The new FIA F3 Championship car was revealed in the Yas Marina paddock late in the evening as the ladder to F1 takes proper shape with F3 and F2 happening the same weekend.
FIA will be replacing the current GP3 Series with a F3 Championship in 2019 with the current FIA European F3 Championship which ran along with the DTM series now becoming a separate championship, still run by the German organisers.
The car for the 2019 season was revealed in the Yas Marina paddock – the last race in the 2018 F1 season. The Dallara-built car will have 3.4 litre bespoke Mecachrome 6 cylinder engine, which delivers 380 HP at 8000 rpm.
The manufacturers insists the cars has been made and designed in a way which help in overtaking. The cars will have the anti-intrusion panels and the Halo as per the FIA safety standard – this will be the first time Halo appears on a F3 car.
A shakedown of the car took place in October at Magny-Cours with nearly 1000km completed. A performance test took place last week at Jerez with more runs scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi next week.
The teams will only have the first car delivered in mid-January with a shakedown scheduled with just that one car between the three drivers in the same month. The second and the third car will be delivered in February.
FIA Director of F1, Charlie Whiting, said: “We are pleased to unveil the exciting new 2019 FIA Formula 3 car here in Abu Dhabi, marking the final step in the process of bringing the FIA Formula 3 Championship onto the same platform as Formula 2 and Formula 1, which has been an important goal for the FIA.
“This car, while more powerful and spectacular than previous iterations, will include the latest safety standards for single-seaters, in line with the developments we continue to make at the very highest levels of the sport.
“Formula 3 has a long and rich history, and to see it become a regular part of Grands Prix weekends is the start of an exciting new chapter. The category will continue to prepare and educate young drivers, giving them the best possible opportunity to achieve their ambitions. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with the Promoter and Formula 1, and we are proud to unveil this impressive new car alongside them.”
F2 Championship CEO Bruno Michel added: “I am very pleased to present the F3 2019 car which will race in the first three year cycle of the FIA Formula 3 Championship. Our focus was to provide a safe and challenging car which will enable close racing and encourage overtaking. When designing this car, we also kept in mind cost effectiveness in order to limit operational costs for the teams, but also deliver an attractive package.
“I am very confident that this car which matches the FIA Formula 3 2019 safety standards will deliver great racing and provide the fans with high-quality entertainment. It is the perfect tool for young drivers to make their way up the motorsport ladder with the goal to graduate to Formula 2 and ultimately, hopefully, race in Formula 1.”