Top feeder series drivers of 2017: F3

Joel Eriksson

Had it not been for Lando Norris’ impressive rookie season, Joel Eriksson would probably be talked about as the next big thing. Had he also signed with an F1 team and not with BMW’s driver programme, he may already be in the frame for an F1 seat — perhaps at Sauber, who would probably be in favour of replacing their mediocre Swede with a much faster one. With 7 wins and 7 podiums, Eriksson was the most accomplished driver, other than Norris in 2017, despite some issues with qualifying in the second half of the season. After an impressive rookie season in 2016 and a very mature and competitive 2017, he is definitely a driver to watch going into the future, just not in F1. Having signed a deal to drive in the DTM in 2018 with BMW, he could be on the verge of a fantastic career — IMSA, WEC, DTM and potentially WRX are all possible avenues, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him compete, and win, in all of them.

Ferdinand Habsburg

I wasn’t expecting much of Habsburg coming into 2017, I only saw him put in a fairly inconsistent half season in Formula Renault in 2016, however he showed incredible fighting spirit in Macau, outshining his highly rated teammate Lando Norris until the final lap and improved considerably throughout the 2017 F3 season. While he was fairly inconsistent throughout the whole season, on his day, he was as quick as anyone in both qualifying and races. While he older than most of the rest of the field at 20, Habsburg matured in 2017 and looks to be one of F3 and feeder series in general’s best drivers. In 2018 he could be a real title contender, and his racecraft should be a treat to watch as he fights against the likes of Marcus Armstrong and Robert Scwhartzman.

Lando Norris

What more can be said of Norris that hasn’t been said already? Throughout his early career, many were touting the young brit as the next Lewis Hamilton, though many argued that such acclaim had been thrust upon many drivers beforehand with nothing to show for it. Lando, however, looks to be the real deal. Having finished outside of the top 3 just once in 5 full season campaigns since 2014, he topped off his impressive CV with 1st place in the 2017 FIA European Formula 3 series, beating highly rated rivals such as Maximilian Gunther and Joel Eriksson. The now Ferrari-affiliated Callum Ilott was made to look quite average in comparison to Norris as he struggled to keep up with the 3 previously mentioned title rivals in his third year of F3. Norris struggled to begin with, dropping like a stone at the start of the race became his trademark, however while others stumbled mid-season, Lando only gained more momentum, putting in a consistent and blisteringly quick season when all was said and done.

Originally published on 17/12/17 at jdaykin.me