The series that used the Formula Renault 3.5 chassis traces its roots to the Spanish Formula Renault Championship of 1991 to 1997 and a successor competition founded by Nissan in 1998 under the name Open Fortuna. That early series, sometimes called Formula Nissan, used chassis built by Coloni and a 2.0-litre Nissan SR20 engine. In 2002, the series was reorganized with Dallara as the chassis supplier and an upgraded Nissan VQ30 engine, as it expanded beyond Spain to become a more international competition.
In parallel, Renault launched the Formula Renault V6 Eurocup in 2003 as a support series running alongside the European Touring Car Championship and FIA GT Championship on the Eurosport Super Racing Weekends platform. That series used Tatuus chassis and a Nissan 3.5-litre V6 engine.
In 2005, Renault merged the World Series by Nissan and the Formula Renault V6 Eurocup into a single competition called the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, operating under the World Series by Renault umbrella. The Dallara chassis was retained from the World Series by Nissan era, while the engine was updated to a Renault V6 producing 425 horsepower.
From 2008 to 2011, the Formula Renault 3.5 Series ran the Dallara T08 chassis powered by a 3.5-litre Nissan VQ35 V6 engine producing 480 horsepower with a rev limit of 8,500 rpm. The gearbox was a six-speed semi-automatic unit supplied by Ricardo with steering wheel paddle shift. The complete car weighed 600 kilograms dry.
For the 2012 season the series introduced the Dallara T12, a significantly updated chassis powered by a 3.4-litre Zytek-developed V8 engine producing 530 horsepower at 9,250 rpm. The new car was 15 kilograms lighter than the T08 and gained a Drag Reduction System operating on similar principles to the DRS used in Formula One from 2011.
The T12 specification: engine displacement 3.4 litres DOHC V8; six-speed paddle shift gearbox with reverse; minimum weight 623 kilograms; power output 530 horsepower; torque 447 Newton-metres; Elf LMS 102 RON unleaded fuel; 110-litre fuel capacity; fuel injection with normally-aspirated aspiration; overall length 5,070 mm; width 1,930 mm; wheelbase 3,125 mm; power-assisted rack and pinion steering.
The Formula Renault 3.5 Series became widely recognized as one of the most reliable pre-Formula One proving grounds of the 2000s and early 2010s. Its champions list is a roll-call of drivers who subsequently competed at the highest level of the sport.
Fernando Alonso won the series in 1999 and went on to become a two-time Formula One world champion with Renault. Robert Kubica took the 2005 title before reaching Formula One with BMW Sauber. Heikki Kovalainen was the 2004 champion ahead of his Formula One career with Renault and McLaren. Kevin Magnussen won in 2013 and joined McLaren in Formula One the following season. Carlos Sainz Jr. was the 2014 champion and subsequently raced for Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren, and Ferrari in Formula One.
Pierre Gasly finished second in 2014 before joining the Formula One grid, while Esteban Ocon contested the series in 2014 on his way to Force India. Jules Bianchi was runner-up in 2012; he suffered catastrophic injuries at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix and died on 17 July 2015. Daniel Ricciardo finished second in 2010 and fifth in 2011 before his Formula One career. Giedo van der Garde was the 2008 champion. Robin Frijns took the 2012 title. Stoffel Vandoorne was runner-up in 2013. Pietro Fittipaldi won in 2017.
Beyond Formula One, the series produced IndyCar champions including Simon Pagenaud, Will Power, and Alex Palou, as well as world touring car champions including Andy Priaulx.
At the end of July 2015, Renault Sport announced its withdrawal of backing from the Formula Renault 3.5 Series from 2016 onwards, passing control to co-organizer RPM while retaining the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup. RPM rebranded the series as Formula V8 3.5 for 2016, then World Series Formula V8 3.5 for 2017. In November 2017, the series announced it would not continue in 2018 due to insufficient entries, closing a twenty-year lineage of top-level European open-wheel competition that had served as one of the sport's most prolific Formula One feeders.
The Formula Renault 3.5 chassis, particularly in its Dallara T08 and T12 forms, set a benchmark for pre-Formula One junior machinery in the era before Formula 2 became the established final step. Its combination of high downforce, powerful engines, and DRS gave drivers a technical experience closely resembling Formula One conditions, making it an effective preparation tool. The series' consistent production of Formula One-caliber talent over more than a decade established its reputation as one of the premier junior single-seater ladders in global motorsport.