BritishF3.net

British Formula 3 in 2013 Update

The news that the FIA European F3 championship is to swallow up the F3 Euro Series with the help of Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen has caused some people to doubt the future of British Formula 3.

The Italian website Italiaracing.net ran this rather pessimistic story on November 21. It has been translated loosely from the original Italian by my browser, but it is easy enough to get the gist of what was being said:

“Trevor Carlin does not foresee a bright future for the British F3. The British series this year has seen a few cars at the start, an average of fifteen, mostly deployed by the team Carlin (champion) and the Fortec team, which alone came to eight entries. “I have no requests so far, the introduction of an FIA further cut the [grid] starters,” said Carlin worried to Autosprint. He adds: “Income to participate to European and English, but there is a real risk that we will focus only on the continental series. I think some teams, who are now inclined to the British series, because of the few members at the end choose the FIA. So the relaunch European’s would not do any good to the British F3, the only national championship that takes Mercedes and Volkswagen engines and not as the single-engine German F3, and the Italian Open.”

However, this view has been changed somewhat by a further story in Italiaracing.net today. I have changed a few words to make it read better, but the basic story is the same:

“Despite pessimistic statements by Trevor Carlin about the future of British F3 (see previous news), the Series is preparing for the next season.  Ten meetings are scheduled including five outside the English island. The format of the weekend will see two practice sessions on Friday, a qualification, three races, with the last of these defined as the feature race. Among the drivers of interest that may run in the category you are Jordan King, who has tested for Double R and Joshua Hill, who has tested with Fortec, both protagonists in the 2012 Formula Renault NEC. “

The calendar 

April 1 – Oulton Park 

April 14 – Monza 

May 5 –  Rockingham (?) 

May 19 – Pau 

June 2 – Silverstone 

June 16 – Snetterton 

June 30 – Le Castellet 

July 27 – Spa-Francorchamps

August 11 – Brands Hatch,

September 22 – Nürburgring

I am hearing that the calendar may not be set in stone, even apart from the Rockingham date and that some changes to the National Class regulations may be made in a bid to attract more entries. Only the International Class counts towards the title and has to comply with the current FIA regulations.

I understand why the teams want to look at the regulations afresh, but there is usually a meeting of the FIA World Motorsport Council early in December when everything is ratified. Documents have to be submitted in advance so that they may be included in the dossier that is sent to members to be read beforehand.

Formula 3 in 2013

I am aware of the fact that I have not posted on this subject for a while, but it has been very much in my mind and, as events have turned out, now is the best time to do so.

What I am about to say may not be politically correct, so I should make it clear that the opinions expressed are purely my own and not those of any body or organisation with which I have been associated in the past.

After the recent race meeting in Macau, the FIA issued the following Press Release:

Through its concept, technical specification, professionalism, reputation, and also by virtue of the fact that the series provides a level playing field for all competitors, Formula 3 has the potential to be a major component in the preparation of drivers for an eventual step up to Formula One. From Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost, Mika Häkkinen, Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher, to Jacques Villeneuve, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel, F3 has given a huge number of major racing stars the ideal platform upon which to showcase their burgeoning talents.

As part of its commitment to restructuring and simplifying the training of young drivers the FIA will create a Formula 3 European Championship governed by a new set of sporting regulations. The cars must comply with the 2013 FIA technical rules while the 2012 engine specification is still allowed. The evolution of certain key aerodynamic elements will be frozen to limit costs and ensure the stability of the regulations. Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz will be the two main engine suppliers, and South Korean manufacturer Hankook will be the series’ tyre supplier.

Ten meetings are scheduled. Each one will consist of two free practice sessions, two qualifying sessions and three races per weekend. Thus, the drivers will be able to take advantage of almost four hours of track time per event. The first qualifying session will decide the starting order for races one and two, while the second qualifying session will dictate the line-up for race number three.

Six circuits used by Formula One will feature on the new Formula 3 European Championship calendar, as well as four tracks historically linked to F3. In all the series will visit eight countries. By linking up with the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) and with DTM, the drivers will have the opportunity to shine at major international meetings in front of key motor sport decision makers.

Fairness will be guaranteed by the presence of officials, stewards and scrutineers delegated by the FIA. The Deutsche Motor Sport Bund (DMSB) will provide logistics and organisational personnel. The FIA and ITR will also look after promotion of the series.

