The GB3 Championship is a single seater motorsport series based in the United Kingdom. The championship is the UK's premier single-seater category, and is aimed at young racing drivers moving up from FIA Formula 4 championships, the GB4 Championship or Karting. Having previously been known since 2013 as the BRDC Formula 4 Championship, the championship was renamed the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship with the backing of the FIA in March 2016.[1] The championship was rebranded to GB3 Championship in August 2021.[2]
Like most junior formula series, it is a spec series, meaning all competitors use identical cars, engines, and tyres. While not officially branded as a Formula Regional series, the car specification for the 2025 season conforms to that of Formula Regional. Previous cars have been similar in performance to FR.[3]
History
On 23 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.[4]
BRDC British F3 morphed out of the BRDC F4 category, which ran for three seasons before the new car was introduced.
In 2014, George Russell was crowned champion following a dramatic victory in the season finale at Snetterton. Russell beat 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 teammate Harri Newey finished as runner-up, with Palmer subsequently named as the winner of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award in December.
In the first season of BRDC British F3, Matheus Leist secured the championship in the final weekend of the season, while British driver Lando Norris won three races and was named the winner of the 2016 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award in December.
Enaam Ahmed claimed the title after a dominant campaign in 2017 which saw him win a total of 13 races.
In August 2021 the series was renamed as GB3 Championship, after the FIA decided to restrict the use of "F3" to the FIA Formula 3 Championship, and the 2021 car did not meet FIA standards for Formula Regional accreditation[5]. British racing driver Zak O'Sullivan was the first to win the title under the new name.[6] The following month, MSV announced a new support series would be launched with the GB4 Championship.[7]
Shortly after the rebrand, the series announced a new car would be used for 2022, the Tatuus MSV-022, with performance and safety upgrades including the addition of the halo.[8] The new car has proven to be around two to three seconds a lap quicker than its predecessor.[9]
For 2025, the series will introduce the Tatuus MSV GB3-025, which will feature "F1-inspired aero", DRS and a new Mountune 2.0L generating 280bhp, among other changes.[10].
The Tatuus MSV-022 car is a significantly more powerful car than Formula 4 machinery, with a more sophisticated aerodynamic package and increased downforce which elevates its pace to equivalent to Formula Regional European Championship cars.
The car utilises a carbon-fibre Tatuus chassis equipped with the Halo and is powered by a two-litre normally aspirated 250bhp spec Mountune engine. The MSV-022 meets all the latest FIA Formula 3 safety regulations including side impact panels, front and rear carbon impact structures, wheel tethers and extractable seat.
An improved aerodynamic set-up includes a highly adjustable front-wing and two piece rear-wing, and an F1-style front splitter and rear diffuser, and underfloor aerodynamics.
It features a six-speed sequential gearbox with paddle shift provided by Sadev and fitted with a limited-slip differential, unique to GB3.
Pirelli provides both dry and wet tyres to the GB3 Championship.
The braking system is supplied by AP Racing and features 4-piston front calipers and floating, grooved and ventilated discs with 2-piston rear caliper and fixed vented rear disc.
Twin wishbone suspension with two-way adjustable dampers and adjustable front and rear anti-roll bars will provide drivers with plenty of scope for set-up changes.
Points system
Points are awarded to all finishing drivers in each race, except the reverse grid race two, using the following system in 2013:
Place
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Points
30
25
20
18
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Points are awarded to all finishing drivers in each race, using the following system since 2014:
Races
Position, points per race
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
13th
14th
15th
16th
17th
18th
19th
20th
Races 1 & 3
35
29
24
21
19
17
15
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Reverse grid race (2)
25
22
20
18
16
15
14
In the reverse grid races, an extra point is awarded per position gained compared to each drivers' starting position.
