2016 GP3 Series Season
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The 2016 GP3 Series was the seventh season of the third-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also seventh season under the moniker of
GP3 Series The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and the ...
, a
motor racing An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gene ...
feeder series that runs in support of the
2016 FIA Formula One World Championship The 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 70th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile ( FIA)'s Formula One motor racing. It featured the 67th Formula One World Championship, a motor racing championship for Formula O ...
and sister series GP2. In keeping with the series' philosophy of updating its technical regulations every three years, the Dallara GP3/13 chassis introduced in the 2013 season was discontinued and
Dallara Dallara Group S.r.l. is the largest multi-national Italian race car manufacturer, founded by its current President, Giampaolo Dallara. After working for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso, in 1972 in his native village of Varano de' M ...
supplied all teams with a new model known as the GP3/16, which will be used until 2018.
Mecachrome Mecachrome SAS is a precision engineering company based in France that operates in the aerospace, motor racing, energy and defence sectors. History Mecachrome was founded in 1937 in Colombes, France. As a precision engineering company, Mecachrom ...
took over as official engine supplier of the series from 2016 onwards, replacing AER after three years but the 3.4-litre V6 naturally-aspirated would remain.
ART Grand Prix ART Grand Prix is a French motor racing team that competes in formula single-seaters in Europe. In 2012, it competed in the GP2 Series and GP3 Series as Lotus GP to reflect sponsorship from British sports and racing car manufacturer Lotus. The ...
started the season as the defending teams' champions, and successfully defended their title, securing the championship after the first race at Monza. Monegasque driver
Charles Leclerc Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver who competes in Formula One for Ferrari. Leclerc was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and has won Grands ...
, who drove for ART Grand Prix, won the drivers' title after the first race in the final round in Abu Dhabi. The most races were won by runner-up
Alexander Albon Alexander Albon Ansusinha (; born 23 March 1996) is a Thai and British racing driver who competes under the Thai flag in Formula One for Williams. Born in Westminster and raised in Suffolk, Albon is the son of English racing driver Nigel A ...
, who scored 4 race wins, he lost the title by 25 points to his
ART Grand Prix ART Grand Prix is a French motor racing team that competes in formula single-seaters in Europe. In 2012, it competed in the GP2 Series and GP3 Series as Lotus GP to reflect sponsorship from British sports and racing car manufacturer Lotus. The ...
teammate
Charles Leclerc Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver who competes in Formula One for Ferrari. Leclerc was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and has won Grands ...
who took 3 feature race wins;
Antonio Fuoco Antonio Fuoco (born 20 May 1996) is an Italian racing driver who is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Ferrari AF Corse in the Ferrari 499P. He also serves as a development driver for the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One ...
took 2 race wins,
Jake Dennis Jake Dennis (born 16 June 1995) is a British racing driver, who competes in Formula E for Andretti Global, Andretti and serves as a factory driver for BMW in motorsport, BMW. Dennis won the 2022–23 Formula E World Championship with Andretti. ...
and
Nyck de Vries Hendrik Johannes Nicasius "Nyck" de Vries (; born 6 February 1995) is a Dutch racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing, Toyota and in Formula E for Mahindra Racing, Mahindra. In formula racing, ...
also took 2 podiums each on the top step.
Jake Hughes Jake John Hughes (born 30 May 1994) is a British people, British racing driver who currently competes in Formula E with Maserati MSG Racing and is also the simulator driver for the McLaren, McLaren F1 Team. He is the winner of the inaugural 2013 ...
took 2 sprint race wins; he won in
Hockenheim Hockenheim () is a town in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 20 km south of Mannheim and 10 km west of Walldorf. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain, Upper Rhine valley on the tourist theme routes "Baden Asparagus Route" ( ...
and Yas Marina.
Jack Aitken Jack Anthony Han-Aitken (Korean language, Korean: 한세용, ''Han Se-yong''; born 23 September 1995) is a British and South Korean racing driver, who competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Action Express Racing, Cadillac Whelen and i ...
, Matthew Parry, and
Ralph Boschung Ralph Boschung (; born 23 September 1997) is a retired Swiss people, Swiss racing driver who most recently competed in the 2023 Formula 2 Championship, 2023 FIA Formula 2 Championship for Campos Racing. He is a race winner in the 2016 GP3 Series ...
each took 1 race win during the season.