Taking into account the youth of competitors in the series, media coverage of the Formula 3 European Championship will be mainly focused on digital media and social networks. The races will be shown live on European television networks, and a dedicated website will update fans and the F3 community with team and driver news. Website user will also have the chance watch live streams of the races each event weekend. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube campaigns will also give fans unrivalled insider access to the series.

The opening date for entries is 1st December and the closing date is 28th February 2013. Registration under the FIA website: http://www.entryforms.fia.com

Commenting on the series Gerhard Berger, President of FIA Single-Seater Commission said: “We started the process of restoring the Formula 3 European Championship to its former status last season. After a positive exchange of views with all the players involved, we’re moving up another step by putting a stand-alone championship in place with a coherent and attractive calendar. We’ve done everything possible to cap costs; in particular by establishing stable sporting and technical regulations. We want to stress the performance to enable the best young talents to show their skills. With this aim in mind we’re in the process of putting together a worthwhile prize fund for the 2013 champion. Thanks to all these elements, partners, engine tuners and engine manufacturers Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, everything’s in place to make the Formula 3 European Championship the indispensable stepping stone for drivers who want to break into a professional career in top level motorsport.”

Jean Todt, President of the FIA said:  “The Formula 3 European Championship is a new opportunity to share the FIA values through a new and exciting series, crucially aimed at a younger audience, be they drivers or fans. Our wish to establish a clear line of development for young drivers should make the path to Formula One, economically more viable and professionally more accessible.”

The 2013 FIA F3 European Championship provisional* calendar: 

• 23-24 March: Monza, Italy (WTCC)
• 20-21 April: Silverstone, Great Britain (WEC)**
• 4-5 May: Hungaroring, Hungary (WTCC)**
• 18-19 May: Bands Hatch, Great Britain (DTM)**
• 1-2 June: Red Bull Ring, Austria (DTM)
• 6-7 July: Norisring, Germany (DTM)
• 20-21 July: Zandvoort, The Netherlands (DTM)
• 17-18 August: Nürburgring, Germany (DTM)
• 14-15 September: Hockenheim, Germany (DTM)
• October: event to be announced
* Submitted to WMSC approval
**To be confirmed

Since then it has become clear that the Formula 3 Euro Series is no more and the FIA Championship will take its place. This is apparent from the provisional calendar. What has happened is that together Gerhard Berger, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen have totally disregarded the FIA regulations and forced through their own wishes. It is something that I feared might happen, as mentioned in the previous articles on the subject.

I admit to being a purist so for this to happen both offends and annoys me, particularly when the governing body of the sport is involved. There is a World Motor Sport Council meeting due early next month, when it is all expected to be ratified.

I am much more interested in what happens to the British F3 International Series. According to Autosport magazine today, there was a meeting of the teams (FOTA)  in Macau when it was agreed that ONLY the 2012 engines would be allowed. This is to stop teams like Carlin and Fortec transferring their affections to Europe, which would deal a body blow to the Series. Again, I see the hands of Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz at work, because is widely believed that their engines are supplied on very beneficial terms, even FOC. As far as I know the calendar remains as published back at Spa at the end of August.

I assume people have thought this through, but F3 engines have control electronics supplied exclusively by Bosch and I doubt if what works with a 2012 engine will work with a 2013 engine, so Bosch have to redesign the system.

The people I feel most sorry for in all this Neil Brown Engineering. They have behaved correctly throughout. They gave notice of their intention to build an engine for 2013 when they should have done to comply with the FIA regulations and they have gone ahead and built it. The prototype is running now. Some teams in the UK had expressed interest in running them but now, because of the decision I mentioned earlier they will be unable to do so. Except that there is a further complication. British F3 is a fully fledged FIA series and one of the conditions is that it must run to FIA regulations. If they say they will not allow the 2013 engines, will that be allowed or will they have given the FIA a stick to beat them with? If you go back to the press release about the FIA European Series it specifically states that “while the 2012 engine specification is still allowed.” It does not say the 2013 engine specification will not be allowed and I believe that is deliberate. It means that if a team were to turn up with a new engine they would have to be allowed to run, but that would entail the complicated engine performance equalisation procedures that the British teams are so anxious to avoid. But will they be allowed to do so?

I fear this saga still has some way to run. Interestingly, the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship has decided that it will run to the 2013 engine regulations and all the engine builders have agreed to supply engines for it. That gives them a head start over the opposition.

