BRDC British Formula 3 Championship
 | |
| Category | Single seaters |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Inaugural season | 2013 |
| Constructors | Tatuus |
| Engine suppliers | Ford Duratec |
| Tyre suppliers | Pirelli |
| Drivers' champion |
 Will Palmer |
| Official website |
www |
 Current season | |
The BRDC British Formula 3 Championship is a single seater motorsport series based in the United Kingdom. The championship was designed as a low-cost entrance to car racing, and was aimed at young racing drivers moving up from Karting. There were two separate championships run each season; the main championship and a shorter winter series.
The series was originally operated by the 750 Motor Club along the Formula Vee series as an entry level single seater formula for young drivers. In September 2012, it was announced that the "Formula 4" name would be passed onto MotorSport Vision (MSV) and the British Racing Drivers' Club to create a new Formula 4 Championship. The championship features a mix of professional motor racing teams and privately funded drivers using identical 2.0-litre cars built by Ralph Firman's RFR company. Starting from the 2015 winter series the championship will switch to a new Tatuus car powered by a Cosworth engine, designed specifically for BRDC F4.[1]
History
British driver Jake Hughes was the first champion of the series in 2013, driving for Lanan Racing. The championship top three of Hughes, vice-champion Seb Morris and Charlie Robertson were all finalists in that year's McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.
In 2014, George Russell was crowned champion following a dramatic victory in the season finale at Snetterton. Russell beat out his Lanan Racing teammate Arjun Maini by just three points and went on to win the 2014 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award later in the year.
Will Palmer was crowned the 2015 champion after a dominant campaign in which he took 12 victories from the 24 races. His HHC Motorsport team-mate Harri Newey finished as runner-up, with Palmer subsequently named as the winner of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award in December.
On 23rd March 2016, the FIA and MSA revealed to the FIA World Motor Sport Council that an agreement had been reached the day prior to rebrand the BRDC Formula 4 Championship in order to reflect the increased pace of the new car designed for the 2016 season, and to fill the void left after the British Formula 3 Championship folded in 2014.[2]
The series will co-headline seven of eight rounds with the British GT Championship.
The BRDC British Formula Three Championship notably does not use a FIA Formula 3 car, instead using a car based on the Formula 4 specification that is elevated to the pace of F3 cars. The car, the F4-016, is designed by Italian manufacturer Tatuus to the F3 safety regulations including side impact panels, front and rear carbon impact structures, wheel tethers and extractable seat. British engine and electronics manufacturer Cosworth will provide the engine and related control electronics for the F4-016. The car also uses a unique Sadev limited slip differential.[3]
The cars are around the same pace as the previous FIA F3 specification car used prior to the series folding in 2014. However, the laptimes for current F3 cars have become around two seconds faster since then due to new engine regulations released for the 2014 racing season.[4]
The FIA have previously been stringent with assigning of national F3 status. The Euroformula Open Championship had to drop the F3 moniker due to it using an old specification Dallara F312 Formula 3 car and low specification engine that did not meet the standards set by the FIA's single-seater commission. The granting of the national F3 status to the Tatuus-Cosworth F4-016 highlights the pace of the car in relation to the FIA's other formula specifications.[5]
Chassis specifications
BRDC Formula 4 Car
| MSV F4-013 | |
|---|---|
| Constructor | Ralph Firman Racing |
| Engine | 2.0L Duratec |
| Valvetrain | |
| Lubrication | Dry sump |
| Torque | |
| Horsepower | 185 bhp |
| Engine management | Cosworth |
| Ignition system | |
| Transmission | Sadev ST75LW 6-speed sequential |
| Suspension | Double wishbone Pushrod |
| Chassis | spaceframe |
| Tires | Yokohama (2013–14) Pirelli (2015) |
| Brakes | AP Racing 4-piston calipers |
| Wheelbase | 2679.5 mm |
| Front track | 1596 mm |
| Rear track | 1494 mm |
| Weight | 470 kg |
The MSV F4-013 cars have been built to a single specification by RFR, the company headed by Ralph Firman, who founded the legendary Van Diemen operation. The car is designed to embrace contemporary technology to provide optimum safety and affordability, and features an advanced spaceframe chassis compliant with the latest FIA Article 277 safety standards.
These include FIA approved carbon fibre front and rear impact structures, Diolen anti-intrusion side panels, cockpit head surround protection and wheel tethers.
The F4 cars also feature front and rear wings and run on 8” front and 10” rear wheels, with tyres supplied by Pirelli.
The power unit has been selected to provide a relatively high level of power with excellent power and torque, reliability and performance consistency.
