The 1978 British Formula Three season was the 28th season of the British Formula Three racing. There was once again two major championships contested throughout the year: the British Automobile Racing Club organised BP Super Visco British Formula 3 Championship, and the British Racing Drivers' Club backed Vandervell British Formula 3 Championship. This would be the final year with multiple British championship, with the BARC and BRDC unifying for the following season.

The BARC championship was won by Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet ahead of British driver Derek Warwick, whilst in the BRDC championship, Warwick triumphed over Piquet.[1] Piquet subsequently moved up into Formula One during the same year, driving for the Brabham team in the final Formula 1 race of the season as well as two other teams earlier.

BP Super Visco British F3 Championship

The BARC championship was run over 16 rounds, held at ten different circuits across England and in Monaco and France.[2] The champion was Brazilian Nelson Piquet, ahead of BRDC series champion Derek Warwick[1]

Calendar and results

Round Date Circuit Winning driver Winning team Winning car Ref.
R1 12 March United Kingdom Thruxton Circuit United Kingdom Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota [3]
R2 27 March United Kingdom Thruxton Circuit United Kingdom Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota [4]
R3 16 April United Kingdom Brands Hatch United Kingdom Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota [5]
R4 22 April United Kingdom Oulton Park Brazil Chico Serra Sadia Racing with Project Four March 783 - Toyota [6]
R5 30 April United Kingdom Donington Park Brazil Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota [7]
R6 6 May Monaco Circuit de Monaco Italy Elio de Angelis Everest Racing Team Chevron B38 - Toyota [8]
R7 14 May United Kingdom Mallory Park Brazil Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota [9]
R8 29 May United Kingdom Thruxton Circuit Brazil Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota [10]
R9 11 June United Kingdom Brands Hatch Brazil Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota [11]
R10 25 June United Kingdom Cadwell Park Brazil Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota [12]
R11 2 July France Circuit Paul Ricard Brazil Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota [13]
R12 9 July United Kingdom Silverstone Circuit Brazil Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota [14]
R13 15 July United Kingdom Brands Hatch Brazil Chico Serra Sadia Racing with Project Four March 783 - Toyota [15]
R14 23 July United Kingdom Donington Park United Kingdom Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota [16]
R15 24 September United Kingdom Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit Brazil Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota [17]
R16 15 October United Kingdom Mallory Park New Zealand Rob Wilson International Computers Limited - Royal Grafton China Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota [18]
R17 29 October United Kingdom Thruxton Circuit Brazil Chico Serra Sadia Racing with Project Four March 783 - Toyota [19]

Final championship standings

Points were awarded to the top six drivers in each race as follows:[2]

 1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th  Fastest Lap
9 6 4 3 2 1 1
Pos. Driver Entrant Car-Engine Points
1 Brazil Nelson Piquet Brastemp / Arno Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota 101
2 United Kingdom Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota 72
3 Brazil Chico Serra Sadia Racing with Project Four March 783 - Toyota 72
4 United Kingdom Philip Bullmann Alan Docking Racing
Unipart Racing Team 		Chevron B38 - Toyota
March 783 - Triumph Dolomite/Swindon 		22
United Kingdom Tiff Needell Unipart Racing Team March 783 - Triumph Dolomite/Swindon
6 New Zealand Rob Wilson International Computers Limited - Royal Grafton China Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota 20
7 Italy Andrea de Cesaris Marlboro Team Tiga Ralt RT1/76 - Toyota 19
8 Sweden Stefan Johansson Anglia Cars Ltd Argo JM1 - Toyota 15
9 Netherlands Huub Rothengatter Racing Team Holland
Alan Docking Racing 		Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota
Chevron B38 - Toyota 		11
Denmark Thorkild Thyrring Marlboro Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota
11 France Jacques Coulon Martini Moutl - Jacques Coulon Martini Mk 21 - Toyota 10
Italy Elio de Angelis Scuderia Everest Chevron B38 - Toyota
13 France Alain Prost Écurie Elf Martini Mk 21 - Renault Gordini/Dudot 7
United Kingdom Ian Taylor Unipart Racing Team March 783 - Triumph Dolomite/Swindon
15 United Kingdom John Bright Rugby Finance (Midlands) Ltd
Twinsocks with McRitchie of Edinburgh 		Wheatcroft R18 - Toyota
March 773 - Toyota 		6
United Kingdom Jim Crawford Toyota Switzerland Chevron B43 - Toyota
Italy Siegfried Stohr Trivellato Racing Team Chevron B43 - Toyota
18 Italy Daniele Albertin Scuderia Del Lario Ralt RT1 - Toyota 4
19 United Kingdom Ian Flux Cloud Engineering Ralt RT1 - Toyota
March 773 - Toyota 		3
United Kingdom Nigel Mansell March Racing Team March 783 - Toyota
Spain Pedro Nogues Rushen Green Racing March 783 - Toyota
South Africa Trevor van Rooyen Unipart Racing Team
SDC Builders 		March 783 - Triumph Dolomite/Swindon
March 783 - Toyota
23 Australia Geoff Brabham Brabham Racing Organisation / Esso Ralt RT1 - Toyota 2
Netherlands Jan Lammers Racing Team Holland Ralt RT1 - Toyota
New Zealand Brett Riley Dr. Joseph Ehrlich
Unipart Racing Team 		Ehrlich RP4 - Toyota
March 783 - Triumph Dolomite/Swindon
26 France Patrick Bardinon Écurie Elf Martini Mk 21 - Toyota 1
France Philippe Colonna Alan Docking Racing Chevron B43 - Toyota
United Kingdom Derek Lawrence Derek Lawrence Chevron B38 - Chevrolet Vega/Titan
France Jean-Louis Schlesser Jean-Louis Schlesser Chevron B38 - Toyota
Source[1][2]