FIA Formula 3 European Championship

The World Motor Sport Council has had its meeting and an announcement has been made, which I quote in full below:

“A full review of the current Sporting Regulations has been conducted with the aim of creating a more attractive Championship for the 2013 season. Engine regulations have also been revised in order to provide for a reduction in development freedom and thereby control costs. The Championship will be open to cars complying with the full Formula 3 Technical Regulations. Following FIA approval, each competitor will be allowed to enter an unlimited number of cars, as well as additional cars at single events. The race format, including practice, qualifying and the races themselves, has amended sessions and there will be titles for drivers and teams, both using the Formula One points system. The FIA European Formula 3 Championship events will be organised, in the main, as support rounds of major Championships, giving young drivers the opportunity to increase their skills on Grand Prix and other prestigious circuits. The calendar will be announced in October.”

There is nothing about British Formula 3, nor anything specific about engines. There may be further developments at the the final round of the Cooper Tires British F3 International Series (sic) at Donington Park this weekend. I will post news as I hear it.

The Future of British Formula 3 – Part II

Quite a lot has happened since my last article, and it looks as though some resolution is in sight, but it is not one that I like. Teams need to be able to commit to what they are going to do next year and until they can do that they are in no position to start negotiating with drivers.

Stéphane Ratel held his press conference at Spa at the end of July and what he said made a good deal of sense. It was pretty much what I expected, but with an added twist which, to me at least, made it even more attractive on the face of it. British F3 would run alongside the Blancpain Endurance Series at four venues in Europe –Monza, Spa-Francorchamps, Paul Ricard and the Nürburgring, plus the UK at the Silverstone. There will only be these five BES rounds. The other British rounds would be at Oulton Park, Rockingham, Snetterton and Brands Hatch GP. The reason for this is that Ratel also proposed that the British F3 International Series should be combined with the FIA European Cup. This would leave the Formula 3 Euro Series out in the cold unless they chose to come along and play.

The unexpected extra was that Pau would be included again. To me this sounded like a sweetener to the FIA and Gerhard Berger in particular. He remains the FIA supremo so far as F3 and the other junior formulae are concerned.

There was even a proposed calendar:

30 Mar Oulton Park International with British GT

14 Apr Monza ITA with Blancpain Endurance

05 May Rockingham with British GT

19 May Pau FRA Grand Prix de Pau

02 Jun Silverstone Grand Prix with Blancpain Endurance

09 Jun Snetterton (tbc) with British GT

30 Jun Paul Ricard FRA with Blancpain Endurance

27 Jul Spa-Francorchamps BEL with Blancpain Endurance

22 Sep Nürburgring GER (tbc) with Blancpain Endurance

06 Oct Brands Hatch Grand Prix with British GT

I remain convinced that Berger favours the F3 Euro Series and that if the FIA European Championship is to combined with anything he would like it to be with that.

It is the whole idea of the FIA European Championship that has thrown Formula 3 into turmoil. Berger is probably harking back to 1983 when he raced in such a championship, but those days are long gone.

Formula 3 was probably at it peak in the years prior to 2003. There were separate British, German and French Championships. They all raced with good grids. So far as competitiveness was concerned, they were pretty similar. We used to say the British was the best and it did produce several F1 drivers, but the other two were just as good really.

A couple of times a year the best drivers from the three championships competed against each other. The first time was at Zandvoort for the Marlboro Masters of Formula 3 and when the season was over there was the annual pilgrimage to Macau for the FIA Intercontinental Cup, which was like an unofficial one-off world championship. If you won Macau you were on your way. The Japanese joined in for that as well, so it really was the best of the best. There was also an F3 European Cup in Pau, which was a great street circuit venue, but it never became a must-do event like the other two.

Somewhere along the line I was invited to sit on the FIA Single Seater Technical Working Group on behalf of the Formula Three Association (FOTA). In those days the Group was run properly. The meetings were chaired for a while by Charlie Whiting and then by Jo Bauer, so clear-thinking, knowledgeable and impartial FIA people ran the show. The other members were representatives of car manufacturers, principally Dallara, but Lola and Mygale as well, and also engine tuners such as NBE, Opel, and latterly, Mercedes and Volkswagen. I remember very well when they appeared for the first time. The tone of the meetings changed and more than ever I felt it was right that the competitors should also have a voice.

This period of happy co-existence ended in 2003 when a strong German lobby pushed for and succeeded in creating the Formula 3 Euro Series. The intention was to create an F3 super series supporting the DTM. The German and French Championships combined and what’s more the German and French motorsport governing bodies, the DMSB and the FFSA, put financial and logistical support behind it. All the MSA has ever done for British F3 is take money from it by way of large permit fees etc.

