Petrobras Junior Team was a team in the FIA Formula 3000 Championship, run by the

Petrobras Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., better known by the portmanteau Petrobras (), is a state owned enterprise, state-owned Brazilian multinational corporation in the petroleum industry headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The company's name transla ...

as part of their Brazilian drivers development programme. Named after Williams Formula One team then sponsor, Petrobras, the team was active for the three seasons between 1999 and 2002, earning numerous wins as well as the 2000 drivers title with Bruno Junqueira.

History

The project was originally conceived as a means of supporting young Brazilian drivers and taking them through the ranks of the world's formulaic motorsport to

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

. During the first years of the project there was a search for the best young Brazilian pilots in the South American championships. In the late 1990s, the oilmen entered into a sponsorship agreement with the Williams team, placing their protégé

Bruno Junqueira Bruno Junqueira (born November 4, 1976) is a Brazilian race car driver who most recently competed in the IRL IndyCar Series. He is a former Formula 3000 champion and three-time runner-up in the Champ Car World Series. Racing career Early c ...

in the place of the test pilot. At the same time, a technical support agreement was signed with

Super Nova Racing Super Nova Racing was a British racing team that has competed in Formula 3000/ GP2 and the A1 Grand Prix series. Super Nova first entered racing in 1991. Super Nova was a new incarnation of the pre-existing David Sears Motorsport, sponsored by ...

and an own team was created in the

International Formula 3000 The Formula 3000 International Championship was a motor racing series created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) in 1985 to become the final preparatory step for drivers hoping to enter Formula One. Formula Two had become t ...

. The project in F3000 lasted until the end of 2002. Peak results were obtained in 2000, when the same Bruno Junqueira, in the fight against the main pilot of Super Nova Racing

Nicolas Minassian Nicolas Minassian (born 28 February 1973) is a French professional racing driver of Armenian descent. After finishing 2nd place in the 1993 Formula Renault Eurocup, Marseille-born Minassian graduated to the French Formula Three Championship whe ...

, won the championship title. The collaboration with Williams ended on the same date. On the eve of the 2000 season, the British could put Junqueira behind the wheel of a combat pilot, but, in the end, they preferred their compatriot

Jenson Button Jenson Alexander Lyons Button (born 19 January 1980) is a British racing driver. He won the 2009 Formula One World Championship when he drove for the Brawn GP team. After his F1 career, he became champion of the 2018 season of the Super GT ...

to him. The second real attempt to put Jungueira behind the wheel of a competitive car could not be organized and in 2001 the Brazilian left for North America in the local CART Series.

Antônio Pizzonia Antônio Reginaldo Pizzonia Júnior (born 11 September 1980) is a Brazilian professional racing driver who has raced in Formula One and the Champ Car World Series. Born in Manaus, he started his car racing career in the Formula Vauxhall Junior s ...

became the second Brazilian racer who, with the support of oil workers, got into Formula One. In 2002-2005, he served as a test pilot in the same Williams team and in 2004-2005 he spent several races for the team, replacing injured main pilots. In 2003 he ran several races for

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

team but was expelled at the end of the season for poor results.

Complete Formula 3000 results

References

External links

Motorsportstats.com
{{Williams Auto racing teams in Brazil International Formula 3000 teams Auto racing teams established in 1999 Auto racing teams disestablished in 2002