Teams and drivers

Teams are allowed to run four cars to compensate for the drop in the number of entries. The starting grid for any individual race meeting may contain a possible maximum of 28 cars across seven teams.


Driver changes

;Entering GP3 *
Alexander Albon Alexander Albon Ansusinha (; born 23 March 1996) is a Thai and British racing driver who competes under the Thai flag in Formula One for Williams. Born in Westminster and raised in Suffolk, Albon is the son of English racing driver Nigel A ...
, who finished seventh in the
2015 European Formula 3 season The 2015 FIA Formula 3 European Championship was a multi-event Motorsport#Motor racing, motor racing championship for single-seat Open-wheel car, open wheel Formula racing, formula racing cars that was held across Europe. The championship feature ...
, entered the series, with
ART Grand Prix ART Grand Prix is a French motor racing team that competes in formula single-seaters in Europe. In 2012, it competed in the GP2 Series and GP3 Series as Lotus GP to reflect sponsorship from British sports and racing car manufacturer Lotus. The ...
. *
Giuliano Alesi Giuliano Ryu Alesi (born 20 September 1999) is a French professional racing driver. He is the son of French racing driver and Formula One Grand Prix winner Jean Alesi and Japanese actress and TV personality Kumiko Goto. Career Karting Born ...
, son of former Formula One driver
Jean Alesi Jean Robert Alesi (; born Giovanni Roberto Alesi, 11 June 1964) is a French former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Alesi won the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix with Ferrari. Born and raised in Avignon, Alesi started karting a ...
, graduated to the series from French F4 with
Trident A trident (), () is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. As compared to an ordinary spear, the three tines increase the chance that a fish will be struck and decrease the chance that a fish will b ...
, with backing from
Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari (; ), currently racing under Scuderia Ferrari HP, is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "the Pranc ...
. * 2015 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps runner-up Jake Hughes, 2015 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC runner-up Kevin Jörg and European Formula 3 driver
Santino Ferrucci Santino Michael Ferrucci (born May 31, 1998) is an American racing driver. He competes in the IndyCar Series, driving the No 14 Chevrolet for A. J. Foyt Enterprises. He has also previously raced in the FIA Formula 2 Championship and the NASCAR ...
joined the series with newcomers
DAMS A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...
. *
Jake Dennis Jake Dennis (born 16 June 1995) is a British racing driver, who competes in Formula E for Andretti Global, Andretti and serves as a factory driver for BMW in motorsport, BMW. Dennis won the 2022–23 Formula E World Championship with Andretti. ...
, who finished third in the 2015 European Formula 3 season, entered the series with
Arden International Arden International, competing as Arden Motorsport, is a multiple formula racing team created and run by Christian Horner and Garry Horner. It currently competes in the GB4 Championship, and formerly ran in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, Formula ...
. *
Matevos Isaakyan Matevos "Matos" Isaakyan (; born 17 April 1998) is a Russian former racing driver. He is a former member of the SMP Racing driver programme. Career Karting Born in Moscow, Isaakyan began karting in his native Russia in 2010, finishing fifth in t ...
, who contested the last two rounds of the 2015 season for
Koiranen GP Koiranen Kemppi Motorsport, formerly also known as Koiranen bros. Motorsport and Koiranen GP, is a Finnish auto racing team based in Lahti, Finland. The team currently fields a one car entry in the LMP3 class of Asian Le Mans Series and Prototype ...
, moved to the series full-time with the team. * 2015 Euroformula Open runner-up
Konstantin Tereshchenko Konstantin Alekseyevich Tereshchenko ( rus, Константи́н Алексе́евич Тере́щенко, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin ɐlʲɪkˈsʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʲɪˈrʲeɕːɪnkə; born 17 June 1994), sometimes transliterated as Tereschenko, ...
and
2015 Renault Sport Trophy The 2015 Renault Sport Trophy season was the inaugural season of the Renault–supported touring car category, a one-make racing series that is part of the World Series by Renault. The season began at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on 30 May and fin ...
runner-up
Steijn Schothorst Steijn Schothorst (born 14 October 1994) is a former Dutch racing driver. His father Jeroen, his brothers Pieter and Freek, and his nephew Bas Schothorst are also active in Dutch motorsport. Karting and production car racing In 2009, Steijn Sch ...
joined the series with
Campos Racing Campos Racing (formerly Adrián Campos Motorsport and Campos Grand Prix) is a Spanish motor racing team based in Alzira, Valencia, founded by former Formula One driver Adrián Campos in 1997. The team has been successful in Formula Three, GP2 S ...