However, there is another factor of major significance. I alluded to it in my previous article and this is the time to bring it out into the open.

This year has seen the introduction of new chassis and next year was supposed to see the introduction of a new engine, cheaper than before, but with a 28mm restrictor, many standardised parts and a significant increase in power. The tuners are talking in terms of 235bhp, but that’s conservative.

This part is boring is boring, but has to be said. If you want to run an engine in 2013 you had to notify the FIA accordingly by the end of March this year. Neil Brown Engineering did so and as did Spiess from Germany. They used to prepare Opel-based engines and have latterly been responsible to maintaining the Volkswagen engines. Tomei, who produce the Nissan-based engines that T-Sport use, also signed up, as did TOM’S and a couple of lesser known companies.

It was all looking quite promising, except that the two main engine suppliers at present, Volkswagen and Mercedes, steadfastly refused to join in. They were relying on their combined muscle to be able to change things later on, i.e. for the FIA to say that the present engines could still be used. This would, of course, be in breach of the FIA regulations, but some companies seem to think that they are more important than the sport’s governing body.

Initially the FIA stood firm and said that the new engine would definitely be introduced and this was confirmed by Berger at the Norisring meeting I mentioned in the last article, although after the official announcement he had a meeting with the team owners and seemed to be sending out mixed messages, so they ended up rather confused.

Then he decided to invite himself to Silverstone on the test day prior to the most recent British F3/GT meeting, bringing along a couple of lackeys from the MSA. There were meetings all day and it was clear that Berger was trying to use a divide and conquer technique.

There is a World Motor Sport Council meeting to be held later today, September 28, when all this should be discussed and an announcement made to resolve the situation. It may all be Chinese whispers but what I am expecting to be announced is a completely botched solution in an attempt to give everyone at least something of what they want, but not all.

The new engines will run next year, but so will the old ones, and to avoid the obvious danger of the new ones running away with things there will be some kind of equalisation formula. This is why I say it will be a botched solution. They may try to increase the power of the old engines, but there is not much scope. Even when I was on that FIA committee some of us were pushing for the size of the restrictor to be increased to 28mm. The Mugen-Honda engines that NBE were running at the time were strong enough to be able to take the extra power and the Japanese were quite keen, too, but VW and Mercedes were not, so they vetoed the plan. It will be very difficult to come up with an equalisation formula that works fairly straightaway, so I can see it having to be tweaked as the season progresses, which is highly unsatisfactory.

It’s likely that the equalisation will mostly be a restriction on the new engines. It’s amazing how much difference can be achieved by changing the size of the restrictor. NBE and I were experimenting with the National Class engines once. We wanted to give them a little more power so they were more on a par with the International Class cars in terms of overall lap times. We experimented at a FOTA test day at Snetterton. We found opening out the restrictor to 26.5mm was too much, but 26.3mm was about right. The change was introduced for the rest of that season, but the problem was that at some circuits it made the National Class cars faster in a straight line than the International Class ones. My argument was the latter were run by the best teams and had the best drivers, so should be able to cope, but the teams did not see it that way, so it was dropped after a year, which I felt was a shame. Maybe it’s why the National Class has faded away to virtual obscurity.

Coming back to now, this botched up engine solution will be run, thank goodness, only for next year. After that everyone will have to run the new engine.

British F3 will continue to be a stand-alone series. Berger is determined that the FIA European Cup must go ahead. He has made it impossible for SRO to run it in addition by demanding a whole new set of fees, even if all or almost all the rounds were run at British F3 rounds. I don’t know if the F3ES will take it on-board or if some third party will enter the fray. Whatever, it would be ridiculous to me for there to be three separate F3 championships. Barry Bland, who was Berger’s predecessor, knew Formula 3 inside out and understood that. It seems that Berger may not, but the next few days will tell.

The Future of British Formula 3

I have been thinking about writing this article for a month or two, because it has become clear that Formula 3 is in a state of major change and at one time I was ready to pronounce the last rites over British Formula 3 because I could not see how it was going to survive. Now I think there is a very good chance that it will, but it is by no means certain.

If you have been following the category during the season you will be aware that it is ticking over, but not much more than that. A 14 car grid is not great and of those I would rate only about four of the drivers. That is the reason why I have not reported on the season so far, but before the next round at Spa at the end of the month I will give you a round-up of what has happened in the first half.

