn (born 17 September 1993) is a British racing driver. He most recently competed in Formula E, driving for Mahindra Racing in the 2021 season, winning the second race of his home ePrix in London. Lynn has also competed full- ...
continued his collaboration with Fortec Motorsports for another season, moving into Formula Three.
Félix Serrallés
Félix Juan Serrallés IV (born June 24, 1992) is a Puerto Rican racing driver. After gathering two second-place finishes in the Caribbean Karting Championship, Serrallés joined the Skip Barber National Championship and finished third. Afterwa ...
also continued his collaboration with Fortec Motorsports, moving from the
Formula Renault Eurocup
Formula Renault Eurocup was a Formula Renault motor racing championship. Eurocup raced only on European circuits.
It served as a support series to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series as part of the World Series by Renault from 2005 to 2015. Renault Sp ...
.
*
JK Racing Asia Series
JK Racing Asia Series, formerly known as both Formula BMW Asia and Formula BMW Pacific, was a single-seater racing series based in Asia. Formula BMW Asia was created in 2003 as a replacement for Asian Formula 2000 and was under the management of ...
driver
Duvashen Padayachee graduated into the championship with Double R Racing.
*
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC champion and Eurocup runner-up
Carlos Sainz Jr.
Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro (; born 1 September 1994), otherwise known as Carlos Sainz Jr. or simply Carlos Sainz, is a Formula One drivers from Spain, Spanish racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. He is th ...
made his debut with Carlin.
* After finishing fifth in
German Formula Three
The German Formula Three Championship was the national Formula Three championship of Germany, and the former West Germany, from 1950 to 2002, then as Formel 3 until 2014. In 2003, the series had merged with the French Formula Three Championship to ...
, Dutch driver
Hannes van Asseldonk
Hannes van Asseldonk (born 10 January 1992) is a Dutch racing driver, currently driving in the British Formula 3 Championship for Fortec Motorsports.
Career
Karting and junior formulae
Born in Boekel, Netherlands as the only son of five childr ...
moved full-time to the British series with Fortec Motorsports. Van Asseldonk previously contested one round in
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, as an invitational driver.
; Leaving British Formula Three
* Donington winner
Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Viktor Bottas (; born 28 August 1989) is a Finnish racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Alfa Romeo, having previously driven for Mercedes from to and Williams from to . Bottas has scored race wins and podiums. H ...
left the series to concentrate on his
Williams F1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, currently racing in Formula One as Williams Racing, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded by former team owner Frank Williams and automotive engineer Patrick Head ...
reserve driver duties.
*
António Félix da Costa
António Maria de Mello Breyner Félix da Costa (born 31 August 1991) is a Portuguese professional racing driver for the Porsche Formula E Team and the 2019–20 Formula E Drivers' Champion.
He won the Macau Grand Prix invitational Formula Thre ...
joined Carlin in the
GP3 Series
The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and the ...
.
*
Mitch Evans
Mitchell William Evans (born 24 June 1994) is a New Zealand professional racing driver. He currently drives for the Jaguar TCS Racing team in Formula E. In 2012, he won the GP3 Series and he raced in the GP2 Series for four years, achieving ...
, who participated in the final round with Double R Racing, remained in the GP3 Series with
MW Arden.
* 2011 runner-up
Kevin Magnussen
Kevin Jan Magnussen (born 5 October 1992) is a Danish racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Haas F1 Team.
He is the son of four-time Le Mans winner and former Formula One driver Jan Magnussen. Kevin Magnussen came up through McLa ...
remained with Carlin, but moved into the
Formula Renault 3.5 Series
The World Series Formula V8 3.5, formerly the World Series by Nissan from 1998 to 2004, the Formula Renault 3.5 Series from 2005 to 2015 and the Formula V8 3.5 in 2016 and 2017, was a motor racing series promoted by RPM Racing (1998–2004) and R ...
. Third-placed
Carlos Huertas
Carlos Huertas (born 22 June 1991) is a Colombian racing driver.
Racing career
Born in Bogotá, Huertas began his career in Formula BMW UK in 2007 with Räikkönen Robertson Racing where he finished 13th. He finished fifth in the World Final r ...
, seventh-placed
Lucas Foresti
Lucas Constantino Bethonico Foresti (born 12 May 1992) is a Brazilian racing driver who currently competes in Stock Car Brasil for KTF Sports.
Career Karting
After a previous career in junior motocross, Foresti made his karting debut at Brasíl ...
and 26th-placed
Yann Cunha also moved into the series for
Fortec Motorsport
Fortec Motorsport Ltd. is a motor-racing team that races in the GB3 Championship. The team was bought in 1995 by current owner Richard Dutton.
