The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has selected the Formula One group of companies as the promoter of the new Formula 3 championship, which will launch in 2019 and tie in with the F1 calendar. Formula 3 will thus replace the current GP3 series and will become the third rung on the single-seater motor racing pyramid. The international championship will be hosted on the Formula One world championship platform and feature an all-new car, with a single supplier for chassis, engines and tyres to be selected by the FIA in collaboration with Formula One.
An exclusive grid of no more than 30 cars will be accepted, with the championship planning to run between nine and 10 events, with two races per event. The FIA said cost control is a key element of Formula 3, and in addition to the use of common components, there will be limited, regulated testing, as well as limitations on trackside personnel and the use of electronics and sensors. The Formula 3 Championship will sit above the recently-introduced Formula 3 regional championships, certified by FIA, as a first step into a global racing series. Two of these regional competitions will begin in 2018 in Asia and the Americas, and it is anticipated that more F3 regional championships will be proposed.
FIA single-seater commission president and former team principal of the Ferrari Formula One team, Stefano Domenicali, explained: “The FIA has been refining the single-seater pyramid with great care over recent years, and the new FIA Formula 3 Championship achieves an important goal of putting the top three FIA single-seater competitions on the same platform. This has great advantages for fans and competitors alike, as graduates of FIA-certified national and regional competitions have a clear first step into international racing, while spectators and viewers watching Formula One will be able to see a broader spectrum of future stars on their way to the pinnacle of our sport.” – Ferrari’s former team principal said, as reported by the British media
Formula One Managing Director of Motorsports Ross Brawn added: “While race fans can enjoy the spectacle of drivers battling it out at the pinnacle of motor sport, which is the FIA Formula One World Championship, one of our objectives is to also provide them with the opportunity of discovering new talent and watching them progress along a clearly defined and high-level pathway. Already, since 2017, this has led to the creation of the FIA Formula 2 Championship and, as from 2019, the grand prix weekends will also feature another step on the FIA’s racing ladder, in which the best young drivers from national and regional categories will be able to race on the greatest and most prestigious race tracks of the world, on the same programme as those they might be racing against in F1 in the future.” – Ross Brawn concluded.
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