But let’s get back to the future. This year there are no less than three separate championships competing for entries, the British F3 International Series, the Formula 3 Euro Series and the FIA European Formula 3 Championship. This was introduced by the FIA at the very last minute, bending several of their own regulations in the process. I thought it was coming in 2013, but no, they couldn’t wait.

The race at the Norisring that saw all three come together turned out to be a complete shambles. There was a good entry 0f 28 cars, but with three separate classifications it was almost a question of everyone getting points in one series or another. Two actions by the Stewards infuriated the British teams. The first race was won the road by Daniel Juncadella, but he took out two other cars in the process and was disqualified. That would have promoted the runner-up, William Buller to take the win and maximum points in the F3ES in which he is competing. But no, the organisers dug out some obscure regulation that had last been used in 2009 that no-one would be declared the winner. Buller’s team, Carlin, were trying to find out if there is any means of appeal , but you have the feeling that the decision will stand. Some British F3 drivers were also fined €1,000 for being late for the Drivers’ Briefing, despite circuit access points being closed off and a team was fined €3,000 for an unauthorised engine change. These are F1 rates, not F3 and certainly not the way to win friends.

Gerhard Berger is the new man appointed by the FIA to sort out the situation and so far he is not making a very good job of it. He wants there to be a British F3 Championship running inside the UK, a German F3 Championship running inside Germany and his baby, the FIA F3 Championship running at international circuits. It sounds reasonable. However if you get down to reality, the FIA version would be a revamped Formula 3 Euro Series, running mostly at DTM rounds. Berger is Austrian and he is under a lot of pressure from the DMSB, the German equivalent of the MSA. It has always supported the  F3ES and so has the French equivalent, the FFSA. The MSA does nothing for British F3.

As a result the British teams have got together with the series’ promoters, SRO and come up with their own plan. This was first revealed in Autosport on June 14. Potential F3 drivers want to go to international circuits, preferably those that host F1 races. The drivers (or rather their sponsors and families) pay the bills, so what they want is what counts. Stéphane Ratel has an ace card in that he also runs the Blancpain GT Endurance Series, which is very successful and goes to all the right circuits.

The provisional plan announced a month ago is that British F3 will go to six F1 circuits –Monza, Silverstone, Spa, Barcelona, Paul Ricard and the Nürburgring. The four tracks in the UK to complement these would be Donington Park, Oulton Park, Snetterton and Brands Hatch. Silverstone is also in the UK, of course, so really it will be a 50/50 split. This plan will offend the purists who say that there should be more races in the UK, but they have lost touch with reality. If British F3 is to survive this is the way it has to go. It is not ideal for me either. I cannot afford to go to every round, so I shall be going to the rounds in the UK and cherry pick a couple of rounds in Europe. I have been to three of them and logically I should go to Barcelona and Paul Ricard, but then again I love Spa and Monza.

None of this will please Berger and the FIA, but they have to accept that British F3 has been a fully recognised international FIA series for several years now. Indeed, it was at the FIA’s request that the name was changed from Championship to Series. It would also be unwise to underestimate Stéphane Ratel’s power and influence. He has run the World FIA GT Championship and has important allies within the governing body and the FFSA, despite having announced that he will not be running that championship next year. It is no longer financially viable.

The likelihood is that the F3 Euro Series will merge into the FIA European Cup and on paper that will look strong, but there is the drawback that the DTM circuits are not very interesting in general and not what aspiring F3 drivers are looking for. Berger does not seem to appreciate this.

The Total 24 Hours of Spa race is this coming weekend and SRO have announced that they will hold a press conference on the 27th (Friday) to announce their plans and provisional calendars for 2013. They also run the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Series, and I believe that what we shall be seeing this weekend is in many ways a taste of what is to come next year. The Trofeo Series also has six rounds and I predict a core package of the Blancpain Endurance Series, the Blancpain Lamborghini Trofeo series and Cooper Tires British F3 International Series having six rounds, including one on the Silverstone GP circuit. British F3 will also have four other rounds in the UK, so it will be pretty much as announced back in June, but within a solid and very prestigious package in Europe. The UK rounds will run with the much improved British GT Championship and a good selection of support races.

There is one other complication for next season, but I will deal with that in a separate article because it is a different issue completely.

The Man Most Likely?

Jack Harvey (seen below) currently leads the points in this year’s British F3 International Series and has been there or thereabouts all season. Recently he has set a string of pole positions, which points to him as being the man in form. If I had to make a forecast right now, I would tip him for the title although it is far from decided yet. Jack has 186 points, but Jazeman Jaafar is close behind him with 182 and Felix Seralles is still very much in in play with 176.

