The 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 Series was the eighth season of the

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

–supported single–seater

category Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally * Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) * Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) ...

. It was the first season for the new

Dallara Dallara is an Italian race car manufacturer, founded by its current President, Gian Paolo Dallara. After working for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso, in 1972 in his native village of Varano de' Melegari ( Parma), Italy he create ...

T12 chassis, which featured a new,

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and u ...

supplied by

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, ...

firm

Zytek Motorsport Gibson Technology is an automotive and motorsport company based at Repton, Derbyshire, England. It was founded by Bill Gibson as "Zytek Engineering" in 1981. In 1981 Gibson founded the "Zytech Group" with two main divisions: Zytek Automotive, ...

. The car also featured a new

gearbox Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), diff ...

developed by

Ricardo Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the name Richard. It derived from Proto-Germanic ''*rīks'' 'king, ruler' + ''*harduz'' 'hard, brave'. It may be a given name, or a surname. People Given name *Ricardo de Araújo Pereira, Portugu ...

and a

Drag Reduction System In motor racing, the drag reduction system (DRS) is a form of driver-adjustable bodywork aimed at reducing aerodynamic drag in order to increase top speed and promote overtaking. It is an adjustable rear wing of the car, which moves in respons ...

similar to the one first used in the

2011 Formula One season The 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 65th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. The original calendar for the 2011 Formula One World Championship consisted of twenty rounds, including the inaugural running of the Indian G ...

. The series' organising committee has also announced that the series' sporting regulations were set to remain unchanged. Robin Frijns won the championship in his first season of competition, becoming the first driver (since

Robert Kubica Robert Józef Kubica (; born 7 December 1984) is a Polish racing and rally driver. He was the first and, , the only Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test d ...

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...

) to win the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in his debut year.

Tech 1 Racing Tech 1 Racing is a racing team based in Toulouse, France. They currently compete in the World Series by Renault and Eurocup Mégane Trophy. Tech 1 also operate the Panis Racing LMP2 entry to the European Le Mans Series and the Ultimate LMP2 Pro ...

won the teams' championship for the fourth time.

Teams and drivers

On 10 October 2011, it was announced that 18 teams had applied to compete in the 2012 season. Twelve of the thirteen teams that competed 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 celebrates ...

submitted entries, while

Mofaz Racing Mofaz Racing are an auto racing team from Malaysia, currently competing in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. Background The Mofaz Group is a Malaysian conglomerate, established in 1977, which operates in a wide range of business sectors, includin ...

withdrew after failing to acquire the requisite funds to continue in the series. Several new teams, including

Arden International Arden International is a multiple formula racing team created and run by Christian Horner and Garry Horner. It currently runs teams in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and F4 British Championship, and formerly ran in the FIA Formula 2 Championship ...

, Atech Reid GP,

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 ...

Koiranen Motorsport Koiranen Kemppi Motorsport, formerly also known as Koiranen bros. Motorsport and Koiranen GP, is a Finnish auto racing team based in Lahti, Finland. The team currently fields a one car entry in the LMP3 class of Asian Le Mans Series and Prototyp ...

, Max Travin Racing Team – however prior the start of the season, Max Travin Racing Team joined forces with BVM Target as part of a three-year partnership – and Van Amersfoort Racing all submitted entries to join the series. The final list of thirteen teams was published on 17 October 2011, with

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 Eccles ...

teams Arden International and DAMS selected to join, while

EPIC Racing EPIC Racing (Euskadi Phil Imanol Claudio Racing) was a racing team from Spain. The team's headquarters were located in Vitoria ( Alava). It was the second major motorsport team from the Basque Country, (Euskadi). Epsilon Euskadi was the big ...

and Koiranen Motorsport were placed on a reserve list.

Driver changes

;Changed teams *

Arthur Pic Arthur Pic (born October 5, 1991) is a French retired racing driver. He competed in the GP2 Series between 2014 and 2016. Career Karting Like most top-line drivers, Pic began his racing career in karting, contesting the 2005 French Junior Champ ...

switched from

to newcomers

for the 2012 campaign. *

Jake Rosenzweig Jake Rosenzweig (born April 14, 1989 in London) is an English-born American racing driver. Career Karting Much of Rosenzweig's early karting career was contested in the United Kingdom, with him competing in Super 1 karting championships. In 200 ...

moved from

to join ISR for the 2012 season. *

Alexander Rossi Alexander Michael Rossi (born September 25, 1991) is an American professional racing driver and podcast host. He currently competes full-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren SP. Rossi is best known for winning ...

