This season British Formula 3 more than lived up to its reputation as the most competitive national single-seater series in the world, with Australian Daniel Ricciardo clinching the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series title for Carlin Motorsport thanks to seven race victories and despite severe season-long pressure from the Hitech Racing team and its drivers Walter Grubmüller and Renger van der Zande.

Ricciardo is the second successive champion for Carlin and Red Bull. His immediate predecessor, Jaime Alguersuari, moved into Formula 1 within nine months of taking the British F3 crown to become the youngest-ever Grand Prix driver. Daniel’s title was also marked a super-successful season for Volkswagen, which returned to British F3 as an engine supplier after a 20-year absence.

The season brought race wins for nine different drivers – Ricciardo, van der Zande, Nick Tandy, Marcus Ericsson, Grubmüller, Riki Christodoulou, Wayne Boyd, Adriano Buzaid and Max Chilton, first-timers all – and for six different teams: Carlin, Hitech, JTR, Raikkonen Robertson, Fortec and T-Sport.

In the National Class there was a season-long fight for top honours between Daniel McKenzie and Gabriel Dias. The Brazilian was often quicker, but the British Fortec driver was the more consistent finisher and was a deserving title victor.

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Rounds 1 & 2: Oulton Park

A double-top for Daniel Ricciardo and his Red Bull Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen set a pattern for the season ahead. Ricciardo led round one from start to finish, his job made all the easier by a startline gaffe from his team-mate Max Chilton, who threw away pole position advantage by jumping the gun and attracting a one-minute penalty.

Nick Tandy and his JTR Mygale-Mercedes pressured Ricciardo all the way to the flag to claim second, with Walter Grubmüller third for Hitech to collect his maiden podium finish. Grubmüller, who started fifth, drove well to overhaul Daisuke Nakajima early on, and finished well ahead of the Japanese driver. Daniel McKenzie opened his National Class account with a victory for Fortec.

Round two was another lights-to-flag demonstration from Ricciardo, and it was an even more impressive performance as it required him to overhaul the car of pole-sitter Grubmüller not once, but twice in what was a restarted race. Ricciardo’s lead by the end of the opening lap of the restarted race was 1.3s, with Grubmüller his closest pursuer and Tandy a close third. Grubmüller posted fastest lap of the race in his pursuit but was unable to reel in Ricciardo. Tandy overhauled Chilton’s car for third on the opening lap and held station to the end for the final spot on the podium. McKenzie once again enjoyed an untroubled run to National Class victory honours.

Rounds 3 & 4: Silverstone GP

Renger van der Zande enjoyed a dream British F3 debut, leading round three from start to finish on a circuit he had never before seen and claiming the first race victory for the Hitech team since 2007. Pole-sitter Max Chilton pursued van der Zande all the way to the end, rarely more than half a second behind in his Carlin Dallara, but was left to rue the Dutchman’s better start. Adriano Buzaid slotted into third in his T-Sport car and stayed well in touch with van der Zande and Chilton until a minor mistake mid-distance cost him time. He recovered to stay ahead of Riki Christodoulou and take his maiden podium.

In the National Class, Fortec’s Daniel McKenzie outgunned T-Sport driver Gabriel Dias at the start to lead the division for a couple of laps until handling problems prevented him from resisting the Brazilian, who went on to take his first class win.

In round four, Daniel Ricciardo won and extended his series points lead. He started from second on the grid, shadowed his team-mate Chilton until three laps from the end, then swept past him when Chilton struck gear selection problems. Chilton then fell victim to an opportunistic move from Christodoulou, who dived up his inside at Abbey two laps from the flag to snatch second; it was Fortec driver Christodoulou’s maiden podium finish. Following on from his round three success, Dias pinched the National Class win on the final lap from the clutches of Dan McKenzie.

Rounds 5 & 6: Rockingham

Nick Tandy claimed an emotional maiden British F3 win, the 24-year-old triumphing for the JTR team and Mygale on his home track, a matter of days after the death of his elder brother and team chief Joe. There was barely a dry eye in the house as Tandy mounted the top step of the podium.