Another driver who may well play a role in the final outcome is Carlos Sainz Jr, whom I expected to feature more strongly throughout. So far the pattern seems to be that he has very good weekends and and then disappointing ones. You also have to think that at some point Alex Lynn will convert his excellent testing form into a good race weekend.

The next meeting is at Spa in just a couple of weeks and will be significant, because after that only the UK rounds at Snetterton, Silverstone GP and Donington Park remain.

2012 British Formula 3 calendar (updated)

This is only going to be a short article, because the season has already started with two meetings in quick succession. I shall comment on them next but first I want to give you this year’s calendar, which is good in some ways but less so in others.

For example, if you live in England you had the chance to see the opening races at Oulton Park on Easter Saturday, but now you have to wait until Rockingham in June before you have another. It is not the way to build up a loyal fan base.

Here is the calendar in full:

April 06/07 Oulton Park (GB)

April 23-15 Monza (Italy)

May 11-13 Pau (France)

June 09/10 Rockingham (GB)

June 23/24 Brands Hatch GP (GB)

June 29-July 01 Norisring (Germany)

July 26-28 Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)

August 04/05 Snetterton 300 (GB)

September 08/09 Silverstone GP (GB)

September 29/30 Donington Park GP (GB)

The June/July date was originally going to be at Paul Ricard, which is about as far south as you can go in France, but then it was changed to the Norisring, which is at least within reach.

Spa is fine as it’s an easy drive and I would always allow Monza because I think it’s a fabulous circuit and it has been one my favourites since I first became interested in motor racing. However, one thing that is totally ridiculous is that the teams were required to be there less than a week after they had been racing at Oulton Park. It’s about as bad as you could get. Last year it was similar but marginally better; Monza first and then Oulton Park.

I have seen a document in which the Stéphane Ratel Organisation solemnly pledged to use its best endeavours to ensure that there would always be a gap of at least two weeks between a meeting in the UK and one in Europe and vice-versa. This was in 2008, but it has never happened. If SRO, which promotes the Series, wants to understand why the teams do not always have complete trust in them, this is a prime example.

Pau is a great venue, but simply too far away unless you’re an affluent follower of the Series. However, Spa is great, because apart from being a fantastic circuit it’s within relatively easy driving distance. Quite expensive when you get there, but the atmosphere is excellent as the F3 race supports the 24 Hour GT race.

Once that’s out of the way, Snetterton, Silverstone GP and Brands Hatch GP follow at reasonable intervals, so the second half of the calendar is far more fan friendly than the first.

The unluckiest driver in British F3 2011

Right now, with one meeting and three races to go at Silverstone this weekend in the 2011 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series, Kevin Magnussen is lying third in the points, just one point away from being the runner-up with six race wins to his name. It may sound silly to say that he is the unluckiest driver in the Series, but he trails Felipe Nasr, who has already secured the title, by 107 points and that in no way reflects their respective abilities.

This is what Bruce Jouanny, himself a British F3 race winner and now a respected TV commentator and driver coach, had to say during the meeting at Paul Ricard: “Magnussen is really fast,” said Jouanny, who coaches Magnussen’s team-mate, Jazeman Jaafar. “For me he’s the fastest driver in the team. He changes direction really well and his downshifts are always the latest, but also so smooth and calm. If you watched at Turn 14 [the left-hander at Tour] it is just beautiful.” All three drivers race for Carlin, who have three other cars as well and pretty much dominate the Series. It was in anticipation that the season would develop as it has done that I wrote a previous article, The Special Ones.

What happened in Paul Ricard that weekend was the season in microcosm. In free practice on Friday Nasr was fastest in the first session, but then Magnussen went quicker still in the second session. Qualifying on Saturday morning saw Kevin set pole position for both the main races, with Felipe right behind. A poor start in race one later that day saw Kevin drop back to 7th, from where he recovered to 4th at the flag. Nasr took full advantage of the opportunity and led all the way although closely followed by guest driver, Antonio Felix da Castro. Magnussen was also 4th in race 2, which is a strange, short race with a partly reversed grid. Da Costa was 3rd, but Nasr was back in 16th after incurring a penalty.