, who finished third in the 2011 season 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, moved to the new team Arden

Caterham Caterham () is a town in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. The town is administratively divided into two: Caterham on the Hill, and Caterham Valley, which includes the main town centre in the middle of a dry valley but rises to equal ...

for the 2012 campaign. ;Entering/Re–Entering FR3.5 *

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

champion

Mikhail Aleshin Mikhail Petrovich Aleshin ( rus, Михаи́л Петро́вич Алёшин, p=mʲɪxɐˈil pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ɐˈlʲɵʂɨn, born 22 May 1987 in Moscow, Soviet Union) is a Russian professional racing driver and the 2010 champion of the F ...

, who competed in the

and German Formula Three in 2011, returned to the series full-time with

Team RFR Team RFR that was previously known as KMP Racing are an auto racing Russian team who made their début in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 Series season, 2010. The team is based at Circuit Paul Armagnac, Nogaro, France. ...

, after a one-off appearance at the

Hungaroring The Hungaroring is a motorsport racetrack in Mogyoród, Pest County, Hungary where the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix is held. In 1986, it became the location of the first Formula One Grand Prix behind the Iron Curtain. Bernie Ecclestone w ...

, replacing

Anton Nebylitskiy Anton Nikitovich Nebylitskiy ( rus, Анто́н Ники́тович Небыли́цкий, p=ɐnˈton nʲɪˈkʲitəvʲɪtɕ nʲɛbɨˈlʲitskʲɪj; born 11 October 1989, in Moscow) is a professional racing driver from Russia. Career Formula ...

. Nebylitskiy partners Aleshin at Team RFR in 2012. *

Zoël Amberg Zoël Amberg (born 25 September 1992 in Stans) is a professional racing driver from Switzerland. Career Karting Amberg began karting in 2004 and raced primarily in his native Switzerland for the majority of his career, working his way up from t ...

, who competed in the

2011 GP3 Series season The 2011 GP3 Series season was the second season of the GP3 Series, a feeder series for the GP2 Series. 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 race ...

with ATECH CRS GP, moved to Formula Renault 3.5, joining

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 su ...

. *

Jules Bianchi Jules Lucien André Bianchi (; 3 August 1989 – 17 July 2015) was a French motor racing driver who drove for the Marussia F1 Team in the FIA Formula One World Championship. Bianchi had previously raced in Formula Renault 3.5, GP2 and Form ...

, who finished third in the GP2 Series in both

and 2011, joined Tech 1 Racing. He also competed in the

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

round of the series in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

for

SG Formula SG Formula is a French auto racing team which participated in the junior categories of open wheel racing: Formula Renault and Formula Three. The team was founded in 2004 by Frenchman Stephane Guerin. History After its foundation in 2004, SG Form ...

. *

Sam Bird Sam Jamie Bird (born 9 January 1987) is a British people, British professional racing driver who currently drives for Jaguar Racing, Jaguar TCS Racing in the Formula E, FIA Formula E World Championship. Career Formula BMW Bird made his name ...

, who was sixth in GP2 in 2011, also joined the series with ISR. *

Yann Cunha Yann Cunha (born 22 January 1991) is a Brazilian racing driver. Career Karting Yann Cunha began his career kart racing. In November 2010 Yann, teamed up with pilots Luiz Cordeiro and Lu Boesel, won the famous 500 miles kart race in Granja Viana ...

, who participated in both

British Formula 3 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 ...

and the European F3 Open championships in 2011, joined Amberg at Pons Racing. *

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 Brasíli ...

, who graduated from the British Formula 3 Championship, joined Arthur Pic at DAMS. * Colombian driver

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 ...

, who placed third in the British Formula 3 championship and fifth in the

Macau Grand Prix The Macau Grand Prix ( pt, Grande Prémio de Macau; ) is a motorsport road race for automobiles and motorcycles held annually in Macau. It is the only street circuit racing event in which both cars and motorcycles participate, and one of onl ...

