Lando Norris has become the first driver to have raced in the GB3 Championship or its predecessors BRDC F4 and BRDC British F3 to become F1 World Champion.
Norris participated in five race weekends in the UK's leading single-seater category, with his first coming in the BRDC F4 Autumn Trophy at the end of 2015, as the series stepped up a level with the arrival of a Tatuus-built single-seater. He then raced at Snetterton, Rockingham, Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps the following season, as the series became BRDC British F3.
Here's a run-down of all of Norris' wins in the series in chronological order.
1. BRDC F4 Autumn Trophy - Brands Hatch - 14 November 2015
Returning to his Ginetta Junior team HHC Motorsport, Norris claimed pole position by over eight tenths of a second, despite only having driven the car for the first time the day before, on his 16th birthday.
In wet conditions, Norris didn't enjoy the best of starts, and ceded the lead off the line. But when the race leader skated off the road, he had a 13 second margin over the rest of the field, only to lose that when the safety car was dispatched. Despite the intervention, Norris rebuilt the 13 second gap on the Indy circuit to claim his first victory in the series.
2. BRDC F4 Autumn Trophy - Brands Hatch - 14 November 2015
Norris' next win came just a few hours later, in a contest that almost mirrored the narrative of his first. This time Norris started second, but out dragged the pole sitter to hold the lead after the first lap. It proved to be another dominant display over the 25-lap race, as he triumphed by 10 seconds this time around.
3. BRDC British F3 - Snetterton - 27 March 2016
BRDC F4 transitioned into the BRDC British F3 Championship in 2016, and Norris marked himself out as one to watch with an utterly dominant display for Carlin in the first race of the new era. In tricky wet conditions, he converted his pole position into a resounding victory that remains the biggest ever seen in the championship.
He held a lead of four seconds after the first lap, and stretched that to 11 with a couple of laps remaining. With the win in the bag, most drivers would have eased off to bring the car home, but that wasn't on Norris' agenda, and he extended his gap to a stunning 19 seconds in the final two tours of the Norfolk circuit.
4. BRDC British F3 - Rockingham - 30 April 2016
His next win was much less straightforward, as he had to battle with teammate Ricky Collard to stand on the top step once more. On pole again, he was beaten off the line by Collard, but the lead was never more than a second. Collard held firm, but on the penultimate lap, the battle exploded as the duo went side by side for several corners. Norris found his way through, and then pulled out a gap of 1.6 seconds on the final lap to win once more.
5. BRDC British F3 - Spa-Francorchamps - 9 July 2016
Norris was the winner of the series' first ever visit to Spa-Francorchamps, in a race that was cut short after an accident. He claimed pole again, and held the lead on the first lap, before a safety car period. When racing resumed, Collard passed him exiting Eau Rouge, only to hit oil, promoting Norris to the lead once more. The race only lasted a couple more laps, with an accident further down the order bringing out the red flags.
6. BRDC British F3 - Spa Francorchamps - 10 July 2016
Norris started fifth for what would prove to be his final appearance in the series, but quickly worked his way up to second in the opening exchanges. After a couple more laps, Norris closed down on race leader Will Palmer on the Kemmel Straight, and took the lead. Unlike his dominant first three wins, Norris had to keep an eye in his mirrors, and crossed the line just half a second clear of eventual champion Matheus Leist.
Lando Norris statistics in BRDC F4/BRDC British F3:
Total races: 15
Wins: 6
Podiums: 12
Fastest laps: 4
Pole positions: 5