The most important one is Race 3, which is the feature race. Magnussen made no mistake about the start this time and led almost all the way, chased first by Nasr and then by da Costa, who had come into the Series to recover from a disappointing GP3 season. He was supposed to be behaving himself, but all that was forgotten on the last corner of the last lap, when he lunged down the inside the inside of Magnussen and knocked the Dane clean off the road. Nasr came through to take another win. Da Castro was 2nd on the road, but the inevitable penalty dropped him back to 9th. Nothing, however, could restore Magnussen’s lost win and 20 points. In contrast Nasr picked up 20, when he should have been 3rd and scored 12. If you work it out, Magnussen should have come out of the race with 8 points more Nasr, but instead was 20 behind, so there was an overall loss of 28 right there.

There had been more heartbreak for Magnussen in the previous meeting at the Nürburgring. Once again dominance from the outset and two pole positions for the main races and this time he converted the one Race One into a comfortable victory. There was a tight battle with Nasr, but Kevin always had the edge. In the relatively unimportant Race 2, both started from well back with Nasr taking 4th and Magnussen 6th, but no-one pays much attention to this race unless it gives someone the chance of a win who would not have otherwise get one. In that respect it works very well and Jack Harvey took a maiden win.

The 40-minute feature race 3 is the one that matters and Kevin made a good start again and led the way from Felipe until just three laps from the end when his Volkswagen engine lapsed into what was becoming a familiar power-starved gurgle. He could do nothing to avoid a drop to 5th by the flag, whilst Nasr raced ahead to take his fifth win of the season and extend his Series points lead by a further 10 points, when it should have been reduced by 5, and instead of Kevin taking a fourth win to match Felipe, he dropped behind by five to three.

One weekend where everything did go right for Magnussen was at Snetterton in May, where he was able to display his true ability. Nasr managed to take pole position ahead of him for both races and at the start of Race 1 Kevin slipped back to 3rd off the line, but recovered from that by overtaking Riki Christodoulou around the outside of the super fast first corner, Riches. After a Safety Car intervention Kevin lined up Felipe at the re-start and pulled off an identical move on him. Those who had begun to think Nasr was unbeatable were left with mouths agape.

Much the same happened in the feature race, except that this time the two were together from the start. There was another Safety Car and, despite Nasr trying a different tactic to avoid what happened after the re-start in Race 1, that’s exactly what did happen. For once Nasr himself then had a problem, which enforced a pit stop and dropped him down to 17th, whilst Kevin stormed home to his second victory of the weekend and his second of the season.

The trouble was that two meetings had been held already and Nasr had stashed away three wins, a 2nd and points in every race. He was already 80 points ahead. Kevin was pragmatic but direct: “Even I win all the races from now on and he finishes second I can’t do it. But what I can do is show I’m the best. Nasr is one of the best drivers around, but I am better than him and I can beat him.”

Sadly the next meeting at Brands Hatch was to see a return of Kevin’s bad luck. Engine problems blighted his weekend, even to the extent of his car having to be pushed off the grid before Race 2. There were more problems and tyre-related delays in Race 3, but he recovered to set fastest lap. Meanwhile Felipe Nasr swept through the rain to what was probably his best win of the season, his fourth at that stage. Lucas Foresti had won Race 1 and was looking like Nasr’s closest challenger at that point in the season, but thereafter, as Magnussen’s challenge strengthened, so different drivers began to come to the fore behind the big two and spread the points between them. That is why the struggle to be runner-up in the Series is so tight heading into the final meeting at Silverstone on October 8/9.

At Spa, both drivers suffered from a bad qualifying session. Kevin took a win (his fourth) in Race 2, but overall he only edged a single point closer.

The same thing happened at Rockingham. A great win for Kevin in the feature race, his fifth at that stage, but problems in other races meant that the two rivals scored 30 points apiece.

The most recent meeting was at Donington Park. By this stage the rivalry between the two had become more intense and there was contact between them in two of the three races. In Race 1, it was Felipe’s front tyre against Kevin’s rear, which kind of tells the story. Both had to pit with punctures. Felipe rejoined first and set a new fastest lap and record before retiring to the pits. Kevin was not going to leave it at that, however, and proceeded to improve on his rival’s time before he called it a day.

The incident meant that they both started from the back in Race 2. In difficult conditions Nasr progressed to 10th and took fastest lap, whilst Kevin was mired down in 16th. Up to that point, Felipe had 3 points from the meeting and Kevin just 1, so the feature race would be critical.