Championship leader Daniel Ricciardo failed to score a single point. After starting from the pole, he collided with Renger van der Zande at the Deene hairpin on the opening lap. Ricciardo’s Dallara was too badly damaged to continue while van der Zande was forced to the pits for repairs.

Tandy took full advantage to pull clear of his closest pursuer, Raikkonen Robertson racer Marcus Ericsson, by nearly a second-and-a-half on the opening lap and proceeded to build his advantage with every lap, taking the flag 8.6s clear of the Swede, with Daisuke Nakajima third. It was the Japanese driver’s maiden British F3 podium.

National Class honours went for the third time to Fortec’s Daniel McKenzie; Brazilian T-Sport driver Gabriel Dias led the class for much of the race but collected a penalty for overtaking under the yellow warning flags. He recovered from his drive-through to take second.

Erickson became the season’s fourth ‘virgin victor’ in the second Rockingham race. Pole-sitter Marcus was beaten to the front into the first hairpin by Riki Christodoulou, who went on to lead for 12 of the 22 laps until he was penalised for being out of position on the startline. Marcus inherited the lead and romped home well ahead of Henry Arundel and Adriano Buzaid, with Nakajima fourth.

Gabriel Dias was a first-lap casualty, as was Victor Correa, which left Daniel McKenzie with a clear run at National Class honours ahead of Team West-Tec’s Max Snegirev.

Rounds 7 & 8: Hockenheim

Marcus Ericsson won again in Germany, the Swede in his Raikkonen Robertson Racing Dallara making a superb start from third on the grid and blasting past bogged-down pole man Renger van der Zande and championship leader Daniel Ricciardo to assume command into the first corner. Then, but for a brief mid-race blip, Marcus led van der Zande all the way to the chequered flag, with Walter Grubmüller third.

An extraordinary end to the National Class contest brought a maiden class win for Brazilian youngster Victor Correa and the Litespeed F3 team. Daniel McKenzie and Gabriel Dias made all the running until the 15th of the 19 laps, when they came together and spun into retirement.

In race two, Grubmüller, the championship’s most experienced competitor, broke his duck by leading from pole position to chequered flag. Despite treacherous damp track conditions, Grubmüller did not put a wheel wrong in his Dallara-Mercedes and crossed the line a second clear of his team-mate van der Zande to score a Hitech 1-2. Championship debutant Robert Wickens was close behind for Carlin, having nabbed third from Max Chilton with an audacious move up his inside through the Sachs Kurve. An excellent 10th overall, and the leading National Class contender, was Fortec’s Daniel McKenzie.

Rounds 9 & 10: Snetterton

Renger van der Zande led round nine from pole position to chequered flag, the Dutchman achieving a one-second lead within the first couple of laps. Thereafter his pursuers were racing for the second step of the podium. Henry Arundel headed the chase for 20 of the 29 laps, until his Carlin Motorsport Dallara suffered a gear selection issue which delayed him long enough to allow his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo to slip past.

Van der Zande crossed the line 3.8s clear, his lead at one stage having been in excess of eight seconds, with Ricciardo comfortably ahead of Arundel. Daniel McKenzie slotted his Fortec Dallara into eighth on the opening lap and held on in that position all the way to the flag to collect his sixth National Class victory of the season.

It was Riki Christodoulou’s turn to taste the victory champagne in round 10, the Fortec driver pipping Ricciardo to the line by just over a second. Riki got the job done within three laps of the start, after pole-sitter van der Zande fluffed his getaway and let Christodoulou nose his way up to second, just behind the Hitech car of Walter Grubmüller.

Christodoulou piled on the pressure during the first and second laps, then popped past the Austrian to claim the lead into Riches at the start of lap three. Thereafter he was home free. Grubmüller further lost out when Ricciardo followed Christodoulou’s example and drove past the Austrian, following Riki home all the way to the flag to collect a solid second. A disappointed Grubmüller had to make do with third.

