2012 Formula Renault 3.5 Series

Formula Renault 3.5 Series

Company type	Motorsport championship
Industry	Auto racing
Founded	2005
Founder	Renault Sport
Area served	International
Key people	Robin Frijns (2012 drivers' champion), Tech 1 Racing (2012 teams' champion)
Products	Single-seater racing series
Website	web.archive.org/web/20120526191304/http://www.worldseriesbyrenault.com/

The 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 Series represented the eighth iteration of the single-seater championship supported by Renault.

This edition debuted the Dallara T12 chassis, powered by a V8 engine developed by the British company Zytek Motorsport. Additionally, it introduced a new gearbox supplied by Ricardo and incorporated a Drag Reduction System akin to that employed in the 2011 Formula One season. The sporting regulations remained consistent with the previous year.

In his rookie campaign, Robin Frijns secured the drivers' title, becoming the first to achieve this feat since Robert Kubica in 2005. Meanwhile, Tech 1 Racing captured their fourth teams' championship.

Teams and drivers

By 10 October 2011, eighteen teams had submitted applications for participation in the 2012 season. Of these, twelve out of thirteen teams from the prior year reapplied; however, Mofaz Racing withdrew due to financial constraints. New entries included Arden International, Atech, Reid GP, DAMS, Koiranen Motorsport, and Van Amersfoort Racing, alongside Max Travin Racing Team, which partnered with BVM Target before the season commenced. The finalized list of thirteen teams was announced on 17 October 2011. Notably, GP2 outfits Arden International and DAMS joined the grid, while EPIC Racing and Koiranen Motorsport were designated as reserves.

Team	No.	Driver name	Status	Rounds
Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Carlin Motorsport	1	Template:Country data DNKTemplate:Namespace detect showall Kevin Magnussen	Template:Motorsport class	All
	2	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Will Stevens	Template:Motorsport class	All
Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Fortec Motorsport	3	Template:Country data COLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Carlos Huertas	Template:Motorsport class	All
	4	Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showall Robin Frijns	Template:Motorsport class	All
Template:Country data CZETemplate:Namespace detect showall ISR Racing	5	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Sam Bird		All
	6	Jake Rosenzweig		All
Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Tech 1 Racing	7	Template:Country data ESTTemplate:Namespace detect showall Kevin Korjus		1–6
		Daniel Abt	Template:Motorsport class	7–9
	8	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Jules Bianchi		All

Driver changes

Team switches

• Arthur Pic transferred from Tech 1 Racing to newcomers DAMS for the 2012 campaign.
• Jake Rosenzweig moved from Mofaz Racing to compete with ISR Racing.
• Alexander Rossi, who finished third in 2011 driving for Fortec Motorsport, joined the new entrant team Arden Caterham.

New or returning entrants to FR3.5

• The 2010 champion Mikhail Aleshin made a full-time return with Team RFR, alongside teammate Anton Nebylitskiy.
• Zoël Amberg entered Formula Renault 3.5 competing for Pons Racing.
• Former GP2 podium finisher Jules Bianchi signed on with Tech 1 Racing.
• Sam Bird, who placed sixth in GP2, joined ISR.
• Graduates from lower-tier series Yann Cunha and Lucas Foresti stepped up to Pons Racing and DAMS respectively.
• Colombian racer Carlos Huertas, third in British F3, and Eurocup champion Robin Frijns both signed contracts with Fortec Motorsport.
• British F3 runner-up Kevin Magnussen continued his tenure at Carlin Motorsport, accompanied by teammate Will Stevens.
• German F3's twelfth-placed finisher Nikolay Martsenko switched to BVM Target.
• Lotus enlisted German F3 champion Richie Stanaway along with runner-up Marco Sørensen.
• Auto GP victor Giovanni Venturini joined BVM Target's lineup.
• GP3 race winners Lewis Williamson and Nico Müller entered with Arden Caterham and International Draco Racing respectively.
• GP3 competitor Nick Yelloly took a full-time seat at Comtec Racing, joined by fellow driver Vittorio Ghirelli.

