BRDC Formula 4's British Formula 3 rebrand goes ahead for 2016

As revealed two weeks ago by Autosport, the move was discussed at the recent FIA World Motor Sport Council and an agreement between series organiser MSV, the FIA and British governing body the MSA was reached on Tuesday.

The moves comes in the nick of time for this weekend's series opener at Snetterton, which kicks off the first full season of racing for the new 230bhp Tatuus-Cosworth car on which the series is based.

Performance of the cars is a big step up from the old F4 racer. In a TSL-timed test session at Snetterton two weeks ago, Lando Norris set a laptime just 0.369 seconds off the pole position time from the circuit's last British F3 Championship round run to existing FIA rules in 2012, and which would have earned Norris seventh on the grid.

It should be remembered that laptimes for FIA-spec F3 cars have become around two seconds quicker since then, due to new engines introduced in 2014.

Series boss Jonathan Palmer, who made overtures to take over the previous British F3 Championship before it was canned at the end of 2014, said: "I am delighted that we have successfully worked with the FIA and MSA to streamline British single-seater motorsport and establish a clear and logical hierarchy for both drivers and teams.

"Our much-advanced 2016 BRDC F4 Tatuus Cosworth car has proved an outstanding success, being very close to the performance of British F3 in its heyday - but at less than half the budget.

"Cost-effectiveness and value for money is critical to any championship's health, and having set standards with our BRDC F4 Championship we are now doing the same at F3 level with the BRDC British F3 Championship."

DID YOU KNOW...

Before the unification of Britain's F3 contests resulted in a bespoke British F3 Championship in 1979, the BRDC ran a series for the category.

Current BRDC president Derek Warwick beat Nelson Piquet to become the last champion of what was called the Vandervell F3 Championship, in 1978.