, will move into the series, driving for

Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 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 ...

champion Robin Frijns became his teammate. * British Formula 3 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 M ...

continued his collaboration with

Carlin Motorsport Carlin, formerly Carlin Motorsport, is a motor racing team based in the United Kingdom. It currently competes in five championships: FIA Formula 2 Championship, FIA Formula 3 Championship, F4 British Championship, BRDC British Formula 3 and ...

for another season, joining the team's Formula Renault 3.5 outfit. He was joined in the team by

Will Stevens William Stevens (born 28 June 1991) is a British racing driver, who formerly competed in Formula One, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, Toyota Racing Series and the British Formula Renault Championships. In Formula One, he made his debut at the 20 ...

, who placed fourth in the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2011. *

Nikolay Martsenko Nikolay Yuryevich Martsenko (russian: Никола́й Ю́рьевич Ма́рценко, , born 25 May 1993) is a racing car driver from Russia. Career Early career Born in Krasnoyarsk, Martsenko started his racing career at the age of elev ...

, who finished twelfth in German Formula Three in 2011, moved into the series with BVM Target. * Lotus signed German Formula Three champion

Richie Stanaway Richie Stanaway (born 24 November 1991) is a racing car driver from New Zealand. Career New Zealand Born in Tauranga, Stanaway was originally from a motocross background, before making the switch to speedway at the age of twelve. Following tha ...

and runner-up

Marco Sørensen Marco L. Sørensen (born 6 September 1990) is a Danish racing driver currently racing for Aston Martin Racing as a factory driver in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He was part of the Renault Driver Development. He has competed in such ser ...

to drive their cars in 2012. *

Auto GP Auto GP, sometimes referred to as the Auto GP World Series and formerly known as both Euro Formula 3000 and the Euroseries 3000, was a European formula racing series. The series' roots can be traced back to 1999 and the Italian Formula 3000 seri ...

race-winner

Giovanni Venturini Giovanni Venturini (born 9 November 1991 in Vicenza) is a professional racing driver from Italy. Career Formula 2000 Light Venturini began his Formula racing career in November 2008, racing in the Formula 2000 Light Italy Winter Trophy, where ...

joined Martsenko at BVM Target. * GP3 Series race-winner

Lewis Williamson Lewis Williamson (born 11 November 1989) is a British racing driver. Career Karting Born in Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Ki ...

moved into the series full-time, after replacing Daniel Ricciardo at ISR for two meetings in 2011. He joined Formula Renault 3.5 debutants Arden Caterham. Fellow GP3 race-winner

Nico Müller Nico Müller (born 25 February 1992 in Thun) is a Swiss professional racing driver. He is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Peugeot Sport. Career Karting Müller began his karting career in 2004 and the following ...

joined the series with International Draco Racing. * GP3 racer

Nick Yelloly Nicholas Jon Yelloly (born 3 December 1990 in Stafford, England) is a British professional racing driver, and BMW Motorsport works driver. He is also currently a test and simulator driver for the Aston Martin F1 team. Early career Karting Yel ...

, who competed in three meetings for

in 2011, moved into the series full-time with

Comtec Racing Comtec Racing is a motor racing team based in the United Kingdom. It competes in three championships — Formula Renault, World Series by Renault and the Auto GP World Series. History The team started out in Formula Ford from the ashes ...

. He will be joined by fellow GP3 driver

Vittorio Ghirelli Vittorio Ghirelli (born 9 May 1994 in Fasano) is an Italian racing driver that currently competes in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series for PK Carsport in the Elite 2 division and the smart EQ fortwo e-cup, where he is currently the series' defendi ...

. ;Leaving FR3.5 *

Nathanaël Berthon Nathanaël Berthon (born 1 July 1989 in Romagnat) is a professional racing driver from France. Career Karting Berthon began his international karting career in 2006, with the highlights being a third-place finish in the Copa Campeones Trophy I ...

, who raced for ISR in 2011, stepped up to GP2 with

Racing Engineering Racing Engineering is a Spanish racing team founded in 1999 by Alfonso de Orléans-Borbón that currently competes in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. The team's headquarters are located in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, near Jerez, where all car prep ...

, having previously contested the

2011 GP2 Asia Series season The 2011 GP2 Asia Series was the fourth and final season of the GP2 Asia Series, and the second to be held entirely in a single calendar year. Season summary Rather than starting at the end of 2010 and running through the winter as with the p ...

and GP2 Final with the team. *

Albert Costa Albert Costa i Casals (; born 25 June 1975) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He is best remembered for winning the Men's Singles title at the French Open in 2002. Tennis career Costa began playing tennis at the age of five. H ...

