The 1978 British Formula Three season was the 28th season of the British Formula Three racing. There was once again two major championships contested throughout the year: the British Automobile Racing Club organised BP Super Visco British Formula 3 Championship, and the British Racing Drivers' Club backed Vandervell British Formula 3 Championship. This would be the final year with multiple British championship, with the BARC and BRDC unifying for the following season.
The BARC championship was won by Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet ahead of British driver Derek Warwick, whilst in the BRDC championship, Warwick triumphed over Piquet. Piquet subsequently moved up into Formula One during the same year, driving for the Brabham team in the final Formula 1 race of the season as well as two other teams earlier.
BP Super Visco British F3 Championship
The BARC championship was run over 17 rounds, held at ten different circuits across England and in Monaco and France. The champion was Brazilian Nelson Piquet, ahead of BRDC series champion Derek Warwick
Calendar and results Round Date Circuit Winning driver Winning team Winning car Ref. R1 12 March Thruxton Circuit Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota R2 27 March Thruxton Circuit Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota R3 16 April Brands Hatch Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota R4 22 April Oulton Park Chico Serra Sadia Racing with Project Four March 783 - Toyota R5 30 April Donington Park Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota R6 6 May Circuit de Monaco Elio de Angelis Everest Racing Team Chevron B38 - Toyota R7 14 May Mallory Park Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota R8 29 May Thruxton Circuit Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota R9 11 June Brands Hatch Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota R10 25 June Cadwell Park Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota R11 2 July Circuit Paul Ricard Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota R12 9 July Silverstone Circuit Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota R13 15 July Brands Hatch Chico Serra Sadia Racing with Project Four March 783 - Toyota R14 23 July Donington Park Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota R15 24 September Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota R16 15 October Mallory Park Rob Wilson International Computers Limited - Royal Grafton China Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota R17 29 October Thruxton Circuit Chico Serra Sadia Racing with Project Four March 783 - Toyota
Final championship standings Points were awarded to the top six drivers in each race as follows: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Fastest lap9643211
Pos. Driver Entrant Car-Engine Points 1 Nelson Piquet Brastemp / Arno Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota 101 2 Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota 72 3 Chico Serra Sadia Racing with Project Four March 783 - Toyota 72 4 Philip Bullmann Alan Docking RacingUnipart Racing Team Chevron B38 - ToyotaMarch 783 - Triumph Dolomite/Swindon 22 Tiff Needell Unipart Racing Team March 783 - Triumph Dolomite/Swindon 6 Rob Wilson International Computers Limited - Royal Grafton China Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota 20 7 Andrea de Cesaris Marlboro Team Tiga Ralt RT1/76 - Toyota 19 8 Stefan Johansson Anglia Cars Ltd Argo JM1 - Toyota 15 9 Huub Rothengatter Racing Team HollandAlan Docking Racing Ralt RT1/78 - ToyotaChevron B38 - Toyota 11 Thorkild Thyrring Marlboro Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota 11 Jacques Coulon Martini Moutl - Jacques Coulon Martini Mk 21 - Toyota 10 Elio de Angelis Scuderia Everest Chevron B38 - Toyota 13 Alain Prost Écurie Elf Martini Mk 21 - Renault Gordini/Dudot 7 Ian Taylor Unipart Racing Team March 783 - Triumph Dolomite/Swindon 15 John Bright Rugby Finance (Midlands) LtdTwinsocks with McRitchie of Edinburgh Wheatcroft R18 - ToyotaMarch 773 - Toyota 6 Jim Crawford Toyota Switzerland Chevron B43 - Toyota Siegfried Stohr Trivellato Racing Team Chevron B43 - Toyota 18 Daniele Albertin Scuderia Del Lario Ralt RT1 - Toyota 4 19 Ian Flux Cloud Engineering Ralt RT1 - ToyotaMarch 773 - Toyota 3 Nigel Mansell March Racing Team March 783 - Toyota Pedro Nogues Rushen Green Racing March 783 - Toyota Trevor van Rooyen Unipart Racing TeamSDC Builders March 783 - Triumph Dolomite/SwindonMarch 783 - Toyota 23 Geoff Brabham Brabham Racing Organisation / Esso Ralt RT1 - Toyota 2 Jan Lammers Racing Team Holland Ralt RT1 - Toyota Brett Riley Dr. Joseph EhrlichUnipart Racing Team Ehrlich RP4 - ToyotaMarch 783 - Triumph Dolomite/Swindon 26 Patrick Bardinon Écurie Elf Martini Mk 21 - Toyota 1 Philippe Colonna Alan Docking Racing Chevron B43 - Toyota Derek Lawrence Derek Lawrence Chevron B38 - Chevrolet Vega/Titan Jean-Louis Schlesser Jean-Louis Schlesser Chevron B38 - ToyotaSource
Vandervell British F3 Championship
The BRDC championship was run over ten rounds, held at five different circuits across England. The champion was Englishman Derek Warwick, ahead of BARC series champion Nelson Piquet
Calendar and results Round Date Circuit Winning driver Winning team Winning car Ref. R1 5 March Silverstone Circuit Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota R2 19 March Silverstone Circuit Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota R3 1 May Silverstone Circuit Chico Serra Sadia Racing with Project Four March 783 - Toyota R4 20 May Oulton Park Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota R5 13 August Mallory Park Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota R6 26 August Donington Park Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota R7 28 August Silverstone Circuit Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota R8 23 September Silverstone Circuit Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota R9 30 September Silverstone Circuit Nelson Piquet Brastemp/Armo/Hobby Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota R10 28 August Brands Hatch Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota
Non-championship races Race Date Circuit Winning driver Winning team Winning car Ref. World Cup International F3 Race 9 April Donington Park Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota Plastic Padding Formula 3 Trophy 11 November Thruxton Circuit Derek Warwick Warwick Trailers Ralt RT1/77 - Toyota
References