T-Sport’s Gabriel Dias led the National class throughout, with McKenzie second and newcomer Aaron Steele third in his Litespeed.

Rounds 11 & 12: Donington Park

Walter Grubmüller closed the gap between himself and points leader Daniel Ricciardo with a dominant victory in the 11th round, ahead of his Hitech Racing team-mate Renger van der Zande. Grubmüller’s Mercedes-powered Dallara made the decisive move of the race away from the startline, Walter making a better getaway than van der Zande to slot ahead of his team-mate into the first corner.

The only real threat to Grubmüller’s second victory of the season came on the 10th lap, when the Safety Car was called into play, but Grubmüller and van der Zande handled the restart perfectly and kept well clear of their closest pursuer, Carlos Huertas. The Colombian lost third to Ricciardo nine laps from the end but Huertas held on for fourth, equalling his best result.

In the National Class Gabriel Dias threw away a massive grid advantage on the opening lap, Fortec’s Daniel McKenzie gratefully accepting the class lead. With Dias later hobbled by mechanical problems, McKenzie enjoyed a relatively easy run to his seventh class win of the season.

In round 12, a damp track presented Wayne Boyd with the ideal opportunity to take his maiden win. Boyd’s drive was all the more remarkable in that he started from 10th on the grid, and fell as low as 12th in the early stages before scything his way through to a popular victory at the wheel of his Volkswagen-powered T-Sport Dallara.

Ricciardo led the way from the pole in the early, dry laps, pursued by Adriano Buzaid and the Hitech cars of van der Zande and Grubmüller. But at the completion of a two-lap safety car period, Ricciardo was hijacked by van der Zande and Buzaid through McLeans corner, and the Australian spun back to seventh, just ahead of Boyd.

Boyd made short work of Ricciardo and within a further two laps had dispensed with the cars of Carlos Huertas and Max Chilton to move into fourth. Both Grubmüller and Buzaid fell victim to the charging Ulsterman on the 15th lap, and then, after five laps shadowing van der Zande, Wayne put in the overtaking move of the season at Redgate, around the outside of the Dutch driver, to claim victory.

Daniel McKenzie emerged on top of a topsy-turvy National Class battle.

Rounds 13 & 14: Spa-Francorchamps

Daniel Ricciardo returned to winning ways in Belgium, leading every lap of round 13, a race which proved more than unlucky for his chief title rival, Walter Grubmüller, who was in collision with Riki Christodoulou on the opening lap.

Ricciardo had Renger van der Zande breathing down his neck through the opening corners but was afforded a breathing space when the safety car was deployed while crash debris was removed. The restart came at the start of lap four with just 18 minutes of the race remaining; there were no mistakes from Ricciardo as he pulled clear of his Dutch rival.

Brazilian Adriano Buzaid took round 14: it was the second win within a week for the T-Sport team. Buzaid’s win was a real battle against the elements: rain fell on the warm-up lap and pole-sitter Adriano and his rivals had to make a difficult pre-start tyre choice; most went for slicks.

Buzaid and Ricciardo tip-toed their way around the opening laps, Adriano swiftly repulsing an early attack from the Australian and building a one-second advantage within a couple of laps. Buzaid pulled even further ahead as the rain fell and the track became even more treacherous, Ricciardo mindful of his championship lead. Buzaid crossed the line 5.9s ahead, with Grubmüller passing team-mate van der Zande for third near the end.

Daniel McKenzie and Gabriel Dias enjoyed another close battle for National Class honours, the British Fortec driver leading his Brazilian counterpart from T-Sport until opting on lap seven to pit for wet tyres, not realising the race had only a further four laps to run and that making up the time lost would be an impossibility.