, who finished fourth in 2011 with

, will move to the

Eurocup Mégane Trophy The Renault Eurocup Mégane Trophy was a one-make racing series created and managed by Renault Sport. The series has raced with the Renault Mégane Renault Sport since 2005 as part of the World Series by Renault. The Renault Eurocup has run w ...

with defending champions Oregon Team. *

Daniël de Jong Daniël de Jong (born 9 July 1992) is a professional racing driver from the Netherlands. Career Formula Renault 2.0 After a lengthy karting career in his native Holland and a brief stint in the Dutch Winter Endurance Series, de Jong made his s ...

, who finished 29th for Comtec Racing, joined the

Auto GP World Series Auto GP, sometimes referred to as the Auto GP World Series and formerly known as both Euro Formula 3000 and the Euroseries 3000, was a European formula racing series. The series' roots can be traced back to 1999 and the Italian Formula 3000 serie ...

full-time with Manor MP Motorsport, having contested three meetings for the team during the 2011 season. * Daniel McKenzie, who raced for Comtec Racing in 2011, will move to

Formula Two Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009– 2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name ...

for

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

. * Sten Pentus, who finished 24th in 2011 with

, will move to the

with the Virtuosi UK team. * After finishing in fifth place in the series, alongside a half season in

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, ...

, Daniel Ricciardo switched to Formula One full-time, joining

Scuderia Toro Rosso Scuderia Toro Rosso (; literal translation of "Red Bull Racing Team"), commonly known as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, was an Italian Formula One racing team. It was one of two Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage company Re ...

. *

Stéphane Richelmi Stéphane Richelmi (born 17 March 1990 in Monte Carlo) is a professional racing driver from Monaco. He is the son of former World Rally Championship driver Jean-Pierre Richelmi. Career Formula Renault 1.6 & 2.0 Richelmi began his Formula racing ...

, who finished 26th in the 2011 season for Draco Racing, will graduate to the GP2 Series with

Trident Racing Trident Racing is a motor racing team that competes in single-seater formula racing. It was founded in 2006 in order to compete in the GP2 championship, which was Europe's second highest-ranking single-seater formula below Formula One. Trident is ...

. *

Filip Salaquarda Filip Salaquarda (born January 11, 1984 in Prague) is a professional racing driver from the Czech Republic. Career Early career After an early career in karting, Salaquarda began his racing career in 2000 in his native Czech Republic, competin ...

, who entered at Monza with

in 2011, will switch to the FIA GT1 World Championship, joining

AF Corse AF Corse is an Italian auto racing team founded by former racing driver Amato Ferrari in 1995 in Piacenza. Strongly linked to the Maserati and Ferrari brands, AF Corse currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship, GT World Chall ...

. * Adrien Tambay, who competed for

and

Draco Racing International Draco Racing was a motorsport team. It was most well known for operating in the World Series by Renault, but had also taken part in Formula Opel Lotus, International Formula 3000 and Euro Formula 3000. Career Formula Opel Lotus E ...

in 2011, will join the DTM, driving for Abt Sportsline. *

driver

Chris van der Drift Christopher Jason van der Drift (born 8 March 1986) is a New Zealand racing driver of Dutch descent. Career Van der Drift started karting at the age of 7 and in 1994 he raced his first year in cadets. From there he went on to win 6 New Zealand ...

left the championship to compete in the Auto GP World Series. * 2011 series runner-up

Jean-Éric Vergne Jean-Éric Vergne (born 25 April 1990), also known as JEV, is a French racing driver who competes in the FIA Formula E Championship with Dragon Racing. He became the 2017–18 ABB Formula E Champion, after clinching fifth in the New York ePrix ...

moved into

with Scuderia Toro Rosso. *

Oliver Webb Oliver "Oli" James Webb (born 20 March 1991 in Manchester) is a British auto racing driver. He is a 2004 Karting Champion, 2007 Formula BMW Scholarship winner, 2010 Formula 3 competitor, 2014 European Le Mans series Champion, 2015 Dubai 24 Hour ...

