The championship grew out of the Spanish Formula Renault scene, launching in 1998 under the name Open Fortuna by Nissan. It was promoted by RPM Comunicacion, founded by Jaime Alguersuari Tortajada, and was primarily based in Spain while visiting France, Italy, Portugal, and Brazil. The early formula used Coloni chassis — the N1/C983 type — powered by a 2.0-litre Nissan SR20 engine producing 250 bhp, placing the series between Formula Three and Formula 3000 in the motorsport hierarchy.
Marc Gené won the inaugural championship in 1998, going on to race in Formula One for Minardi and Williams. Fernando Alonso won the 1999 title — before either began their F1 careers in earnest — in a series then known as the Euro Open MoviStar by Nissan. Antonio García won the 2000 edition and Franck Montagny claimed back-to-back championships in 2001 and 2003, sandwiching Ricardo Zonta's 2002 triumph. Heikki Kovalainen won the 2004 title with Pons Racing, completing the Nissan era before Renault assumed control.
In 2002 the series adopted Dallara chassis and upgraded to the Nissan VQ30 V6 engine, expanding its international calendar. A support series, World Series Light, ran alongside from 2002 to 2004.
From 2005, Renault Sport took over promotion from RPM and merged the championship with the Formula Renault V6 Eurocup to create the World Series by Renault, with the Formula Renault 3.5 Series as the headline category. The Dallara chassis was retained, upgraded with a Renault V6 producing around 425 PS. Supporting series including the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and the Eurocup Mégane Trophy ran on the same weekends.
The championship from 2008 to 2011 used the Dallara T08 chassis, powered by a 3.5-litre V6 Nissan VQ35 unit producing 480 bhp at 8,500 rpm. The gearbox was a six-speed semi-automatic supplied by Ricardo, operated via steering wheel paddle shift, with the complete car weighing 600 kg dry. Robert Kubica was champion in 2005. Alx Danielsson won in 2006. Álvaro Parente won in 2007. Giedo van der Garde won in 2008. Bertrand Baguette won in 2009. Mikhail Aleshin won in 2010, with Daniel Ricciardo the rookie of the year. Robert Wickens won in 2011 with Carlin.
In 2012, the series introduced the Dallara T12 chassis equipped with a 3.4-litre Zytek V8 producing 530 bhp at 9,250 rpm — 50 bhp more than its predecessor — in a car weighing 623 kg. A Drag Reduction System was incorporated, operating on a similar basis to the DRS used in Formula One. Specifications: length 5,070 mm, width 1,930 mm, wheelbase 3,125 mm, six-speed paddle-shift gearbox, fuel capacity 110 litres of Elf LMS 102 RON unleaded.
Robin Frijns dominated the 2012 season, winning both the drivers' title and the rookie award with Tech 1 Racing. Kevin Magnussen was champion in 2013 with DAMS, with Stoffel Vandoorne named rookie of the year. Carlos Sainz Jr. won the 2014 title with DAMS, with Pierre Gasly taking the rookie award. Oliver Rowland was champion in 2015 with Fortec Motorsports, with Nyck de Vries as rookie of the year.
In July 2015, Renault Sport announced its withdrawal from the series from 2016 onward, returning control to co-organiser RPM. Renault continued its World Series by Renault branding through other supporting categories. RPM renamed the championship Formula V8 3.5 for 2016, with Tom Dillmann winning the title with Arden Motorsport. In December 2016 the name was changed again to World Series Formula V8 3.5. Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time Formula One world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, won the final drivers' championship in 2017 with the Lotus entry run by Charouz Racing System, which also claimed the teams' title. On 17 November 2017 the series announced it would not hold a 2018 season due to lack of entries, citing a possibility of future relaunch.
The series is remembered as one of European motorsport's most prolific F1 production lines across the Renault era. Drivers who competed in the championship and subsequently reached Formula One include Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen, Carlos Sainz Jr., Pierre Gasly, Nyck de Vries, Robert Wickens, Heikki Kovalainen, Robert Kubica, and Giedo van der Garde, among others. Several graduates became Formula One race winners and champions. The Dallara T12 chassis continued to be used in the BOSS GP championship after the series' closure.
Gallery · 1 related image
