2013 GP3 Series Season

The 2013 GP3 Series was the fourth season of the GP3 Series, a motor racing championship that acted as a third-tier feeder series for Formula One and sister series GP2.

The season introduced a new car, the GP3/13, built by Italian racing car manufacturer Dallara. The engine was upgraded to a naturally-aspirated 400bhp V6 unit supplied by AER, and the car also featured a new nose, sidepods and engine cover. The car was estimated to be three seconds per lap than the previous chassis, which was proven correct during pre-season testing.

The championship title was secured by Daniil Kvyat with a race to spare after three consecutive feature race wins in Spa, Monza and Abu Dhabi. He had a thirty-point advantage on ART Grand Prix's Facu Regalia, who finished as runner-up. Regalia's teammate Conor Daly, who was the feature race winner at Valencia, finished in third. Tio Ellinas, who led the drivers' standings until the first race at Spa, bookended the season with victories in both the first race and the final race of the season to finish fourth. Jack Harvey completed the top five, helping ART Grand Prix to claim the teams' championship.

Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers competed in the 2013 season:

Team changes

The maximum grid size was formally capped at twenty-seven entries, down from the previous limit of thirty.

After racing as Lotus GP in 2011 and 2012, ART Grand Prix reverted to using its original name in 2013.

World Touring Car Championship team Bamboo Engineering replaced Atech CRS Grand Prix.

Ocean Racing Technology withdrew from both the GP3 Series and sister series GP2 after the 2012 season. Their place in the GP3 Series was taken by Formula Renault 2.0 series regulars Koiranen Motorsport, competing under the name Koiranen GP.

Driver changes

Reigning champions ART Grand Prix saw two drivers leave the team, with Daniel Abt graduating to GP2 with the team and Aaro Vainio moving to new team Koiranen GP. They were replaced by Facu Regalia, who competed in two rounds in 2012 for Jenzer Motorsport and Atech CRS GP, and reigning British Formula 3 champion Jack Harvey.

MW Arden brought a brand new line up, with reigning champion Mitch Evans graduating with the team to GP2, Matias Laine moving to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, and David Fumanelli moving to Trident Racing. They were replaced by two drivers from the Red Bull Junior Team, Formula Renault 2.0 Alps champion Daniil Kvyat and FIA European Formula 3 Championship driver Carlos Sainz Jr., as well as Robert Vișoiu, who previously raced for Jenzer Motorsport.

Carlin also signed three new drivers, with Alex Brundle moving to the FIA World Endurance Championship, William Buller deciding to focus on the newly formed European Formula Three Championship, and António Félix da Costa moving to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. They were replaced by Luís Sá Silva, who moved from the now-defunct Formula 3 Euro Series, Nick Yelloly, who had been racing in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2012, and Eric Lichtenstein, who placed third in the 2012 British Formula Ford championship.

Jenzer Motorsport signed Samin Gómez to replace the outgoing Robert Vișoiu. She had previously driven for the team in the 2012 Formula Abarth championship.

Marussia Manor Racing signed two new drivers for 2013, after Dmitry Suranovich switched to the FIA European Formula 3 Championship, and Fabiano Machado left motor racing. They were replaced by Ryan Cullen, who raced in the 2012 British Formula Ford season, and Dino Zamparelli, who moved from the now-defunct Formula Two championship.

Status Grand Prix brought a completely new line up after the departure of all three of their 2012 drivers; Marlon Stöckinger moved to Formula Renault 3.5, Alice Powell joined F3 Cup, and Lewis Williamson switched to series newcomers Bamboo Engineering. They were replaced by three rookies in Jimmy Eriksson, the 2012 German Formula Three champion, Adderly Fong, who placed third in the National Class of the 2012 British Formula 3 Championship, and Josh Webster, who moved from the Formula Renault BARC championship.

Newcomers Bamboo Engineering signed one rookie, Melville McKee, who contested the 2012 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, to drive alongside Lewis Williamson and Carmen Jordá, the latter leaving the now-defunct Ocean Racing Technology. Roberto La Rocca had originally been scheduled to drive the car, but was forced to withdraw due to uncertainty over his sponsorship following the death of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez.

Trident saw two of their 2012 drivers leave the series, as Antonio Spavone concentrated on Auto GP and Vicky Piria switched to the European F3 Open Championship. They were replaced by Sammarinese driver Emanuele Zonzini, who placed fifth in the 2012 Formula Abarth championship, and David Fumanelli.

The second new team, Koiranen GP, signed two rookies to drive alongside Aaro Vainio. They were Formula Renault 2.0 Alps driver Patrick Kujala and Formula Renault 3.5 Series driver Kevin Korjus.

Kevin Ceccon, who had raced for Ocean Racing Technology in 2012, returned to the GP2 Series. From Atech CRS GP, Tamás Pál Kiss moved to Auto GP and Ethan Ringel returned to America to compete in the Indy Lights series.

Mid-season changes

Alexander Sims replaced Adderly Fong at Status Grand Prix for the round at the Nürburgring as Fong had a clashing race in China. Sims then returned to the series full-time from Spa-Francorchamps, replacing Eric Lichtenstein at Carlin after Lichtenstein was unable to pay for his seat.

Both Robert Cregan and Alice Powell returned to the series for the final round at the Yas Marina Circuit, replacing David Fumanelli and Melville McKee at Trident and Bamboo Engineering respectively. 2010 FIA Formula Two Champion Dean Stoneman also made his return to single seaters in this round, taking Aaro Vainio's seat at Koiranen GP.

Calendar

The official calendar for the 2013 series was unveiled on 19 December 2012. The format remained largely unchanged from 2012, with seven rounds of the championship in support of the 2013 Formula One season and sister series GP2, plus the addition of a stand-alone round at Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

Calendar changes

* The series did not return to the Circuit de Monaco in 2013.
* The round scheduled to be held at the Valencia Street Circuit was discontinued after the European Grand Prix was removed from the 2013 Formula One season calendar. It was replaced by a stand-alone round at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, also in Valencia
* The round in Germany moved from the Hockenheimring to the Nürburgring, along with the
* The 2013 season saw the GP3 Series hold a round outside Europe for the first time, with the final round of the championship scheduled to be held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Results

Championship standings

;Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top 10 classified finishers in the race 1, and to the top 8 classified finishers in the race 2. The pole-sitter in the race 1 also received four points, and two points were given to the driver who set the fastest lap inside the top ten in both the race 1 and race 2. No extra points were awarded to the pole-sitter in the race 2.

;Race 1 points

;Race 2 points
Points were awarded to the top 8 classified finishers.

Drivers' championship

Notes:
*† — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.

Teams' championship

Notes:
*† — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.

Footnotes

References

External links

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{{GP2 Seasons

GP3 Series
GP3 Series seasons
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GP3 Series