2016 Formula V8 3.5 Series
| Company type | Motorsport championship |
|---|---|
| Industry | Auto racing |
| Predecessor | Renault Sport (management until 2015) |
| Founded | 2016 (independently managed by RPM Racing) |
Area served | Europe |
Key people | Tom Dillmann (driver champion) |
| Products | Open-wheel formula car racing series |
The 2016 Formula V8 3.5 Series represented a European championship consisting of multiple rounds, featuring open-wheel formula cars built to comply with the series' technical guidelines. This season was notable as the first to be independently managed by RPM Racing after Renault Sport ceased its involvement following the conclusion of the 2015 campaign.
The championship for drivers was claimed by Tom Dillmann, who secured two victories, including the critical second race at Barcelona. He finished seven points ahead of the runner-up, Louis Delétraz, who also earned the distinction of being the top rookie that year. At 27 years old, Dillmann became the most senior driver to win the title in this series. Despite achieving five wins, Egor Orudzhev placed third overall due to a mix of inconsistent performances and several retirements. The fourth position was taken by Roy Nissany, who triumphed in three races, notably both events at Silverstone. Additional race winners included Matthieu Vaxivière, Aurélien Panis, Matevos Isaakyan, and Johnny Cecotto Jr..
Teams and drivers
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Template:Motorsport class | Competitor new to the series in 2016 (lacking extensive prior experience in Formula Renault 3.5 or GP2) |
Driver Movements
- Team Transfers
- Tom Dillmann switched from Jagonya Ayam with Carlin to AVF.
- Yu Kanamaru moved from Pons Racing to the newly established Teo Martín Motorsport.
- Roy Nissany left Tech 1 Racing to join Lotus.
- Aurélien Panis transitioned from Tech 1 Racing to Arden Motorsport.
- Matthieu Vaxivière departed Lotus and signed with SMP Racing.
- Following Pons Racing's exit, Beitske Visser, who was initially to join Pons after two years at AVF, committed to Teo Martín Motorsport.
- New and Returning Entrants in Formula V8 3.5
- The 2015 SMP F4 runner-up, Vladimir Atoev, was initially scheduled to race for SMP Racing but was replaced by Matevos Isaakyan due to health concerns.
- 2015 Euroformula Open champion Vitor Baptista entered the championship representing RP Motorsport.
- After a single appearance at Nürburgring in 2015, GP2 driver René Binder secured a full-time seat with Lotus.
- Former GP2 racer Johnny Cecotto Jr. joined the series with RP Motorsport.
- Amateur racer Giuseppe Cipriani signed with the Durango Racing Team.
- The 2015 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC champion, Louis Delétraz, committed to a full season with Fortec Motorsport.
- Coming from the 2015 European Formula 3 Championship, Pietro Fittipaldi continued his career at Fortec Motorsports.
- Departures from Formula V8 3.5
- Competitors Philo Paz Armand, Sean Gelael, Gustav Malja, and Nicholas Latifi advanced to the 2016 GP2 Series, joining Trident, Campos Racing, Rapax, and DAMS respectively.
- The reigning champion of 2015, Oliver Rowland, moved full-time into GP2 with MP Motorsport.
- Jazeman Jaafar shifted focus to both the Blancpain Sprint and Endurance Series driving for HTP Motorsport.
- Part-time participant Roberto Merhi entered the LMP2 class of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship with Manor Motorsport.
- DAMS drivers Dean Stoneman and Nyck de Vries transitioned to Indy Lights and GP3 Series respectively, signing with Andretti Autosport and ART Grand Prix.
- Mid-season competitor Nikita Zlobin switched to the Euroformula Open Championship with Teo Martín Motorsport.
- Adjustments During the Season
- Prior to the Le Castellet round, RP Motorsport replaced Johnny Cecotto Jr. with Artur Janosz.
- At the Red Bull Ring event, Janosz was succeeded by Marco Bonanomi at RP Motorsport.
- William Buller took over from Bonanomi for Monza.
- For the final stages at Jerez and Barcelona, Jack Aitken replaced Buller.
Changes Among Teams
- After competing in Formula Renault 3.5 for five seasons (2005 and 2012–2015), DAMS exited the series to participate in GP3. Their spot was filled by Teo Martín Motorsport, an International GT Open team.