Rounds 15 & 16: Silverstone Int

After dominating qualifying for round 15, Daniel Ricciardo repeated the feat in the race, leading all the way from pole position to chequered flag to record his fifth win of the season. Daniel made an impeccable start to build a one-second lead over his closest pursuer, Hitech’s Renger van der Zande, on the opening lap. That was as close as anyone would come to Daniel for the remainder of the race.

After lap one, the only passing manoeuvre in the top 10 came on the 17th of the 23 laps, when van der Zande, who had looked a secure second, lost time and was overtaken by Grubmüller. T-Sport’s Gabriel Dias led all the way in the National Class, finishing 11th overall to record his fifth class win of the season.

In round 16, van der Zande claimed a brilliant third win of his season, the Hitech driver wresting the lead from the clutches of pole-sitter and first-time leader Daisuke Nakajima at mid-distance and romping to an 11-second victory. Championship leader Daniel Ricciardo placed third to enhance his points advantage.

National Class points leader Daniel McKenzie got tangled up with others’ problems on the opening lap and lost a lot of time to T-Sport’s Gabriel Dias. Daniel recovered to pass Litespeed’s Victor Correa for second in class but could not catch Dias.

Rounds 17 & 18: Algarve

Daniel Ricciardo edged to within a handful of points of securing the title in round 17. The Carlin Motorsport driver didn’t win the race outright – that honour went to invitation class driver Jules Bianchi – but the Australian placed third on the road and was the leading British championship points scorer.

Renger van der Zande led for 12 of the 16 laps only to slip back with a steadily deflating rear tyre. Bianchi and his ART team-mate Esteban Gutierrez got the jump on van der Zande on the penultimate lap, pushing him back to third and into Ricciardo’s gunsights, the Red Bull racer having driven a steady, trouble-avoiding race in fourth throughout. Daniel did not waste the opportunity and nipped past right on the line.

Daniel McKenzie made an excellent start to overhaul class pole-sitter Gabriel Dias, only to lose out to the Brazilian on the opening lap. He played a waiting game and seized his opportunity to regain the class lead on lap 12.

Round 18 brought another outright race victory Bianchi. The initial race leader was Fortec’s invitation class runner Sam Bird, who got the drop from fourth on the grid, passing Ricciardo and pole-sitter Chilton. But Sam’s grip on top spot was loosened by Bianchi on lap four, the Frenchman blasting past both Ricciardo and Bird at the restart after a two-lap safety car period.

Bianchi pulled into a commanding lead as Ricciardo’s pace faded – Daniel believed contact with Bianchi’s car had damaged his car’s nosecone – with Bird giving chase but unable to catch. Max Chilton finished third on the road and was the leading championship class driver by a two-second margin from Carlos Huertas and Ricciardo, whose podium finish secured for him the championship title. In the National class, Gabriel Dias led all the way to win for the seventh time for T-Sport, with McKenzie cruising home for second and the title.

Rounds 19 & 20: Brands Hatch

Newly crowned champion Daniel Ricciardo demonstrated exactly why he’s the crown-wearer with a virtuoso display in round 19. He led all the way from pole position, lowered the lap record twice, and claimed the biggest victory margin of the season on his way to his seventh win. Daniel extended his lead over his pursuing team-mate Max Chilton on every lap bar one – when he encountered lapped traffic – and romped home more than 15 seconds clear.

Chilton made a good start from the front row to slot into second at the lights but had no chance of catching Ricciardo. Riki Christodoulou and Marcus Ericsson made good starts and held station, third and fourth, all the way to the end.

National Class champion Daniel McKenzie made up an astonishing six places thanks to a lightning start and aggressive opening lap, the Fortec driver winning his class easily and collecting ninth overall.

Chilton brought his British F3 career to an impressive conclusion in the final round, leading from start to finish to claim Carlin’s ninth victory of the season. Chilton did not put a wheel wrong as he took advantage of a rare startline error from Ricciardo to blast into an early lead. Max survived a safety car period, nailed the restart and romped home to win from Riki Christodoulou by a one-second margin.