British F3 reveals draft calendar
The 2011 British Formula 3 championship will kick off at Monza as part of a raft of changes to the 10-round calendar for next season
Firm dates for each meeting have yet to be finalised, but championship promoter SRO has released a list of venues and the running order for 2011.
A recent rift with MotorSport Vision circuit boss Jonathan Palmer, who owns Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Snetterton, looks to have been healed because all three venues have been included on the provisional calendar. British F3 had been threatening to drop these circuits and go elsewhere in 2011.
The series will visit French venue Paul Ricard for the first time since 1978, when the BP championship held a race there, and an August trip to the Nurburgring has also been included.
Since 2006, British F3 has traditionally begun its season Oulton Park, but will instead get race at the home of the Italian GP before visiting Oulton for round two.
British F3 will return to the recently re-opened Donington Park for round three before heading to the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. A supporting slot at the Spa 24 Hours event has been retained, along with a trip to Rockingham. Former French Grand Prix venue Magny-Cours and Hockenheim have both been dropped for next year.
The championship will make only one visit to Silverstone next season, forgoing a slot on May's FIA GT1 World Championship Tourist Trophy support bill to hold the season finale on the new GP circuit in October.
Each round will again feature three races, while the British F3 National Class for older cars will be rebranded as the Rookie Championship for 2011, with the prize of a free entry into the following season's main championship retained for the winner.
The top three drivers in the 2011 main series will each win prize tests in a Formula Renault 3.5 car.
SRO General Manager Lisa Crampton said: "We're absolutely delighted by the way the F3 calendar has developed. The circuits we plan to visit give drivers invaluable time on top Grand Prix tracks and will challenge them on some of Britain's greatest driver circuits.
"There are many more improvements in the pipeline to underline the status of British F3 and these will be worked on together with feedback from FOTA over coming months.
"We understand teams require a schedule at this point in the year to show to prospective drivers and sponsors. We've held the exact dates, as one or two may still change by a week or fortnight. We'd rather announce the month than to announce a date and then have to change it."
Draft 2011 calendar
April - Monza April - Oulton Park May - Donington Park June - Brands Hatch July - Paul Ricard July - Spa-Francorchamps August - Nurburgring September - Rockingham September - Snetterton October - Silverstone
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