Entry point to the F1 pathway
The first internationally standardised rung after karting, F4 and Formula Regional at which drivers race full Grand Prix weekends.
The first step on the FIA Grand Prix ladder
Formula Three
The entry point to Formula 1's official pathway — an identical Dallara chassis for every team, a compact two-race weekend, and the first rung where drivers race full Grand Prix weekends alongside F1 and F2.
2019First FIA Formula 3 season
10Teams on the 2026 grid
30Drivers on the 2026 grid
TeamsDriversSprint & Feature racesStrategyEngineering
What is Formula 3?
FIA Formula 3 is the third tier of the FIA's international single-seater pyramid and the first step at which drivers race full Grand Prix weekends alongside Formula 1 and Formula 2. It is a single-make series — every competitor uses an identical Dallara chassis and Mecachrome V6 engine — so the cars are equal and results come down to the driver and the team. The championship sits directly below FIA Formula 2 on the pathway to Formula 1.
- First F3 season
- 2019
- Governing body
- FIA
- Championship titles
- Drivers' & Teams'
- 2026 grid
- 10 teams · 30 drivers
01 — How it began
How Formula 3 began.
“Formula Three” was adopted by the FIA in 1950 as a lightweight, 500cc-engined class, with Britain among the first countries to run national championships carrying the name.
The modern FIA Formula 3 Championship launched in 2019, formed by merging the GP3 Series (2010–2018) and the FIA Formula 3 European Championship (2012–2018) into a single global series racing full-time alongside F1 and F2.
A second-generation car, the Dallara F3 2025, was unveiled at Monza in September 2024 and raced from the 2025 season — styled to more closely resemble the current F2 and F1 cars, and built to serve the championship through 2030.
- Governing body
- Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)
- Formula agreed
- 1950, original "Formula Three" category adopted by the FIA
- Predecessors
- GP3 Series (2010–2018) and FIA F3 European Championship (2012–2018)
- Unified series launched
- 2019, current FIA Formula 3 Championship debuts
- First F3 champion
- Robert Shwartzman, 2019
- Team title
- Teams' Championship awarded alongside the Drivers' title
02 — The essentials
What makes Formula 3 different?
Formula 3 is the first rung of the FIA pathway at which drivers race full Grand Prix weekends alongside F1 and F2.
Single-make series
An identical Dallara chassis and Mecachrome engine for the whole grid, removing car advantage entirely.
Shorter, denser sprint format
A compact two-race weekend tests drivers across more scenarios in less time than a single Grand Prix.
Younger, three-car grid
Minimum age 16, with three cars per team — a notably younger driver population than F1 or F2.
03 — Race weekend format
A race weekend, decoded.
Practice
A single 45-minute Friday session before qualifying begins.
Qualifying
A 30-minute session sets the Feature Race grid and, reversed, the top-12 pool for the Sprint Race.
Sprint & Feature
A 40-minute Sprint (reversed top-12 grid) and a 45-minute Feature Race (straight grid) pay a combined 39 points per weekend.
The 2026 Madrid finale is the exception: a second qualifying session and a second Feature Race replace the two races lost when the Bahrain round was cancelled.
04 — How points are scored
Formula 3 points system.
| Pos | Feature | Sprint |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 25 | 10 |
| 2nd | 18 | 9 |
| 3rd | 15 | 8 |
| 4th | 12 | 7 |
| 5th | 10 | 6 |
| 6th | 8 | 5 |
| 7th | 6 | 4 |
| 8th | 4 | 3 |
| 9th | 2 | 2 |
| 10th | 1 | 1 |
Bonus points
- +2 points for pole position (Feature Race grid).
- +1 point for fastest lap, only if that driver finishes in the top 10 (either race).
- Maximum possible in a standard weekend: 39 points for a driver, 89 for a team.
- Team points combine the results of all three cars.
The Sprint Race grid is the reverse of the top 12 qualifiers; the Feature Race uses the straight qualifying order. The two-Feature-Race Madrid finale is the one exception, and puts 67 points on the table.
05 — Race calendar
Finale: Madrid · 11–13 September 2026 Formula 3 calendar.
| Round | Location | Circuit | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Melbourne | Albert Park Circuit, Australia | 6–8 March |
| 02 | Monte-Carlo | Circuit de Monaco | 4–7 June |
| 03 | Barcelona | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain | 12–14 June |
| 04 | Spielberg | Red Bull Ring, Austria | 26–28 June |
| 05 | Silverstone | Silverstone Circuit, Great Britain | 3–5 July |
| 06 | Spa-Francorchamps | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium | 17–19 July |
| 07 | Budapest | Hungaroring, Hungary | 24–26 July |
| 08 | Monza | Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy | 4–6 September |
| 09 | Madrid | Madring, Spain (season finale) | 11–13 September |
Last updated: 6 September 2026. The Bahrain round originally set for 10–12 April was cancelled; its two races are replaced by an extra qualifying session and a second Feature Race at Madrid.
