The 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 Series season was a multi-event motor racing championship for open wheel, formula racing cars held across Europe. The championship features drivers competing in 3.5 litre Formula Renault single seat race cars that conform to the technical regulations for the championship. The 2013 season was the ninth Formula Renault 3.5 Series season organized by the Renault Sport. The season began at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 6 April and finished on 20 October at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The series formed part of the World Series by Renault meetings at seven double header events with double header event at Monza and single event at Monaco.
The championship battle was between McLaren junior programme drivers Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne. Magnussen clinched the championship title with a race to spare,[1] and ultimately finished sixty points ahead of Vandoorne. Despite having less wins than in 2012, António Félix da Costa improved to the third place in the drivers' standings. Nico Müller, Marco Sørensen and Carlos Huertas were the only other winners outside the top three.
Mihai Marinescu, who finished fifth in the 2012 FIA Formula Two Championship, signed with the Zeta Corse team.[23] After being replaced by Nick Yelloly for the Monaco round of the championship,[27] Marinescu returned to the team for the race at Spa-Francorchamps.[36]
Alexander Rossi, who contested the 2012 season with ArdenCaterham, left the series, concentrating on his Caterham F1 reserve driver duties.[37]
Sergey Sirotkin, who raced in the Auto GP World Series and Italian Formula Three in 2012 and contested at Moscow Formula Renault 3.5 Series round with BVM Target, stepped up to the series with ISR.[9]
After contesting the first three rounds of 2012 before injury, Richie Stanaway moved to the Porsche Supercup.
Oliver Webb, who competed in Indy Lights in 2012, returned to the series with Fortec Motorsports.[8]
Christopher Zanella, who finished third in the 2012 FIA Formula Two Championship signed with ISR team.[10]
Mid-season changes[]
FIA Formula Two runner-up Mathéo Tuscher replaced Emmanuel Piget at Zeta Corse after the first round.[26]
Carlos Sainz Jr. joined Zeta Corse for the third round of the championship in Monaco, replacing Marinescu.[24] Sainz races for the team again for the final three rounds.
After racing for Comtec Racing in 2012, Nick Yelloly moved to the GP3 Series with Carlin. Yelloly returned to Formula Renault for the Monaco round, replacing Mathéo Tuscher at Zeta Corse.[27] Marinescu returned for the Belgian and Russian rounds. At the Red Bull Ring, the seat was occupied by Italian Formula Three champion Riccardo Agostini.[28]
BVM Target was demoted from racing team to reserve team when series organisers released a provisional entry list in November 2012. The team was divided into two entries; Zeta Management and MT Motorsport, which was previously known as the Max Travin Racing Team.[32] The team was later accepted onto the grid under the name Zeta Corse and registered as an Italian team.[22]
Team RFR—previously known as KMP Racing—left the series after the 2012 season.[32]
Race calendar and results[]
The calendar for the 2013 season was announced on 20 October 2012, the day before the end of the 2012 season.[38] Seven of the nine rounds formed meetings of the 2013 World Series by Renault season, with additional rounds in support of the Superstars Series at Monza, and the 2013Monaco Grand Prix. The championship visited the Red Bull Ring for the first time and returned to Monza. The Nürburgring and Silverstone have been removed from the schedule.
Polesitter for each race in bold. No points are awarded.
Driver who recorded fastest lap denoted in italics. No points are awarded.
Driver who retired but was classified denoted by †.
Footnotes[]
^The team competed as P1 Motorsport for the first round at Monza, before Nick Leventis purchased the team's assets and renamed it as "P1 by Strakka Racing".
^Both qualifying and the race for the second event at Aragon were shortened and the mandatory pit-stop cancelled after problems with Zytek engines were detected.[39]
^ abSirotkin missed the first race at Le Castellet, due to commitments with Sauber in Sochi, Russia.[40]
^ abJaafar missed the final round at Barcelona after suffering from severe parotiditis.
^ ab"Buller con Zeta Corse a Mosca" [Buller with Zeta Corse in Moscow]. ItaliaRacing.net (in Italian). Inpagina. 14 June 2013. Archived from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
^Allen, Peter (27 September 2013). "Magnussen heads first practice at Paul Ricard". Paddock Scout. Retrieved 28 September 2013. Zanella’s ISR team-mate Sergey Sirotkin is set to be absent until Sunday morning’s qualifying while he makes his F1 debut with Sauber at a demonstration run in Sochi.
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
Stoffel Vandoorne
Will Stevens
António Félix da Costa
Arthur Pic
Ciudad del Motor de Aragón, Alcañiz
Kevin Magnussen
Sergey Sirotkin
Carlos Huertas
Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo
Nico Müller
Nigel Melker
Jazeman Jaafar
Lucas Foresti
Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
Lotus
Hungaroring, Budapest