Vandervell British F3 Championship

The BRDC championship was run over ten rounds, held at five different circuits across England.[2] The champion was Englishman Derek Warwick, ahead of BARC series champion Nelson Piquet[1]

Calendar and results

Round Date Circuit Winning driver Winning team Winning car Ref.
R1 5 March United Kingdom Silverstone Circuit United Kingdom Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota [20]
R2 19 March United Kingdom Silverstone Circuit Brazil Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota [21]
R3 1 May United Kingdom Silverstone Circuit Brazil Chico Serra Sadia Racing with Project Four March 783 - Toyota [22]
R4 20 May United Kingdom Oulton Park Brazil Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota [23]
R5 13 August United Kingdom Mallory Park United Kingdom Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota [24]
R6 26 August United Kingdom Donington Park United Kingdom Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota [25]
R7 28 August United Kingdom Silverstone Circuit Brazil Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota [26]
R8 23 September United Kingdom Silverstone Circuit Brazil Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota [26]
R9 30 September United Kingdom Silverstone Circuit Brazil Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota
R10 28 August United Kingdom Brands Hatch United Kingdom Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota [27]

Non-championship races

Race Date Circuit Winning driver Winning team Winning car Ref.
World Cup International F3 Race 9 April United Kingdom Donington Park United Kingdom Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota [28]
Plastic Padding Formula 3 Trophy 11 November United Kingdom Thruxton Circuit United Kingdom Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota [29]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "F2 Register - Index".
  2. ^ a b c d "British Formula 3 1978 season review and full race results".
  3. ^ "Thruxton, 12 Mar 1978 « British Formula 3".
  4. ^ "Thruxton, 27 Mar 1978 « British Formula 3".
  5. ^ "Brands Hatch, 16 Apr 1978 « British Formula 3".
  6. ^ "Oulton Park, 22 Apr 1978 « British Formula 3".
  7. ^ "Donington Park, 30 Apr 1978 « British Formula 3".
  8. ^ "Monte Carlo, 6 May 1978 « British Formula 3".
  9. ^ "Mallory Park, 14 May 1978 « British Formula 3".
  10. ^ "Thruxton, 29 May 1978 « British Formula 3".
  11. ^ "Brands Hatch, 11 Jun 1978 « British Formula 3".
  12. ^ "Cadwell Park, 25 Jun 1978 « British Formula 3".
  13. ^ "Paul Ricard, 2 Jul 1978 « British Formula 3".
  14. ^ "Silverstone, 9 Jul 1978 « British Formula 3".
  15. ^ "Brands Hatch, 15 Jul 1978 « British Formula 3".
  16. ^ "Donington Park, 23 Jul 1978 « British Formula 3".
  17. ^ "Snetterton, 24 Sep 1978 « British Formula 3".
  18. ^ "Mallory Park, 15 Oct 1978 « British Formula 3".
  19. ^ "Thruxton, 29 Oct 1978 « British Formula 3".
  20. ^ "Silverstone, 5 Mar 1978 « British Formula 3".
  21. ^ "Silverstone, 19 Mar 1978 « British Formula 3".
  22. ^ "Silverstone, 1 May 1978 « British Formula 3".
  23. ^ "Oulton Park, 20 May 1978 « British Formula 3".
  24. ^ "Mallory Park, 13 Aug 1978 « British Formula 3".
  25. ^ "Donington Park, 26 Aug 1978 « British Formula 3".
  26. ^ a b "Silverstone, 28 Aug 1978 « British Formula 3".
  27. ^ "Brands Hatch, 7 Oct 1978 « British Formula 3".
  28. ^ "Donington Park, 9 Apr 1978 « British Formula 3".
  29. ^ "Thruxton, 11 Nov 1978 « British Formula 3".
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