. * 2015 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and
Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...
champion
Jack Aitken Jack Anthony Han-Aitken (Korean language, Korean: 한세용, ''Han Se-yong''; born 23 September 1995) is a British and South Korean racing driver, who competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Action Express Racing, Cadillac Whelen and i ...
graduated to the series with Arden. * 2015 European Formula 3 entrant and 2015–16 MRF Challenge runner-up
Tatiana Calderón Tatiana Calderón Noguera (born 10 March 1993) is a Colombian racing driver currently competing in the 2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship driving for Gradient Racing. Calderón previously drove for the Drago Corse with ThreeBond squad in the S ...
entered the series with
Arden International Arden International, competing as Arden Motorsport, is a multiple formula racing team created and run by Christian Horner and Garry Horner. It currently competes in the GB4 Championship, and formerly ran in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, Formula ...
. *
Nirei Fukuzumi is a Japanese racing driver affiliated with Toyota Gazoo Racing who currently competes in Super GT for Rookie Racing, ROOKIE Racing and in Super Formula Championship, Super Formula for KC Motorgroup, KCMG. He won the GT300 class championship in S ...
, who finished fourth in
Japanese F3 was a national Auto racing, motor racing championship that takes place in Japan. It is a junior-level Formula racing, feeder formula that uses small Open-wheel car, single seater Formula Three chassis. As a result of Formula 3 naming regulatio ...
in 2015, stepped up to the series with ART Grand Prix. * European Formula 3 driver Mahaveer Raghunathan joined the series with Koiranen. * 2015 European Formula 3 rookie champion
Charles Leclerc Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver who competes in Formula One for Ferrari. Leclerc was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and has won Grands ...
, who finished fourth, entered the series with ART, with backing from
Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari (; ), currently racing under Scuderia Ferrari HP, is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "the Pranc ...
. * 2015
MotorSport Vision Formula Three Cup The MotorSport Vision Formula Three Cup is a national motor racing series that takes place primarily in the United Kingdom, with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It is a club racing series aimed towards amateur drivers and aspiring ...
and
Asian Le Mans Series The Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) is an Asian sports car racing endurance series created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and based in Asia. It is the successor to the defunct Japan Le Mans Challenge which folded in 2007 after its second s ...
runner-up Akash Nandy moved to the series with
Jenzer Motorsport Jenzer Motorsport is an auto racing team based in Switzerland. Founded in 1993 by Andreas Jenzer the team is currently competing in FIA Formula 3, Italian F4 and F4 Spanish and has had a number of drivers who would turn out to be successful in ...
. *
McLaren McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...
junior driver
Nyck de Vries Hendrik Johannes Nicasius "Nyck" de Vries (; born 6 February 1995) is a Dutch racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing, Toyota and in Formula E for Mahindra Racing, Mahindra. In formula racing, ...
, who finished third in the 2015 Formula Renault 3.5 Series season, joined the series with ART Grand Prix. ;Changing teams *
Antonio Fuoco Antonio Fuoco (born 20 May 1996) is an Italian racing driver who is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Ferrari AF Corse in the Ferrari 499P. He also serves as a development driver for the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One ...
and Sandy Stuvik, who raced with Carlin and
Status Grand Prix Status Grand Prix is a former motorsport team registered in Canada. Team history Based in Silverstone the team was formed in 2005 to run the A1 Team Ireland franchise in the new A1 Grand Prix series. The team's founders were former Jordan Grand Pr ...
in 2015 respectively, switched to Trident. *
Ralph Boschung Ralph Boschung (; born 23 September 1997) is a retired Swiss people, Swiss racing driver who most recently competed in the 2023 Formula 2 Championship, 2023 FIA Formula 2 Championship for Campos Racing. He is a race winner in the 2016 GP3 Series ...
, who raced with Jenzer in 2015, moved to Koiranen. *
Óscar Tunjo Óscar Andrés Tunjo (born 5 January 1996) is a Colombian racing driver. Career Karting Born in Cali, Tunjo began his racing career in karting at the age of five in Colombian championships, collecting titles in various classes. In 2007 he mov ...
, who won race at Spielberg with Trident in 2015, switched to Jenzer. ;Leaving GP3 * Aleksander Bosak, who competed for Arden International in the 2015 season, switched to Formula V8 3.5 with
Pons Racing Pons Racing was a motorcycle and auto racing team owned by the British company Pons Racing UK Limited. The team principal is former 250 cc world champion, Sito Pons. In motorcycle road racing world championships, Pons has fielded riders s ...