- The Swiss outfit Spirit of Race made its first appearance in 2016, taking over from International Draco Racing and operating under SMP Racing’s Russian license.
- RP Motorsport, known from Euroformula Open, debuted in this championship in 2016.
- Carlin withdrew in March 2016 to prioritize their efforts in the GP2 Series.
- Durango Racing Team entered the series for the first time in 2016, replacing Tech 1 Racing.
- Pons Racing pulled out to focus on their commitments within Moto2.
Race calendar
The tentative schedule for 2016, revealed on 17 October 2015, included the reintroduction of Paul Ricard, Monza, and Barcelona circuits, while Monaco, Nürburgring, and Le Mans Bugatti were excluded. On 8 March 2016, the dates for the final two rounds were rearranged: Jerez was designated as the penultimate event, with Barcelona concluding the season.
| Round | Circuit | Date | Supporting | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R1 | Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Ciudad del Motor de Aragón, Alcañiz | 16 April | Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Renault Sport Trophy |
| R2 | 17 April | |||
| 2 | R1 | Template:Country data HUNTemplate:Namespace detect showall Hungaroring, Mogyoród | 23 April | World Touring Car Championship |
| R2 | 24 April | |||
| 3 | R1 | Template:Country data BELTemplate:Namespace detect showall Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa | 21 May | International GT Open |
| R2 | 22 May | |||
| 4 | R1 | Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet | 25 June | Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup |
| R2 | 26 June | |||
| 5 | R1 | Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Silverstone Circuit | 23 July | International GT Open |
| R2 | 24 July | |||
| 6 | R1 | Template:Country data AUTTemplate:Namespace detect showall Red Bull Ring, Spielberg | 10 September | |
| R2 | 11 September | |||
| 7 | R1 | Template:Country data ITATemplate:Namespace detect showall Autodromo Nazionale Monza | 1 October | |
| R2 | 2 October | |||
| 8 | R1 | Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Circuito de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera | 29 October | Euroformula Open |
| R2 | 30 October | |||
| 9 | R1 | Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona | 5 November | International GT Open |
| R2 | 6 November | |||
Results
| R1 | Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Circuit Paul Ricard | Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Matthieu Vaxivière | Template:Country data RUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Egor Orudzhev | Template:Country data RUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Egor Orudzhev | Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Arden Motorsport | Template:Country data CHETemplate:Namespace detect showall Louis Delétraz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Country data ISRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Roy Nissany | Template:Country data CHETemplate:Namespace detect showall Louis Delétraz | Template:Country data CHETemplate:Namespace detect showall Louis Delétraz | Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Fortec Motorsports | Template:Country data CHETemplate:Namespace detect showall Louis Delétraz | ||
| R1 | Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Silverstone Circuit | Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Matthieu Vaxivière | Template:Country data ISRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Roy Nissany | Template:Country data ISRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Roy Nissany | Template:Country data CZETemplate:Namespace detect showall Charouz Racing System#Lotus Lotus | Template:Country data BRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Pietro Fittipaldi |
| Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showallMatthieu Vaxivière | Template:Country data ISRTemplate:Namespace detect showallRoy Nissany | Template:Country data ISRTemplate:Namespace detect showallRoy Nissany | Template:Country data CZETemplate:Namespace detect showallCharouz Racing System#Lotus Lotus | Template:Country data CHETemplate:Namespace detect showallLouis Delétraz | ||
| R1 | Template:Country data AUTTemplate:Namespace detect showallRed Bull Ring | Template:Country data CHETemplate:Namespace detect showallLouis Delétraz | Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showallMatthieu Vaxivière | Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showallMatthieu Vaxivière | Template:Country data RUSTemplate:Namespace detect showallAF Corse#SMP Racing SMP Racing | Template:Country data CHETemplate:Namespace detect showallLouis Delétraz |
| Template:Country data RUSTemplate:Namespace detect showallMatevos Isaakyan | ||||||
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Championship standings
- Scoring structure
Points were allocated to the first 10 competitors who completed the 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
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Bold – Pole position
Italics – Fastest lap
† – Retired but classified
Teams' Championship
Italics – Fastest lap † – Retired but classified
External links |
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