Past drivers for the team include Juan Pablo Montoya, Gianmaria Bruni, Danny Watts, Jamie Green, ...
s,
DAMS
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...
and
Pons Racing
Pons Racing is a motorcycle and auto racing team owned by the British company Pons Racing UK Limited. The team principal is former 250 cc world champion, Sito Pons. In motorcycle road racing world championships, Pons has fielded riders suc ...
respectively.
* 2011 champion
Felipe Nasr
Luiz Felipe de Oliveira Nasr (born 21 August 1992) is a Brazilian racing driver. He is the 2018 IMSA Sportscar champion and won the 2019 12 Hours of Sebring.
After a year as the official test driver for Williams in 2014, he joined Sauber a ...
switched to DAMS for his
GP2 Series
The GP2 Series was a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The GP2 format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Eccle ...
debut.
*
Scott Pye
Scott Robert Pye (born 8 January 1990) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently competes in the Repco Supercars Championship, and drives the No. 20 Holden ZB Commodore for Team 18.
Racing career Early days
Pye started out in ...
returned to his native Australia to compete in the
Dunlop V8 Supercar Series
The Dunlop Super2 Series (formerly known as Dunlop Series, Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series, HPDC V8 Supercars Series, Konica Minolta V8 Supercars Series and Konica V8 Supercars/Lites Series) is an Australian touring car racing competition, specifical ...
, having finished in tenth place for Double R Racing.
*
Alexander Sims, who won at Silverstone, switched to endurance racing as he joined
Status Grand Prix to compete in the
European Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...
.
*
Max Snegirev
Maksim "Max" Sergeyevich Snegirev ( rus, Макси́м Серге́евич Снегирёв, p=mɐkˈsʲim sʲɪrˈɡʲejɪvʲɪtɕ sʲnʲɪɡʲɪˈrʲɵf; born 12 June 1987) is a Russian racing driver. He currently resides in London.
Career
...
moved into the
Auto GP World Series, with the
Campos Racing
Campos Racing is a Spanish motor racing team, founded by former Formula One driver Adrián Campos. The team has been successful in Formula Three and the GP2 Series.
History
After retiring from racing, Campos formed his own team at the end of 19 ...
team.
Race calendar and results
On 12 October 2011, it was revealed that the series was due to have three overseas rounds, at the
Nürburgring
The is a 150,000 person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Formula One, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long "North loop" track, built in the 1920s, around t ...
,
Spa-Francorchamps
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), frequently referred to as ''Spa'', is a motor-racing circuit located in Stavelot, Belgium. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, hosting its first Grand Prix in 1925, and has he ...
– both on the calendar in 2011 – and
Pau.
Pau returns to the series' schedule for the first time since
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
.
A provisional ten-round calendar was later announced on 7 November 2011,
with the Nürburgring round removed, and rounds at
Le Castellet and
Monza
Monza (, ; lmo, label=Lombard language, Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po River, Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capit ...
, both of which held meetings in
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, being restored to the calendar to make up four overseas rounds along with Spa-Francorchamps and Pau. All rounds were made up of three races except Pau, where only two races were held.
On 21 April, it was announced that the series would add the
Formula 3 Euro Series
The Formula 3 Euro Series was a European-based junior single seater formula for Formula Three chassis that was launched (in its current form) in 2003 as a merger of the French Formula Three Championship and German Formula Three Championship. The ...
round at the
Norisring
The Norisring is a street circuit in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as a motorcycle racing venue in 1947 and named in a 1950 competition to win a light motorcycle, the track became known as a sports car racing venue in the ...
in place of the round at Paul Ricard; the event would be held under Euro Series regulations.
The rounds at Pau, Spa and the Norisring would be part of the revived
FIA European Formula 3 Championship. The championship supported the
British GT Championship
The British GT Championship is a sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom. The series was originally created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and, for its first two seasons, was known as the National Sports GT ...
at six rounds, two
Blancpain Endurance Series
The GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, formerly for sponsorship reasons the Blancpain Endurance Series from 2011 to 2015 and Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup from 2016 to 2019, is a sports car racing series developed by SRO Motorsports Gr ...
events at Monza and Spa along with the
Pau Grand Prix
The Pau Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Pau) is a motor race held in Pau, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of southwestern France. The French Grand Prix was held at Pau in 1930, leading to the annual Pau Grand Prix being inaugurat ...
event and Formula 3 Euro Series event at Norisring.
;Notes
Championship standings
References
External links
The official website of the British Formula 3 Championship
{{British F3 Seasons
British Formula Three Championship seasons
Formula Three season
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
British Formula 3 Championship
The British Formula Three Championship was an international motor racing series that took place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It was a junior-level feeder formula that used small single seat ...