1978 British Formula Three season
{{Motorsport season
|link = British Formula Three season
|title = British Formula Three season
|year = 1978
}}
The 1978 British Formula Three season was the 28th season of the British Formula Three racing. There was once again two major championships contested throughout the year: the British Automobile Racing Club organised BP Super Visco British Formula 3 Championship, and the British Racing Drivers' Club backed Vandervell British Formula 3 Championship. This would be the final year with multiple British championship, with the BARC and BRDC unifying for the following season.
The BARC championship was won by Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet ahead of British driver Derek Warwick, whilst in the BRDC championship, Warwick triumphed over Piquet.{{Cite web|url=http://www.formula2.net/F378_Tables.htm|title=F2 Register - Index}} Piquet subsequently moved up into Formula One during the same year, driving for the Brabham team in the final Formula 1 race of the season as well as two other teams earlier.
BP Super Visco British F3 Championship
The BARC championship was run over 17 rounds, held at ten different circuits across England and in Monaco and France.{{Cite web|url=http://www.oldracingcars.com/f3/uk/1978|title=British Formula 3 1978 season review and full race results}} The champion was Brazilian Nelson Piquet, ahead of BRDC series champion Derek Warwick
=Calendar and results=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
! Round ! Date ! Circuit ! Winning driver ! Winning team ! Winning car ! Ref. |
| R1
| 12 March | {{flagicon|GBR}} Thruxton Circuit | {{flagicon|GBR}} Derek Warwick | Warwick Trailers |
|---|
| R2
| 27 March | {{flagicon|GBR}} Thruxton Circuit | {{flagicon|GBR}} Derek Warwick | Warwick Trailers |
| R3
| 16 April | {{flagicon|GBR}} Brands Hatch | {{flagicon|GBR}} Derek Warwick | Warwick Trailers |
| R4
| 22 April | {{flagicon|GBR}} Oulton Park | {{flagicon|BRA}} Chico Serra | Sadia Racing with Project Four |
| R5
| 30 April | {{flagicon|GBR}} Donington Park | {{flagicon|BRA}} Nelson Piquet | Brastemp/Armo/Hobby |
| R6
| 6 May | {{flagicon|MON}} Circuit de Monaco | {{flagicon|ITA}} Elio de Angelis | Everest Racing Team |
| R7
| 14 May | {{flagicon|GBR}} Mallory Park | {{flagicon|BRA}} Nelson Piquet | Brastemp/Armo/Hobby |
| R8
| 29 May | {{flagicon|GBR}} Thruxton Circuit | {{flagicon|BRA}} Nelson Piquet | Brastemp/Armo/Hobby |
| R9
| 11 June | {{flagicon|GBR}} Brands Hatch | {{flagicon|BRA}} Nelson Piquet | Brastemp/Armo/Hobby |
| R10
| 25 June | {{flagicon|GBR}} Cadwell Park | {{flagicon|BRA}} Nelson Piquet | Brastemp/Armo/Hobby |
| R11
| 2 July | {{flagicon|FRA}} Circuit Paul Ricard | {{flagicon|BRA}} Nelson Piquet | Brastemp/Armo/Hobby |
| R12
| 9 July | {{flagicon|GBR}} Silverstone Circuit | {{flagicon|BRA}} Nelson Piquet | Brastemp/Armo/Hobby |
| R13
| 15 July | {{flagicon|GBR}} Brands Hatch | {{flagicon|BRA}} Chico Serra | Sadia Racing with Project Four |
| R14
| 23 July | {{flagicon|GBR}} Donington Park | {{flagicon|GBR}} Derek Warwick | Warwick Trailers |
| R15
| 24 September | {{flagicon|GBR}} Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit | {{flagicon|BRA}} Nelson Piquet | Brastemp/Armo/Hobby |
| R16
| 15 October | {{flagicon|GBR}} Mallory Park | {{flagicon|NZL}} Rob Wilson | International Computers Limited - Royal Grafton China |
| R17
| 29 October | {{flagicon|GBR}} Thruxton Circuit | {{flagicon|BRA}} Chico Serra | Sadia Racing with Project Four |
=Final championship standings=
Points were awarded to the top six drivers in each race as follows:
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center" |
| style="background:#ffffbf;"| 1st
|style="background:#dfdfdf;"| 2nd |style="background:#ffdf9f;"| 3rd |style="background:#dfffdf;"| 4th |style="background:#dfffdf;"| 5th |style="background:#dfffdf;"| 6th ! Fastest Lap |
| 9
|6 |4 |3 |2 |1 |1 |
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
! Pos. ! Driver ! Entrant ! Car-Engine ! Points |
| 1
| {{flagicon|BRA}} Nelson Piquet | Brastemp / Arno Hobby | 101 |
|---|
| 2
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Derek Warwick | Warwick Trailers | 72 |
| 3