The 2.0 litre Duratec engine produces 185 bhp and uses a Cosworth engine management system.
The gearbox is more sophisticated than any previous car at an equivalent level, being a six-speed Sadev transmission incorporating paddleshift. Cosworth also supply the gearbox control system.
Tatuus chassis
Championship organisers announced in September 2014 that a new FIA F4-specification carbon composite car built by Italian company Tatuus, will be introduced to the championship in Autumn 2015.[6]
Sales of the new car have been very strong, with 23 cars ordered within the first few weeks of the announcement.[7]
The new-for-2016 Tatuus-Cosworth MSV F4-016 was unveiled at Silverstone on May 30 by MSV Chief Executive Jonathan Palmer. The Tatuus-Cosworth MSV F4-016 is based on the Tatuus FIA F4 car with a substantial package of enhancements, which lift the performance of the 2016 BRDC F4 car much above the current BRDC F4 single-seater as well as FIA F4 and MSA Formula.
A major upgrade for BRDC F4 is moving to a carbon fibre chassis, utilising the Italian Tatuus FIA F4 survival cell and a car that is compliant with the latest FIA F3 safety standards. In a clear move to distance the BRDC F4 car upwards from the 15-year-old driver-compliant FIA F4, the new single-seater introduces a new Cosworth 230bhp 4 cylinder normally aspirated engine together with a Sadev six-speed paddle shift gearbox with LSD, AP 4 pot front brakes, Pirelli tyres and high downforce aerodynamics.[8]
After its unveiling, the car then took to the Grand Prix circuit at the Northamptonshire circuit for three demonstration laps in the hands of current Lotus F1 Team Third and Reserve Driver Jolyon Palmer.[9]
This car would form the basis of the successor to BRDC F4, the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship.
Points system
Current points system
Points are awarded to all finishing drivers in each race, except the reverse grid race two, using the following system:
| Driver's Championship points system.[10] | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | |
| 35 | 29 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
Champions
Operating under 750 Motor Club
All champions were British-registered.
| Season | Champion | Class A2 | Class B | Class C | Class D | Class E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Chris Lewis | Chris Vinall | Peter Monk | Paul Rider | Malcolm Scott | |
| 2007 | Steve Savage | Chris Kite | Clive Yorath | Stuart Wright | Jennifer Scott | |
| 2008 | Jeremy Walker | Clive Yorath | Oliver Sirrell | |||
| 2009 | Jonathan Weston-Taylor [11] | Will Thompson
(As Revelation Series) |
Charles Adrian | Paul Presgraves | ||
| 2010 | Malcolm Scott | David Woodsworth-Dale | Clive Yorath | Paul Presgraves | John Whitbourn | |
| 2011 | Oliver Sirrell | Charles Adrian | Ashley Dibden | Scott Moakes |
BRDC Formula 4 Championship
| Season | Champion | Jack Cavill Pole Position Cup | Winter Series Champion | Autumn Trophy Champion | The Who Zooms Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Jake Hughes |
Jake Hughes |
Matthew Graham |
not awarded |  Malgosia Rdest |
| 2014 | George Russell |
George Russell |
Will Palmer |
not awarded | |
| 2015 (2015 AT) | Will Palmer |
Will Palmer |
not awarded | Ben Barnicoat |
References
- ↑ Mitchell, Scott (2 September 2014). "BRDC Formula 4 to use Tatuus FIA F4 chassis from late 2015". Autosport.com. Haymarket MEdia. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ↑ BRDC Formula 4's British Formula 3 rebrand goes ahead for 2016 – Autosport, 23 March 2016
- ↑ The Tatuus-Cosworth BRDC British F3 Car – BRDC, 26 March 2016
- ↑ The Tatuus-Cosworth BRDC British F3 Car – BRDC, 26 March 2016
- ↑ BRDC F4 becomes British F3 on eve of 2016 season – PaddockScout, 23 March 2016
- ↑ "BRDC F4 CONFIRMS TATUUS AS NEW CHASSIS SUPPLIER". MotorSport Vision. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- ↑ "BIG DEMAND FROM TEAMS FOR NEW TATUUS BRDC F4 CAR". MotorSport Vision. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ↑ http://www.racetechmag.com/latest-news/item/1069-2016-brdc-f4-car-unveiled-at-silverstone.html
- ↑ http://www.formula4.com/news/2016-brdc-f4-car-hits-the-track-at-silverstone.aspx
- ↑ "2013 Formula Ford Championship Sporting Regulations" (PDF). British Formula Ford Championship. Max Communications. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
- ↑
External links
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||