Formula 3

Formula 3 is the first step on the ladder within Formula 1’s support events. After Formula 3, drivers usually move on to Formula 2 before having a shot at Formula 1. Both F3 and F2 only race during F1 weekends, but the F3 calendar is shorter than that of F2 and in 2025 it consists of ten race weekends.

Each weekend features two races. On Friday there is one free practice session, followed by qualifying. Saturday hosts the sprint race, which uses a reversed grid of the top twelve qualifiers. On Sunday the main race is held, starting in the order of qualifying.

The grid is significantly larger than in F2 or F1. Each Formula 3 team fields three drivers, meaning that with ten teams there are 30 drivers in total. The points system is very similar to Formula 2. In Formula 3, the driver on pole position for the main race earns two points. One point is awarded for the fastest lap in each race, provided the driver finishes in the top ten. Both the sprint race and the feature race award points to the top ten finishers.

The current FIA Formula 3 Championship was created in 2019 following the merger of the GP3 Series and the European Formula 3 Championship. It is organized by the FIA and, just like Formula 2, was established to provide young drivers with a clearer pathway to Formula 1.

Unlike Formula 2, however, there are still many different Formula 3 championships. The FIA series is the most well-known, but there are also, for example, a British Formula 3 Championship and an Asian Formula 3 Championship.

Formula 3 is the first real step on the way to Formula 1. Before this level, drivers spend their careers in karting and Formula 4, but in F3 they race during F1 weekends and the pathway becomes more defined.

Most drivers in Formula 1 progressed from Formula 3 to Formula 2 before reaching the top category. But there are exceptions. Max Verstappen made a direct jump from F3 to F1, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli skipped Formula 3 altogether and went straight to Formula 2.