The Italian Formula Three Championship was the

Formula Three Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One dri ...

racing competition in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

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 career at which most drivers in the series are aiming at professional careers in racing rather than being amateurs and enthusiasts. Success in F3 can lead directly to more senior formulae such as GP2, A1 Grand Prix, or even a Formula One test or race seat. Most notably in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Italian F3 championship produced drivers who graduated 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, ...

to varying success. As of 2010, the last Italian Formula Three driver to graduate to

was 1994 Italian F3 champion

Giancarlo Fisichella Giancarlo Fisichella (; born 14 January 1973), also known as Fisico, Giano or Fisi, is an Italian professional racing driver, also captain of the official ''Nazionale Piloti'' association football team (composed of the racing drivers). He has ...

, who debuted with

Minardi Minardi was an Italian automobile racing team and constructor founded in Faenza in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal followi ...

's F1 team in . Other champions include successful World Sportscar driver Max Angelelli (1992 series champion) and

Riccardo Patrese Riccardo Gabriele Patrese (born 17 April 1954) is an Italian former racing driver, who raced in Formula One from to . He became the first Formula One driver to achieve 200 Grand Prix starts when he appeared at the 1990 British Grand Prix, and ...

. In December 2012, CSAI (the Italian motorsports commission) announced it would cancel the Formula 3 championship to focus on

Formula Abarth Formula Abarth was an open wheel racing series based in Italy and Europe aimed at karting graduates. The inaugural season was in 2010, effectively replacing the Formula Azzurra. Abarth have taken over the supporting Project Youth initiative, tha ...

Scoring system

*Since the 2012 season, points are awarded for race finishing drivers as follows:

Champions

References

External links

Italian Formula 3 Championship at forix.comOfficial Web Site at acisportitalia.it
{{Italian F3 Seasons 1964 establishments in Italy 2012 disestablishments in Italy Recurring sporting events established in 1964 Recurring events disestablished in 2012 Defunct auto racing series Formula Three series Defunct sports competitions in Italy