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 drivers.
The 2005 GP2 Series season was the thirty-ninth season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also first season under the GP2 Series moniker. The season started in Imola, Italy on 23 April, and ended in Sakhir, Bahrain on 30 September. The season was won by the German Nico Rosberg, with the Finn Heikki Kovalainen finishing second.
Nicolas Lapierre is a French professional racing driver. He raced with Toyota and with Alpine Racing in the past seasons of the FIA World Endurance Championship. He is a two-time winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring, with overall victories in 2011 and 2018, and scored four LMP2 class victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. He now races with Alpine in the LMH class in the FIA World Endurance Championship driving the number 36 Alpine A480.
The Formula 3 Euro Series was a European-based junior single seater formula for Formula Three chassis that was launched in 2003 as a merger of the French Formula Three Championship and German Formula Three Championship. The Formula Three category, including this championship, is part of the established career ladder up which European drivers progress to the Formula One world championship, the highest form of single seater racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body.
ART Grand Prix is a French motor racing team that competes in formula single-seaters in Europe. In 2012, it competed in the GP2 Series and GP3 Series as Lotus GP to reflect sponsorship from British sports and racing car manufacturer Lotus. The team competed as Lotus ART in 2011.
The 2006 GP2 Series season was the second season of the Formula One feeder championship GP2 Series. The season began at Circuit de Valencia, Spain on 8 April 2006 and ended in Monza, Italy on 10 September 2006. The championship was won by ART Grand Prix driver Lewis Hamilton, over Piquet Sports driver Nelson Piquet Jr.
Renger van der Zande is a Dutch racing driver who currently competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Chip Ganassi Racing. He is the son of the 1978 National Dutch Rallycross Champion Ronald van der Zande. In 2016, Van der Zande won his first major sports car championship with co-driver Alex Popow and Starworks Motorsport in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship PC Class. Renger resides in Amsterdam with his partner Carlijn and their daughter.
The 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series season was the fourth championship year of Europe’s premier Formula Three series. As in previous years, there were ten rounds – each with two races – held at a variety of European circuits. Each weekend consisted of one 60-minute practice session and one qualifying session, followed by one c.110 km race and one c.80 km race. In a revised qualifying system that used only one session, the starting order for race 2 was determined by the finishing order of race 1, with the top eight positions reversed.
The 2005 Formula 3 Euro Series season was the third championship year of Europe's premier Formula Three series. The championship consisted of ten rounds – each with two races – held at a variety of European circuits. Each weekend consisted of one 60-minute practice session and two 30-minute qualifying sessions, followed by one c.110 km race and one c.80 km race. Each qualifying session awarded one bonus point for pole position and each race awarded points for the top eight finishers, with ten points per win. Lewis Hamilton dominated the season, winning 15 of the 20 races and scoring nearly twice as many points as his nearest rival, team-mate Adrian Sutil. As of now, six drivers have competed in Formula One.
The 2007 Formula 3 Euro Series season was the fifth championship year of Europe’s premier Formula Three series. As in previous years, the championships took place over ten rounds – each with two races – held at a variety of European circuits. Each weekend consisted of one 60-minute practice session and one qualifying session, followed by one c.110 km race and one c.80 km race. The single qualifying session was retained from 2006, with the starting order for race 2 being determined by the finishing order of race 1, with the top eight positions reversed. This season was notable for the return of Volkswagen as an F3 engine supplier. The drivers' title was won by Romain Grosjean and the teams' title was again won by ASM Formule 3. It was the fourth double title win in succession for ASM. The top four drivers in the championship would go on to race in Formula 1: Sébastien Buemi, Kamui Kobayashi and champion Grosjean all debuted in F1 in 2009 and Nico Hülkenberg in 2010.
The 2009 Formula Renault 3.5 Series was the fifth Formula Renault 3.5 Series season. It began on 18 April at the Circuit de Catalunya and finished on 25 October at the brand-new Ciudad del Motor de Aragón in Alcañiz. It was the fifth season of the Renault-backed single-seater category. International DracoRacing driver Bertrand Baguette won the championship by a comfortable margin, having dominated the second half of the season. His team won their respective championship, ahead of Carlin Motorsport.
The 2009 Formula 3 Euro Series season was the seventh championship year of the Formula 3 Euro Series. The series consisted of ten double-header meetings beginning at Hockenheim on 16 May and ending at the same venue on 25 October. Jules Bianchi claimed the title for ART Grand Prix, winning his eighth race of the season at Dijon-Prenois.
Jolyon Carlyle Palmer is a British motorsport commentator and columnist, covering the Formula One World Championship on BBC Radio 5 and F1TV. Prior to his media career, Palmer was a racing driver and the 2014 GP2 Series champion. Palmer drove for Renault Sport F1 Team in Formula One. He made his Formula One debut with the team at the start of the 2016 season, during which he scored his first World Championship points at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Palmer stayed with Renault for 2017 through to the Japanese Grand Prix.
Daniel Clos Álvarez is a Spanish former professional racecar driver. In 2012, He was the test driver for the now defunct HRT Formula One team.
Stefano Coletti is a Monégasque professional racing driver who raced for SMP Racing in the European Le Mans Series. His sister Alexandra Coletti is an alpine skier. He is the first Monégasque driver since Louis Chiron (1931) to have won a race in Monaco.
The 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 Series was the sixth season of the single–seater category. It began at the Ciudad del Motor de Aragón in Spain on 17 April, and ended at Circuit de Catalunya, also in Spain, on 10 October.
The 2010 Formula 3 Euro Series season was the eighth championship year of the Formula 3 Euro Series. It began on 10 April at Circuit Paul Ricard and finished on 17 October at Hockenheim after eighteen races at nine meetings. Grids for the 2010 season were substantially down on the previous season; with a maximum of sixteen drivers taking part in any of the season's meetings, after teams Manor Motorsport, SG Formula, Carlin Motorsport, HBR Motorsport and Kolles & Heinz Union all pulled out to focus on other series.
The 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series season was a multi-event motor racing championship for open wheel, formula racing cars held across Europe. The championship featured drivers competing in 3.5 litre Formula Renault single seat race cars that conformed to the technical regulations for the championship. The 2014 season was the tenth Formula Renault 3.5 Series season organized by Renault Sport. The season began at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 12 April and finished on 19 October at Circuito de Jerez. The series formed part of the World Series by Renault meetings at seven double header events, with additional events held at Monza and a single race in support of the Monaco Grand Prix.
The 2015 Formula Renault 3.5 Series season was a multi-event motor racing championship for open wheel, formula racing cars held across Europe. The championship featured drivers competing in Formula Renault 3.5 formula race cars that conformed to the technical regulations for the championship. The 2015 season was the eleventh and final season Formula Renault 3.5 Series organised by Renault Sport, after it was announced that the organisation would withdraw its backing of the championship at the end of the season.
The 2015 FIA Formula 3 European Championship was a multi-event motor racing championship for single-seat open wheel formula racing cars that was held across Europe. The championship featured drivers competing in two-litre Formula Three racing cars which conform to the technical regulations, or formula, for the championship. It was the fourth edition of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship.
