Top 10 British F3 drivers of 2009

1. Daniel Ricciardo

Carlin Motorsport
Dallara-Volkswagen
British F3 starts: 20
Poles: 6
Wins: 6
Championship position: 1st

This was a superb season from the F3 rookie. Ricciardo has great raw speed, blended with an excellent temperament that allows him to minimise the damage when things aren't going his way. Once he started getting the best from his new tyres in qualifying, the Australian became the complete package and it was thus no surprise he became the first Aussie British F3 champ in two decades.

2. Renger van der Zande

Hitech Racing
Dallara-Mercedes
British F3 starts: 16
Poles: 5
Wins: 3
Championship position: 3rd

The Dutch F3 veteran was the only regular runner who looked capable of operating at Ricciardo's level on a consistent basis, but his potential was stymied by the need to play second fiddle to Walter Grubmuller at Hitech, which robbed us of a true title battle. The Dutchman dutifully played the wingman for most of the campaign and gave the team a much stronger direction on set-up than would otherwise have been possible. Grubmuller also improved greatly with van der Zande alongside him.

3. Marcus Ericsson

Raikkonen Robertson Racing
Dallara-Mercedes
British F3 starts: 6
Poles: 1
Wins: 2
Championship position: 11th

The Swede only completed half a dozen races, because his main focus lay on winning the Japanese F3 title for the TOM'S Toyota team. But when he did compete, Ericsson showed Double R's rookie drivers what their car was truly capable of. Took two wins and never finished outside the top four - he surely would have been title contender if he'd raced for a full season.

4. Nick Tandy

JTR
Mygale-Mercedes
British F3 starts: 8
Poles: 0
Wins: 1
Championship position: 10th

His season promised much against the odds, but was derailed by tragedy. Tandy, his JTR team and Mygale worked hard to try to break the cycle of Dallara dominance and Tandy delivered some swashbuckling performances behind the wheel. When JTR fell apart and Tandy left for the F3 Euro Series, British F3 lost its hardest racer and the only frontrunning M-09.

5. Max Chilton

Carlin Motorsport
Dallara-Volkswagen
British F3 starts: 20
Poles: 4
Wins: 1
Championship position: 4th

In his third season of British F3, Chilton's qualifying record was exemplary and he started over 50 per cent of races from the front row of the grid. However, frequent poor starts and a lack of racecraft tended to let him down. A single win and four other podiums is a disappointing return when you are driving for the championship's top team, but he still drove better than ever this season.

6. Riki Christodoulou

Fortec Motorsport
Dallara-Mercedes
British F3 starts: 20
Poles: 0
Wins: 1
Championship position: 5th

Christodoulou bounced back from a poor season in Formula Renault UK last year to lead Fortec's F3 attack in 2009. Made a strong start to the campaign, but his pace fell away mysteriously after claiming a maiden win at Snetterton mid-season. He did well to end the year on a high note by claiming two podiums at Brands, and this will do wonders for his sometimes-fragile confidence. The promise is there, he just needs another year to build on the foundations laid by this campaign.

7. Walter Grubmuller

Hitech Racing
Dallara-Mercedes
British F3 starts: 20
Poles: 1
Wins: 2
Championship position: 2nd

He became the first Austrian driver to win a British F3 race and this was undoubtedly Grubmuller's finest season in the category, but how much of it was down to him? Drafting in van der Zande to help him try and win the title tarnished the season and, although he drove better than ever with the Dutchman alongside him, he did not perform well enough to merit second place in the championship.

8. Adriano Buzaid

T-Sport
Dallara-Volkswagen
British F3 starts: 20
Poles: 1
Wins: 1
Championship position: 6th

This was a typically erratic season from the Brazilian rookie. Often lacked the necessary focus and maturity to lead the team effectively, but when things were going well he was invariably involved in the fight for the podium. His maiden win at Spa was expertly taken, but his form fell away badly thereafter. Needs another season to solidify his confidence and learn to avoid focusing unnecessarily on things that are outside his control.

9. Carlos Huertas

Raikkonen Robertson Racing
Dallara-Mercedes
British F3 starts: 20
Poles: 0
Wins: 0
Championship position: 7th

The youngest driver on the grid immediately showed the pace to be a frontrunner in his rookie F3 season, but he struggled to get it together at race weekends initially and was left in the shade by team-mate Nakajima. Improved steadily throughout the year though, and by its end he had the beating of his Japanese running mate. The Colombian will be one to watch when he returns for a second season in 2010.

10. Wayne Boyd

T-Sport
Dallara-Volkswagen
British F3 starts: 20
Poles: 0
Wins: 1
Championship position: 12th

The much-hyped reigning British Formula Ford champion snubbed a Racing Steps Foundation-backed drive in Formula Renault to graduate to British F3 and endured a tough baptism. He struggled to adjust to the demands of high-downforce single-seaters and progress was slow. His maiden win, secured in the damp at Donington, made the rest look silly and reminded everyone of his potential. His confidence improved thereafter, but he still has much to learn.