The Italian Formula Three Championship was the

Formula Three Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...

racing competition in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

History

Formula Three has traditionally been regarded as the first major stepping stone for F1 hopefuls - it is typically the first point in a driver's career at which most drivers in the series are aiming at professional careers in racing rather than being amateurs and enthusiasts. Success in F3 can lead directly to more senior formulae such as GP2, A1 Grand Prix, or even a Formula One test or race seat. Most notably in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Italian F3 championship produced drivers who graduated to

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

to varying success. As of 2010, the last Italian Formula Three driver to graduate to

was 1994 Italian F3 champion

Giancarlo Fisichella Giancarlo "Giano" Fisichella (; born 14 January 1973), also known as Fisico or Fisi, is an Italian racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Fisichella won three Formula One Grands Prix across 14 seasons. Bo ...

, who debuted with

Minardi Minardi was an Italian automobile racing team and constructor founded in Faenza in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal following ...

's F1 team in . Other champions include successful World Sportscar driver Max Angelelli (1992 series champion) and

Riccardo Patrese Riccardo Gabriele Patrese (born 17 April 1954) is an Italian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Patrese was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Williams, and won six Grands Prix across 17 ...

. In December 2012, CSAI (the Italian motorsports commission) announced it would cancel the Formula 3 championship to focus on

Formula Abarth Formula Abarth was an open wheel racing An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, Sports car racing, sports cars, Stock car racing, stoc ...

Scoring system

*Since the 2012 season, points are awarded for race finishing drivers as follows:

Champions

References

External links

Italian Formula 3 Championship at forix.comOfficial Web Site at acisportitalia.it
{{Italian F3 Seasons 1964 establishments in Italy 2012 disestablishments in Italy Recurring sporting events established in 1964 Recurring events disestablished in 2012 Defunct auto racing series Formula Three series Defunct sports competitions in Italy