The 2013 GP3 Series was the fourth season of the third-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also fourth season under the moniker of GP3 Series, a motor racing feeder series for Formula One and sister series GP2.
Following a three-year cycle, the previous GP3 chassis was replaced by a brand new car, the GP3/13, built by Italian racing car manufacturer Dallara.[1] The 280 bhp turbo-charged engine used from 2010 to 2012 was upgraded to a 400 bhp naturally-aspirated V6 unit,[2] which will be used until end of 2015. Series organisers have anticipated that the new cars became up to three seconds per lap faster than the GP3/10 chassis;[3] these estimations proved to be accurate during pre-season testing at the Circuito do Estoril.[4] The re-structuring of the category coincides with the series' organisers' desire to ease the transition between the GP3 Series and parent series GP2, thereby allowing rookie drivers more opportunities to succeed in GP2.
AER was selected as official engine supplier of GP3 Series began in 2013 until 2015 season.
The championship title was secured by Daniil Kvyat with a race to spare after three consecutive feature race wins in Spa, Monza and Abu Dhabi.[5] He had a thirty-point advantage on ART Grand Prix's Facu Regalia, who finished as runner-up. His teammate Conor Daly, who was the feature race winner at Valencia. Tio Ellinas, who led the drivers' standings until the first race at Spa, bookended the season with victories in both the first race and the final race of the season. Jack Harvey completed the top five, helping ART Grand Prix to claim the teams' championship.
The maximum grid size will be formally capped at twenty-seven entries.[39] Thirty had previously been allowed, but this proved unsustainable over time, culminating in the withdrawal of the Ralf Schumacher—Mücke Motorsport collaboration, RSC Mücke, from the 2012 grid.
After placing fifth in the 2012Formula Abarth championship, Sammarinese driver Emanuele Zonzini moved to the GP3 Series, driving for Trident Racing.[34]
The official calendar for the 2013 series was unveiled on 19 December 2012.[49] The format remains largely unchanged from 2012, with seven rounds of the championship in support of the 2013 Formula One season and sister series GP2,[39] plus the addition of a stand-alone round at Circuit Ricardo Tormo.[50]
The 2013 season saw the GP3 Series hold a round outside Europe for the first time, with the final round of the championship scheduled to be held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
Points were awarded to the top 10 classified finishers in the race 1, and to the top 8 classified finishers in the race 2. The pole-sitter in the race 1 also received four points, and two points were given to the driver who set the fastest lap inside the top ten in both the race 1 and race 2. No extra points were awarded to the pole-sitter in the race 2.
Race 1 points
Position
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
Pole
FL
Points
25
18
15
12
10
8
6
4
2
1
4
2
Race 2 points
Points were awarded to the top 8 classified finishers.
^Arden International competed under an Australian license.
^Sá Silva is an Angolan driver who was forced to compete under a Macanese licence.
^Cullen is an Irish driver who competed under a British racing licence.
^Status Grand Prix competed under a Canadia license.
^Kevin Korjus recorded the fastest time in qualifying for the opening race at Barcelona, but started tenth after he and three other drivers received ten-place grid penalties for ignoring yellow flags in the practice session.[52]Tio Ellinas was recognised as the pole-sitter for the race.
^Melville McKee set the fastest lap, but did not finish in the top 10, so was ineligible to be the point-scorer for the fastest lap. Carlos Sainz Jr. was the point-scorer instead for setting the fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
^ ab"2013 GP3 Series Round 8 Preview, Abu Dhabi, UAE". GP3 Series. GP2 Motorsport Limited. 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013. Alice Powell returns to GP3 and will drive alongside Carmen Jorda for Bamboo Engineering...The Brit replaces Melville McKee, with Lewis Williamson not driving for the British squad for Round 8.
^ ab"GP3 Series reveals new 400bhp car to be raced from 2013". Autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. 6 September 2012. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012. GP3 plans to announce the nine teams that will compete in the category next year, with a limit of 27 cars on the grid. Michel also confirmed that the format of the calendar will remain unchanged next season, with eight double-headers running in support of F1.