Departures from FR3.5

• Nathanaël Berthon advanced to GP2 with Racing Engineering.
• Albert Costa transitioned to Eurocup Mégane Trophy racing for Oregon Team.
• Daniël de Jong moved full-time into Auto GP World Series driving for Manor MP Motorsport.
• Daniel McKenzie switched to compete in the 2012 Formula Two Championship.
• Sten Pentus joined Auto GP World Series representing Virtuosi UK.
• After finishing fifth overall, Daniel Ricciardo secured a full-time Formula One seat at Scuderia Toro Rosso.
• Stéphane Richelmi progressed to GP2 with Trident Racing.
• Filip Salaquarda shifted focus to FIA GT1 World Championship with AF Corse.
• DTM's Abt Sportsline team signed former FR3.5 driver Adrien Tambay.
• Mofaz competitor Chris van der Drift moved to Auto GP World Series.
• Runner-up in 2011, Jean-Éric Vergne, advanced to Formula One at Scuderia Toro Rosso.
• Oliver Webb committed full-time to Indy Lights with Sam Schmidt Motorsports.
• The reigning champion from 2011, Robert Wickens, joined DTM under Mercedes junior program at Mücke Motorsport.
• BVM Target's former driver, Daniel Zampieri, transitioned into sportscar racing with Kessel Racing in both International GT Open and Blancpain Endurance Series.

Mid-season adjustments

• Richie Stanaway of Lotus was sidelined for the remainder of the season due to injury; his seat was initially filled by César Ramos and subsequently by GP2 driver Nigel Melker following the Moscow round.
• Giovanni Venturini departed BVM Target because of financial difficulties; Auto GP driver Sergey Sirotkin replaced him at Moscow. Daniel Zampieri returned at Silverstone owing to Sirotkin’s other obligations.
• Following loss of Red Bull Junior Team support, Lewis Williamson was released by Arden Caterham and replaced by GP3 driver António Félix da Costa.

Race schedule and outcomes

In August 2011, it was announced that the 2012 championship would include visits to Russia and Brazil. However, the finalized 2012 calendar, published on 10 October 2011, featured Russia but excluded Brazil. Of the nine rounds, seven were held in conjunction with the 2012 World Series by Renault season, while additional races took place at the Grand Prix and the 6 Hours of Silverstone events.