| {{flagicon|BRA}} Chico Serra | Sadia Racing with Project Four | 72 |
| rowspan=2| 4
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Philip Bullmann | Alan Docking Racing | Chevron B38 - Toyota |rowspan=2| 22 |
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Tiff Needell
| Unipart Racing Team | March 783 - Triumph Dolomite/Swindon |
| 6
| {{flagicon|NZL}} Rob Wilson | International Computers Limited - Royal Grafton China | 20 |
| 7
| {{flagicon|ITA}} Andrea de Cesaris | 19 |
| 8
| {{flagicon|SWE}} Stefan Johansson | 15 |
| rowspan=2| 9
| {{flagicon|NED}} Huub Rothengatter | Racing Team Holland | Ralt RT1/78 - Toyota |rowspan=2| 11 |
| {{flagicon|DEN}} Thorkild Thyrring
| Marlboro |
| rowspan=2| 11
| {{flagicon|FRA}} Jacques Coulon | Martini Moutl - Jacques Coulon |rowspan=2| 10 |
| {{flagicon|ITA}} Elio de Angelis
| Scuderia Everest |
| rowspan=2| 13
| {{flagicon|FRA}} Alain Prost | Martini Mk 21 - Renault Gordini/Dudot |rowspan=2| 7 |
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Ian Taylor
| Unipart Racing Team | March 783 - Triumph Dolomite/Swindon |
| rowspan=3| 15
| {{flagicon|GBR}} John Bright | Rugby Finance (Midlands) Ltd | Wheatcroft R18 - Toyota |rowspan=3| 6 |
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Jim Crawford
| Toyota Switzerland |
| {{flagicon|ITA}} Siegfried Stohr
| Trivellato Racing Team |
| 18
| {{flagicon|ITA}} Daniele Albertin | Scuderia Del Lario | 4 |
| rowspan=4| 19
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Ian Flux | Cloud Engineering | Ralt RT1 - Toyota |rowspan=4| 3 |
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Nigel Mansell |
| {{flagicon|ESP}} Pedro Nogues
| Rushen Green Racing |
| {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} Trevor van Rooyen
| Unipart Racing Team | March 783 - Triumph Dolomite/Swindon |
| rowspan=3| 23
| {{flagicon|AUS}} Geoff Brabham | Brabham Racing Organisation / Esso |rowspan=3| 2 |
| {{flagicon|NED}} Jan Lammers
| Racing Team Holland |
| {{flagicon|NZL}} Brett Riley
| Dr. Joseph Ehrlich | Ehrlich RP4 - Toyota |
| rowspan=4| 26
| {{flagicon|FRA}} Patrick Bardinon |rowspan=4| 1 |
| {{flagicon|FRA}} Philippe Colonna |
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Derek Lawrence
| Chevron B38 - Chevrolet Vega/Titan |
| {{flagicon|FRA}} Jean-Louis Schlesser |
| colspan=5|Source |
Vandervell British F3 Championship
The BRDC championship was run over ten rounds, held at five different circuits across England. The champion was Englishman Derek Warwick, ahead of BARC series champion Nelson Piquet
=Calendar and results=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
! Round ! Date ! Circuit ! Winning driver ! Winning team ! Winning car ! Ref. |
| R1
| 5 March | {{flagicon|GBR}} Silverstone Circuit | {{flagicon|GBR}} Derek Warwick | Warwick Trailers |
|---|
| R2
| 19 March | {{flagicon|GBR}} Silverstone Circuit | {{flagicon|BRA}} Nelson Piquet | Brastemp/Armo/Hobby |
| R3
| 1 May | {{flagicon|GBR}} Silverstone Circuit | {{flagicon|BRA}} Chico Serra | Sadia Racing with Project Four |
| R4
| 20 May | {{flagicon|GBR}} Oulton Park | {{flagicon|BRA}} Nelson Piquet | Brastemp/Armo/Hobby |
| R5
| 13 August | {{flagicon|GBR}} Mallory Park | {{flagicon|GBR}} Derek Warwick | Warwick Trailers |
| R6
| 26 August | {{flagicon|GBR}} Donington Park | {{flagicon|GBR}} Derek Warwick | Warwick Trailers |
| R7
| 28 August | {{flagicon|GBR}} Silverstone Circuit | {{flagicon|BRA}} Nelson Piquet | Brastemp/Armo/Hobby |
| R8
| 23 September | {{flagicon|GBR}} Silverstone Circuit | {{flagicon|BRA}} Nelson Piquet | Brastemp/Armo/Hobby |
| R9
| 30 September | {{flagicon|GBR}} Silverstone Circuit | {{flagicon|BRA}} Nelson Piquet | Brastemp/Armo/Hobby | |
| R10
| 28 August | {{flagicon|GBR}} Brands Hatch | {{flagicon|GBR}} Derek Warwick | Warwick Trailers |
Non-championship races
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
! Race ! Date ! Circuit ! Winning driver ! Winning team ! Winning car ! Ref. |
| World Cup International F3 Race
| 9 April | {{flagicon|GBR}} Donington Park | {{flagicon|GBR}} Derek Warwick | Warwick Trailers |
| Plastic Padding Formula 3 Trophy
| 11 November | {{flagicon|GBR}} Thruxton Circuit | {{flagicon|GBR}} Derek Warwick | Warwick Trailers |