Felipe started from pole, whilst Kevin was down in 7th, but in one lap he jumped up to 2nd, right behind his Brazilian rival. Contact was made at the Esses on lap 2, which saw Nasr spin and recover, whilst Magnussen was delayed less and only dropped a few places. He demoted first Rupert Svendsen-Cook (who had won Race 1) and Jack Harvey to take the lead, which he extended confidently to the finish. It was win number six, but it could so easily have been two or three more.

He may have lost the chance to be champion, largely due to reasons beyond his control, but Kevin Magnussen certainly deserves to be runner-up in British F3 this year. This is his last season in Formula 3. Next year he plans to race in Formula Renault 3.5 where he will once again be going head-to head with Felipe Nasr. Carlin are keen to retain Felipe for their WSR team, but somehow I don’t think they will be asking Kevin to partner him. The rivalry is too intense.

1991 was a special year

Every now and again there is a season in British F3 which stands out as one producing great future talent. 1991 is the classic example; there were not many cars, about the same as this season, but the top  three drivers were to go on to have outstanding careers.

Rubens Barrichello was the champion and became the most experienced Grand Prix driver in history with 316 races. He won 11 Grand Prix, had 68 podiums, been on pole position 14 times and set fastest lap 17 times. He began his F1 career with Jordan, where he spent four seasons, and then had three with Stewart Ford. That was followed by his best-known period with Ferrari, where he spent five seasons, you might say as Michael Schumacher’s understudy, but he still had most of his wins there. In 2006 he switched to Honda, but that coincided with their fallow period and it was not until 2009, when the team became Brawn GP, that success came his way again. Sadly it was not to last, as Brawn became Mercedes and introduced other drivers. Rubens moved over to Williams, where he sought to help the team try to regain the glory of years past and was highly valued for his expertise.

The runner-up in 1991 was David Coulthard, who also won the Marlboro Masters of F3 and the Macau F3 Grand Prix, so overall he was the more successful. His Formula 1 career has come and gone and he is now the colour commentator for the BBC F1 TVcoverage alongside Martin Brundle. In his F1 career from 1994 to 2008 he had 13 wins, 62 podium places, 12 pole positions and 18 fastest laps. He made his F1 début for Williams in 1994, after the death of Ayrton Senna, scoring his first win in 1995.  He then moved to McLaren where he won 12 Grand Prix over nine years. It was perhaps his misfortune to race alongside the flying Finns, Mika Häkkinen and Kimi Räikkönen in this period, but he earned a reputation as not just a very fast driver but also a team player. His last spell in F1 was with Red Bull for four years, where he did much to lay the foundations for the success they are now enjoying. He’s still racing for Mercedes in the DTM, but not with any great success yet, but he’s become better known as the colour commentator for the BBC’s F1 coverage, working this year with Ben Edwards.

Third-placed in 1991 was the Brazilian, Gil de Ferran. Sadly I cannot quote any F1 statistics for him because he never raced in it. He tested successfully for Williams (I was there) and I know he was always puzzled to understand why Williams turned to DC rather than him when they wanted a regular test driver, but the two are good friends, so it was never a bone of contention between them. At the beginning of 1991 they were both testing for Paul Stewart Racing, but Gil couldn’t find the money to keep the drive and switched to Edenbridge Racing, where he drove a Reynard when the other two had Ralts. He switched to PSR for the following season and won the title.

Gil remains one of my favourite F3 champions, which is why much of this article is about him. Like the other two he had a spell in International F3000 after F3, but then took up an offer to drive in the States for Hall/VDS Racing in Champ Car. Sporting the distinctive yellow Pennzoil colours, Gil was Rookie of the year in 1995. The next three seasons were not as good as Jim Hall retired and Gil switched to Walker Racing. He had no wins, but came close several times. The first win came in 1999, but it was the end of an era as both Goodyear and Valvoline left Champ Car. Gil made his best career move yet, signing for Penske Racing. He won back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001 and stayed with Penske when they switched to the rival Indy Racing League, even though it was not his preference. He had earned a reputation for his politeness and integrity outside the car. 2003 was to be his last year in top-flight single-seaters. He won the Indianapolis 500 and his last race in the IRL to be runner-up in the League that year.

Since then he has had a spell in 2008 and 2009 as a successful team owner and driver in the American Le Mans Series, again winning his last race.

De Ferran currently lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with his English wife Angela (who was his girl-friend when he raced in British F3) and children Anna (born 1995) and Luke (born 1997). It’s only my personal opinion, but somehow I think Gil has had the best career of the three.