06 — From 1950 to today
Formula 3 timeline.
1950
Formula Three adopted
The FIA establishes a lightweight, 500cc-engined class; national championships follow across Europe.
2010
GP3 Series launches
A new feeder into GP2, running support to the European F1 rounds.
2012
FIA F3 European Championship
Launches on the new Dallara F312 chassis, becoming Europe's premier F3-badged series.
2019
Unified FIA Formula 3
GP3 and the F3 European Championship merge, debuting the Dallara F3 2019 alongside F1 and F2.
2020
Piastri's rookie title
Oscar Piastri wins the F3 title in his rookie season with Prema, en route to Formula 1.
2022
Format overhaul
F3 moves to its current Sprint Race and Feature Race structure with a new points system.
2023
Bortoleto's rookie title
Gabriel Bortoleto becomes the first rookie champion since Piastri, later reaching F1 with Sauber.
2024
Second-generation car unveiled
The Dallara F3 2025 is shown at Monza, the series' first full car-generation change since 2019.
07 — Technology and competition
The eras that reshaped the grid.
The 500cc era
Lightweight tube-frame cars powered by 500cc motorcycle engines raced mainly at national level.
Dallara GP3/10 to GP3/16
GP2's feeder category evolves from a turbo-4 to a naturally aspirated V6, later switching to a Mecachrome unit.
Dallara F312 / F317
Stricter, lower-downforce regulations with customer engines from Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.
Dallara F3 2019
The unified series' first car: a Mecachrome 3.4L V6 producing 380 hp, with halo cockpit protection.
Dallara F3 2025
A redesigned monocoque styled to align visually and dynamically with the current F2 and F1 cars.
08 — Champions and icons
Racers who defined their eras.
Current Champion
Rafael Câmara
2025 FIA Formula 3 Champion · Trident · took the title in his rookie season with a round to spare
F3
F3
GP3
F3
Oscar Piastri
2020 FIA F3 champion in his rookie season with Prema, later a Formula 1 race winner with McLaren.
2020 F3 champion
F3 Lando Norris
2017 FIA F3 European Championship champion with Carlin, now a race-winning Formula 1 driver.
2017 F3 European champion
F3 Lance Stroll
2016 FIA F3 European champion, the first Canadian to win the title, promoted directly to Formula 1.
2016 F3 European champion
Mick Schumacher
2018 FIA F3 European champion with Prema, later F2 champion and a Formula 1 driver with Haas.
2018 F3 European champion
Charles Leclerc
2016 GP3 champion with ART Grand Prix, ahead of his 2017 F2 title and Ferrari Formula 1 career.
2016 GP3 champion
GP3 George Russell
2017 GP3 champion with ART Grand Prix, later F2 champion and a Mercedes Formula 1 race winner.
2017 GP3 champion
F3 Gabriel Bortoleto
2023 FIA F3 champion with Trident in his rookie season, later reaching Formula 1 with Sauber.
2023 F3 champion
Rafael Câmara
2025 FIA F3 champion with Trident, the third Trident driver in a row to take the title.
2025 F3 champion
09 — Defining events
Crises, controversies and turning points.
Formation of unified FIA Formula 3
The merger of GP3 and the F3 European Championship creates a single global series racing alongside F1 and F2 for the first time.
Death of Anthoine Hubert
The 2018 GP3 champion dies following an accident in the F2 Feature Race at Spa-Francorchamps, a sobering moment for the whole junior ladder.
Piastri's rookie title
Piastri's F3 title in his first season becomes the model junior-ladder progression toward Formula 1.
Race-weekend overhaul
F3 moves to its current Sprint and Feature structure with reversed-grid sprints and a new points table.
Second-generation car revealed
The Dallara F3 2025 marks the championship's first full car-generation change since its 2019 launch.
Bahrain cancelled, Madrid doubled
The Iran war forces the Bahrain round off the calendar; the finale gains a second Feature Race, making it the highest-scoring weekend in the series' history.
10 — Meet the grid
Explore Formula 3 teams.