, who drove for Pons Racing in 2011, will move to the

Indy Lights Indy NXT, previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as Firestone Indy NXT Series for sponsorship reasons. Indy Lights is the highest step on the Road to Indy, a progra ...

series full-time with

Sam Schmidt Motorsports The IndyCar Series operation of McLaren (competing as Arrow McLaren due to sponsorship) is based in Indianapolis and was founded by former IndyCar driver Sam Schmidt in 2001 as Sam Schmidt Motorsports. After a series of partnerships and name ch ...

, having contested four races with

Jensen MotorSport Jensen MotorSport is an auto racing team that competes in the Firestone Indy Lights series. It formerly competed in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship, the Formula BMW Americas Championship, and fielded a car for one Champ Car World Series race. ...

. * 2011 champion

Robert Wickens Robert Tyler Wickens (born March 13, 1989) is a Canadian racing driver from Guelph, Ontario, driving in the Michelin Pilot Challenge for Bryan Herta Autosport. In 2009 he finished in second place in the FIA Formula Two Championship, and in 2010 ...

switched to the DTM, joining the junior Mercedes scheme, earning a place at

Mücke Motorsport Mücke Motorsport is an auto racing team based in Germany, which is also known as ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg. History Single-seaters Mücke Motorsport was formed by Peter Mücke in 1998 to run his son Stefan Mücke in the German Formula BMW ADAC ...

. * BVM Target driver

Daniel Zampieri Daniel Zampieri (born 22 May 1990, in Rome) is an Italian racing driver. Career Formula Renault After a two-year international karting career, Zampieri moved up to Formula Renault with BVM Racing in 2006. Making his debut in Italian Formula Rena ...

switched to sportscar racing, joining the

International GT Open The International GT Open is a grand tourer-style sports car racing series founded in 2006 by the Spanish GT Sport Organización. It was a spin-off of the now-defunct Spanish GT Championship, but is now a distinct series featuring FIA GT3-spec ca ...

and

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 ...

with the

Kessel Racing Loris Kessel (1 April 1950 – 15 May 2010) was a racing driver from Switzerland. Biography He was born in Lugano and died in Montagnola following a long illness. He participated in six Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on ...

team. ;Mid-season changes *

injured his back in an accident during the third round at

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 ...

, and was forced to miss the remainder of the season. He was replaced by

César Ramos César Altair Zanetti Ramos (born 25 July 1989 in Novo Hamburgo) is a Brazilian racing driver currently competing in the Stock Car Pro Series with Ipiranga Racing. Ramos has also previously raced in Formula Renault, Italian Formula Three, Blan ...

, who drove for Fortec during the 2011 season. Ramos was replaced by

driver Nigel Melker after Moscow. *

left BVM Target due to a lack of funding. He was replaced by

and

Italian Formula Three The Italian Formula Three Championship was the Formula Three racing competition in Italy. History Formula Three has traditionally been regarded as the first major stepping stone for F1 hopefuls - it is typically the first point in a driver's car ...

driver Sergey Sirotkin for his home round in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. Due to Sirotkin's contract commitments to Euronova Racing,

made a comeback to the championship at

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and ...

. *

lost his drive with Arden

, after he was dropped from the

Red Bull Junior Team The Red Bull Junior Team is a driver development program run by the energy drink company Red Bull GmbH in an attempt to identify potential future racing stars in open wheel racing. The similar Red Bull Driver Search, now ended, was an American ...

. He was replaced by

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 th ...

driver

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 Thr ...

Race calendar and results

In August 2011, series organisers had announced that the championship was due to visit

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

during the 2012 season. The 2012 calendar was announced on 10 October 2011, the day after the end of the 2011 season. Russia was included, but Brazil omitted. Seven of the nine rounds will form meetings of the 2012 World Series by Renault season, with additional rounds in support of the and the

6 Hours of Silverstone The 4 Hours of Silverstone (formerly the 1000 km of Silverstone and 6 Hours of Silverstone) is an endurance sports car race held at Silverstone Circuit near the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. First run in 1976 ...

Championship standings

;Points system Points are awarded to the top 10 classified finishers.

Drivers' Championship

Teams' Championship

References

External links

World Series by Renault

Renault-Sport official website
{{World Series by Renault seasons Formula Renault 3.5 Formula Renault 3.5 World Series Formula V8 3.5 seasons Renault 3.5