. * 2015 runner-up
Luca Ghiotto Luca Ghiotto (born 24 February 1995) is an Italian racing driver who competes in the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans and 2025 European Le Mans Series for Inter Europol Competition. He also competed in select rounds in the 2024 IndyCar Series for Dale ...
left the series to continue his collaboration with
Trident A trident (), () is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. As compared to an ordinary spear, the three tines increase the chance that a fish will be struck and decrease the chance that a fish will b ...
in
GP2 Series The GP2 Series was a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The GP2 format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Ecc ...
, while
Marvin Kirchhöfer Marvin Kirchhöfer (born 19 March 1994) is a German racing driver who currently competes in the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe, GT World Challenge Europe for Garage 59. He is a McLaren factory driver. Kirchhöfer achieved successes on the Junior ...
, who finished behind Ghiotto also graduated to GP2 with Carlin. *
Jann Mardenborough Jann Alexander Mardenborough (born 9 September 1991) is a British professional racing driver. He currently competes in the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup for HRT Ford Performance. In 2011, he became the third and youngest winner ...
, who finished ninth for Carlin in 2015, left the series to compete in both
Super GT Super GT (stylized as SUPER GT) is a sports car racing series that began in 1993. Launched as the , generally referred to as the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC), the series was renamed to Super GT in 2005. It is the top level of ...
and All-Japan F3. *
Seb Morris Sebastian "Seb" Morris (born 30 November 1995) is a professional racing driver from Marford, who lives in Chester, Cheshire. He won the 2017 British GT Championship. He also won the 2017 Sunoco Challenge which gave him the prize drive in the Num ...
, who raced with Status Grand Prix in the 2015 season, left the series to race in
British GT The British GT Championship is a sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom. The series was originally created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and, for its first two seasons, was known as the National Sports G ...
with Team Parker Racing. * 2015 season champion
Esteban Ocon Esteban José Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane (; born 17 September 1996) is a French racing driver who competes in Formula One for Haas F1 Team, Haas. Ocon won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with Alpine F1 Team, Alpine. Born and raised in Normandy to ...
left the series as the reigning champion is not permitted to continue competing in the series. He joined the
DTM DTM may refer to: Sport * Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a motor-racing series staged annually in Germany since 2000 * Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, a motor-racing championship staged in Germany from 1984 to 1995 Computing * Data Transfer ...
with
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
. ;Mid-season changes * European Formula 3 driver
Arjun Maini Arjun Maini (born 10 December 1997) is an Indian professional racing driver, currently competing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, and in the GT World Challenge Europe for Haupt Racing Team. He is currently a Ford Performance#Factory drivers ...
replaced
Óscar Tunjo Óscar Andrés Tunjo (born 5 January 1996) is a Colombian racing driver. Career Karting Born in Cali, Tunjo began his racing career in karting at the age of five in Colombian championships, collecting titles in various classes. In 2007 he mov ...
at Jenzer Motorsport from the Silverstone round onwards. *
Ralph Boschung Ralph Boschung (; born 23 September 1997) is a retired Swiss people, Swiss racing driver who most recently competed in the 2023 Formula 2 Championship, 2023 FIA Formula 2 Championship for Campos Racing. He is a race winner in the 2016 GP3 Series ...
was replaced by
2015 SMP F4 Championship The 2015 SMP F4 Championship season in motorsport, was the inaugural season of the SMP F4 Championship, a racing series regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations. It was a motor racing series for the North European Zone (NEZ) held in Esto ...
winner
Niko Kari Niko Kari (born 6 October 1999) is a Finnish former racing driver who last raced in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Jenzer Motorsport. He won his first single-seater championship, the 2015 SMP F4 Championship, in his debut year in car racing ...
, for the Spa round, with the team citing financial reasons for the decision. *
Alessio Lorandi Alessio Lorandi (born 8 September 1998) is an Italian former racing driver. Career Karting Lorandi began his racing career in karting in 2007. He won the Karting Federation Junior championship in 2013 and remained in karting until 2014. Formu ...
joined Jenzer Motorsport for the last two rounds at Sepang and Yas Marina.