Round		Circuit	Date	Pole Position	Fastest Lap	Race Winner	Winning Team	Rookie Winner
1	R1	Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Ciudad del Motor de Aragón, Alcañiz	5 May	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Arthur Pic	Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showall Robin Frijns	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Nick Yelloly	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Comtec Racing	Template:Country data DNKTemplate:Namespace detect showall Kevin Magnussen
	R2		6 May	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Arthur Pic	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Arthur Pic	Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showall Robin Frijns	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Fortec Motorsports	Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showall Robin Frijns
2		Template:Country data MCOTemplate:Namespace detect showall Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	27 May	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Sam Bird	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Jules Bianchi	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Sam Bird	Template:Country data CZETemplate:Namespace detect showall ISR	Template:Country data CHETemplate:Namespace detect showall Nico Müller
3	R1	Template:Country data BELTemplate:Namespace detect showall Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps	2 June	Template:Country data DNKTemplate:Namespace detect showall Kevin Magnussen	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Jules Bianchi	Template:Country data DNKTemplate:Namespace detect showall Marco Sørensen	Template:Country data CZETemplate:Namespace detect showall Charouz Racing System#Lotus Lotus	Template:Country data DNKTemplate:Namespace detect showall Marco Sørensen
	R2		3 June	Template:Country data DNKTemplate:Namespace detect showall Kevin Magnussen	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Jules Bianchi	Template:Country data DNKTemplate:Namespace detect showall Kevin Magnussen	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Carlin Motorsport#Carlin Carlin	Template:Country data DNKTemplate:Namespace detect showall Kevin Magnussen
4	R1	Nürburgring	30 June	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Jules Bianchi	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Jules Bianchi	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Jules Bianchi	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Tech 1 Racing	Template:Country data CHETemplate:Namespace detect showallNico Müller
	R2		1 July	Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showallRobin Frijns	Template:Country data RUSTemplate:Namespace detect showallMikhail Aleshin	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showallNick Yelloly	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showallComtec Racing	Template:Country data DNKTemplate:Namespace detect showallMarco Sørensen
5	R1	Template:Country data RUSTemplate:Namespace detect showallMoscow Raceway	14 July	Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showallRobin Frijns	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showallJules Bianchi	Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showallRobin Frijns	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showallFortec Motorsports	Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showallRobin Frijns
	R2		15 July	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showallJules Bianchi	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showallArthur Pic	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showallArthur Pic	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showallDAMS	Template:Country data COLTemplate:Namespace detect showallCarlos Huertas
6	R1	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showallSilverstone Circuit	25 August	Template:Country data DNKTemplate:Namespace detect showallKevin Magnussen	Template:Country data PRTTemplate:Namespace detect showallAntónio Félix da Costa	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showallJules Bianchi	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showallTech 1 Racing	Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showallRobin Frijns
	R2		26 August	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showallJules Bianchi	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showallJules Bianchi	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showallSam Bird	Template:Country data CZETemplate:Namespace detect showallISR Racing#ISR ISR	Template:Country data PRTTemplate:Namespace detect showallAntónio Félix da Costa
7	R1	Template:Country data HUNTemplate:Namespace detect showallHungaroring, Mogyoród	15 September	{ { flag icon \|\ NLD } }Robin Frijns	\ FRA } }Jules Bianchi	\ NLD } }Robin Frijns	\ { { flag icon \|\ GBR } }Fortec Motorsport s } }	\ NLD } }Robin Frijns |- ! R2	16 September	\ NLD } }Robin Frijns	\ USA } }Alexander Rossi (racing driver)	\ PRT } }António Félix da Costa	\ GBR } }Arden International#Arden ArdenCaterham Cars#Caterham Caterham	\ PRT } }António Félix da Costa |- !rowspan=2\|\ 8 ! R1\ |\ rowspan=2\|\ { { flag icon \|\ FRA } }Circuit Paul Ricard, [ [Le Castellet, Var\|\ Le Castellet] ]\ |\ 29 September\ |\ { { flag icon \|\ GBR } }Nick Yelloly \ |\ { { flag icon \|\ USA } }[ [Alexander Rossi (racing driver) ] ]\ |\ { { flag icon \|\ PRT } }[ [António Félix da Costa ] ]\ |\ { { flag icon \|\ GBR} }[ [Arden International#Arden Arden] ][[Caterham Cars#Caterham Caterham] ]\ |\ { { flag icon \|\ PRT} }[ [António Félix da Costa ] ]\ |- ! R2\ |\ { nowrap }\|\ 30 September\ |\ { { flag icon \|\ FRA} }[ [Jules Bianchi ] ]\ |\ { { flag icon \|\ PRT} }[ [António Félix da Costa ] ]\ |\ { { flag icon \|\ FRA} }[ [Jules Bianchi ] ]\ |\ { { flag icon \|\ FRA} }[ [Tech 1 Racing] ]\ |\ { { flag icon \|\ PRT} }[ [António Félix da Costa ] ]\ |- !rowspan=2\|\ 9 ! R1\ |\ rowspan=2\|\ { { flag icon \|\ ESP} }[ [Circuit de Catalunya], [Montmeló] ]\ |\ 20 October\ |\ { { flag icon \|\ FRA} }[ [Jules Bianchi] ]\ |\ { { flag icon \|\ USA} }[ [Alexander Rossi (racing driver)] ]\ |\ { { flag icon \|\ PRT} }[ [António Félix da Costa] ]\ |\ { { flag icon \|\ GBR} }[ [Arden International#Arden Arden] ][[Caterham Cars#Caterham Caterham] ]\ |\ { { flag icon \|\ PRT} }[ [António Félix da Costa] ]\ |- ! R2\ |\ 21 October\ |\ { { flag icon \|\ RUS} }[ [Mikhail Aleshin] ]\ |\{ {FlagIcon}\ USA}\ [Alexander Rossi (racing driver)]}\ |\{nowrap}{FlagIcon}\ PRT}\ António Félix da Costa}\ |\{nowrap}{FlagIcon}\ GBR}\ Arden Caterham}\ |\{nowrap}{FlagIcon}\ PRT}\ António Félix da Costa}\ |-

Championship standings

Points allocation

Points are granted to the top ten finishers in each race.

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
Points	25	18	15	12	10	8	6	4	2	1

Drivers' Championship

Position Driver ARA Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall MON Template:Country data MCOTemplate:Namespace detect showall SPA Template:Country data BELTemplate:Namespace detect showall NÜR MSC Template:Country data RUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall SIL Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall HUN Template:Country data HUNTemplate:Namespace detect showall LEC Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall CAT Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Total Points 1 Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showall Robin Frijns 3 1 Retired 7 3 3 5 1 17 2 9 1 5

Bold – Pole position
Italics – Fastest lap
† – Retired but still classified

Teams' Championship

Position Team Car Number ARA Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall MON Template:Country data MCOTemplate:Namespace detect showall SPA Template:Country data BELTemplate:Namespace detect showall NÜR MSC Template:Country data RUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall SIL Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall HUN Template:Country data HUNTemplate:Namespace detect showall LEC Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall CAT Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Total Points 1 Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Tech 1 Racing 7 Retired 4 4 DNS 13 14 Retired 5 3 Retired 15 18 24 Retired 18 16 Retired 234 8 DSQ 13 2 2 17 1 12 2 7 1 3 3 9 4 1 7 Retired ... [Subsequent teams and their results are similarly summarized with emphasis on key finishes and total points.] Template:Motorsport driver results legendBold – Indicates pole position Italics – Fastest lap recorded † – Driver retired but classified External links Official World Series by Renault website (archived) Renault Sport official site (archived)