Current Champion Team
Campos Racing
Valencia, Spain · 2025 Teams' champion, leading the 2026 title on 277 points · pictured in Red Bull junior colours at Imola
#1
CAM
Campos RacingValencia, Spain · 277 pts
#2
TRI
TridentMilan, Italy · 213 pts
#3
ART
ART Grand PrixSaint-Pierre-du-Perray, France · 155 pts
#4
VAR
Van Amersfoort RacingZeewolde, Netherlands · 155 pts
#5
MP
MP MotorsportWestmaas, Netherlands · 131 pts
#6
ROD
Rodin MotorsportSilverstone, UK · 121 pts
#7
DAM
DAMS Lucas OilLe Mans area, France · 53 pts
#8
PRM
Prema RacingGrisignano di Zocco, Italy · 51 pts
#9
AIX
AIX RacingAndernach, Germany · 42 pts
#10
HTG
Hitech Grand PrixSilverstone, UK · 41 pts
11 — Frequently asked
Formula 3 FAQ.
What is FIA Formula 3?
The third tier of the FIA's international single-seater pyramid, a single-make series on Dallara chassis positioned directly below Formula 2 and feeding into Formula 1.
How does F3 fit into the ladder below F2?
Karting → Formula 4 → Formula Regional → FIA Formula 3 → FIA Formula 2 → Formula 1. F3 is the first rung that races full Grand Prix weekends.
Is Formula 3 the same as GP3?
No, but it is GP3's direct successor: GP3 (2010–2018) merged with the FIA F3 European Championship (2012–2018) to create the current FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2019.
What's the difference between the Sprint Race and the Feature Race?
The Sprint uses a grid reversed from the top 12 qualifiers and pays points to the top 10; the Feature uses the straight qualifying order and pays F1-style points to the top 10 plus bonus points for pole and fastest lap.
Who has won the FIA Formula 3 Championship?
Robert Shwartzman (2019), Oscar Piastri (2020), Dennis Hauger (2021), Victor Martins (2022), Gabriel Bortoleto (2023), Leonardo Fornaroli (2024) and Rafael Câmara (2025).
Who is leading the 2026 Formula 3 championship?
After Monza on 6 September 2026, Freddie Slater (Trident) leads on 141 points from Ugo Ugochukwu (Campos Racing) on 126, with the Madrid finale on 11–13 September still to run. Campos leads the Teams' Championship on 277 points.
Why does the 2026 season have only nine rounds?
The Bahrain round scheduled for April was cancelled because of the Iran war. Rather than replace it, F3 added a second qualifying session and a second Feature Race to the Madrid finale, which now offers 67 points instead of the usual 39.
How many teams and drivers compete in F3?
10 teams with three cars each, for 30 drivers on the 2026 grid.
What car do F3 drivers race?
A spec Dallara chassis with a Mecachrome 3.4-litre naturally aspirated V6 producing 380 hp. The current-generation car is the Dallara F3 2025, in use since the 2025 season.
How old do you have to be to race in F3?
The minimum age is 16, with a Grade A or B FIA racing licence required.
Where does F3 race?
Exclusively as a support series to Formula 1 and Formula 2 Grand Prix weekends.
Which famous F1 drivers came through F3 or GP3?
Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, Mick Schumacher and Gabriel Bortoleto are among the F3/GP3 graduates who reached Formula 1.
What's the difference between F3 and F2?
F2 sits one rung higher — more powerful cars, closer in specification and performance to F1, and typically the final step before a driver reaches Formula 1.
Is Kozmozracing affiliated with Formula 3 or its teams?
No. Unless a product page explicitly states otherwise, Kozmozracing is an independent store and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the FIA, Formula 3, any team or driver.
Sources
- Official FIA Formula 3 Championship website · FIAFormula3.com (official)
- 2026 FIA Formula 3 drivers' and teams' standings · FIAFormula3.com (official)
- FIA Formula 3 Championship history, merger and champions · Wikipedia
- 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship season, entry list and calendar · Wikipedia
- GP3 Series history and champions (2010–2018) · Wikipedia
- FIA Formula 3 Championship, 2026 season · FIA (official)
- Photo: Rodin Motorsport F3 car, Imola 2025, by Jen_ross83 · Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
- Photo: Campos Racing F3 car, Imola 2025, by Jen_ross83 · Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Independent fan guide: Formats, teams and calendars can change. Verify current sporting information with the FIA and FIAFormula3.com directly. Championship, team and driver names belong to their respective rights holders.
12 — The collection
Formula 3-inspired collection.
No products are assigned to Formula 3 yet. Add products to this series in the product editor.