Team changes

* After having competed in the series since its inaugural season, Carlin and Status Grand Prix left the championship due to lack of sponsorships. * DAMS, which operates across multiple single-seater championships, left Formula Renault 3.5 Series to join the GP3 series. *
Virtuosi Racing Virtuosi Racing (formerly Virtuosi UK) is a British racing team currently competing in the F4 British Championship. The team previously raced in the Auto GP series, in addition to running the Russian Time outfit in Formula 2 and its predecesso ...
were scheduled to enter, but were removed from the entry list before the season.


Calendar

On 4 March 2016, the full calendar was revealed with nine rounds taking place.


Calendar changes

* The series will return to the
Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring, officially Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg () is a motor racing circuit situated in the Rhine valley near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other mot ...
in support of the
German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix () was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history: the Nürburgring in Rhineland-Palatinate, Hockenheimring in B ...
, and will make its début at the
Sepang International Circuit Sepang International Circuit () (known as Petronas Sepang International Circuit for commercial reasons) is a motorsport race track in Sepang District, Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located approximately south of Kuala Lumpur, close to Ku ...
. * The rounds at the
Sochi Autodrom The Sirius Autodrom (), known before 2024 as Sochi Autodrom () and originally as the Sochi International Street Circuit and the Sochi Olympic Park Circuit, is a permanent race track in the settlement of Sirius next to the Black Sea resort city o ...
and the
Bahrain International Circuit The Bahrain International Circuit () is a motorsport venue opened in 2004 and used for drag racing, GP2 Series (now FIA Formula 2 Championship, FIA Formula 2), and the annual Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix. The 2004 Formula One season, 2004 Gr ...
were discontinued for the 2016 season.


Results


Season summary


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

Only three best-finishing cars are allowed to score points in the championship. Notes: *† — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.


Footnotes


References


External links

* {{GP2 Seasons GP3 GP3 Series seasons GP3
GP3 Series The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and the ...