# 1983 British Formula Three Championship

The 1983 British Formula Three Championship was the 33rd season of the British Formula Three Championship, starting at Silverstone on 6 March and concluding at Thruxton on 23 October after 20 races.
The season saw a head-to-head title battle between future Formula One stars Ayrton Senna and Martin Brundle - both driving Toyota-powered Ralt chassis, prepared by West Surrey Racing and Eddie Jordan Racing respectively. Senna built up a commanding advantage by winning the first nine races in succession, but a series of retirements for the Brazilian later in the year allowed Brundle to close the gap. The Brit took the points lead heading into the series finale, but Senna dominated the race to secure the title.
Senna won 12 of the 20 races in the season (60% of that year's races), a record until Jan Magnussen won 14 of the 18 races in the 1994 season (78% of that year's races). Both Senna and Brundle stepped up to F1 in 1984, joining Toleman and Tyrrell respectively.
Other notable drivers from the year included future Le Mans winner Davy Jones, BTCC star David Leslie and Senna's future Lotus teammate Johnny Dumfries. 1983 was also the final season before 'Class B' was established, offering a separate prize for those competing in older cars.

## Race calendar and results

| Round | Circuit | Date | Pole Position | Fastest Lap | Winning Driver | Winning Team |
| 1 | Silverstone | 6 March | David Leslie | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | West Surrey Racing |
| 2 | Thruxton | 13 March | Ayrton Senna | Martin Brundle | Ayrton Senna | West Surrey Racing |
| 3 | Silverstone | 20 March | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | West Surrey Racing |
| 4 | Donington Park | 27 March | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna Davy Jones | Ayrton Senna | West Surrey Racing |
| 5 | Thruxton | 4 April | Ayrton Senna | Martin Brundle | Ayrton Senna | West Surrey Racing |
| 6 | Silverstone | 24 April | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | West Surrey Racing |
| 7 | Thruxton | 2 May | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | West Surrey Racing |
| 8 | Brands Hatch | 8 May | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | West Surrey Racing |
| 9 | Silverstone | 30 May | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | West Surrey Racing |
| 10 | Silverstone | 12 June | Martin Brundle | Davy Jones | Martin Brundle | Eddie Jordan Racing |
| 11 | Cadwell Park | 19 June | Ayrton Senna | Martin Brundle | Martin Brundle | Eddie Jordan Racing |
| 12 | Snetterton | 3 July | Martin Brundle | Ayrton Senna | Martin Brundle | Eddie Jordan Racing |
| 13 | Silverstone | 16 July | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | West Surrey Racing |
| 14 | Donington Park | 24 July | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | Martin Brundle | Eddie Jordan Racing |
| 15 | Oulton Park | 6 August | Martin Brundle | Ayrton Senna | Calvin Fish | David Price Racing |
| 16 | Silverstone | 29 August | Ayrton Senna | Davy Jones | Ayrton Senna | West Surrey Racing |
| 17 | Oulton Park | 11 September | Ayrton Senna | Davy Jones | Martin Brundle | Eddie Jordan Racing |
| 18 | Thruxton | 18 September | Ayrton Senna | Martin Brundle | Martin Brundle | Eddie Jordan Racing |
| 19 | Silverstone | 2 October | Davy Jones | Martin Brundle | Martin Brundle | Eddie Jordan Racing |
| 20 | Thruxton | 23 October | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | Ayrton Senna | West Surrey Racing |
^1 Brundle was ineligible to score points as he was using European specification tyres. Allen Berg therefore secured maximum points at this round.

## Championship Standings

Points in brackets include dropped scores – only the best 17 of 20 scores count towards the championship
| Pos. | Driver | Team | SIL | THR | SIL | DON | THR | SIL | THR | BRH | SIL | SIL | CAD | SNE | SIL | DON | OUL | SIL | OUL | THR | SIL | THR | Pts |
| 1 | Ayrton Senna | West Surrey Racing | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Ret | DNS | Ret | 1 | 2 | Ret | 1 | Ret | Ret | 2 | 1 | 132 |
| 2 | Martin Brundle | Eddie Jordan Racing | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Ret | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | (3) | 123 |
| 3 | Davy Jones | Murray Taylor Racing | 3 | Ret | 4 | 3 | Ret | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 3 | Ret | 2 | 3 | 2 | 77 |
| 4 | Calvin Fish | David Price Racing | 4 | Ret | 3 | Ret | 3 | 4 | Ret | 4 | 4 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 67 |
| 5 | Allen Berg | Neil Trundle Racing | 10 | 8 | 7 | Ret | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 10 | Ret | Ret | 4 | Ret | 3 | 4 | 5 | Ret | 5 | DNS | 32 |
| 6 | Mario Hytten | Axxess Racing Team | 5 | 3 | Ret | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | Ret | 7 | Ret | 5 | 5 | 6 | 9 | | | | | 7 | 4 | 23 |
| 7 | David Leslie | Robinson Motorsport | 7 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Ret | 6 | 5 | 6 | Ret | Ret | | Ret | 8 | 6 | 4 | Ret | 3 | 4 | 6 | | 22 |
| 8 | Eric Lang | Murray Taylor Racing | 12 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 10 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 7 | Ret | 11 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 6 | 10 |
| 9 | Tony Trevor | Driver | 8 | | 6 | Ret | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 6 | 4 | Ret | 8 | 5 | 7 | 7 | | 12 | | 9 |
| 10 | Richard Trott | Richard Trott Racing | | | Ret | 5 | DNS | Ret | | DNS | 6 | 12 | | | | 5 | | | 4 | Ret | | | 8 |
| 11 | Johnny Dumfries | Associated Racing | 6 | 5 | Ret | 8 | 7 | 5 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | | DNS | 5 | | Ret | 6 | | | 16 | | 8 |
| 12 | David Hunt | Eddie Jordan Racing | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 9 | 9 | 5 | Ret | 7 | 2 |
| 13 | Tim Lee-Davey | David Luff Racing | 9 | 6 | 12 | Ret | 6 | 10 | 7 | 7 | | 22 | | | 10 | | | 8 | | | 11 | | 2 |
| 14 | Mike Blanchet | Tarry Racing | 10 | | | | | 17 | 10 | 9 | | 21 | | DNS | 12 | | Ret | | | | 10 | 8 | 1 |
| 15 | Carlton Tingling | Tingling Racing | 14 | DNS | 11 | Ret | 12 | 14 | DNS | 10 | 10 | 23 | | Ret | 13 | 10 | 6 | Ret | 8 | 7 | 13 | 9 | 1 |
^2 European Championship race where the British runners had to use regulation Avon rubber to be eligible for British championship points.