Hamilton’s World Championship win is latest feather in F3’s cap

Kumho Tyres is delighted to see Lewis Hamilton crowned World Driver’s Champion, having supplied the tyres he raced on in his Formula 3 (F3) days.

Kumho has been the official tyre supplier and sponsor of the F3 Euro Series since its inception in 2003 and is mid-way through its second stint as appointed tyre partner of the annual Masters of F3 event. Widely regarded as the world’s most competitive F3 championship, the Euro Series is now established as a prime breeding ground for future F1 drivers, contributing no less than seven of its graduates to this year’s grid, including Robert Kubica, Sebastian Vettel, Timo Glock and Nico Rosberg.

Hamilton’s record in F3 is in fact unique, as he achieved the double of winning both the coveted Masters title and the F3 Euro Series in 2005, having dominated the latter with 15 victories, 13 pole positions and 10 fastest laps. He is now the series’ first F1 world champion.

The latest driver to step up from F3 to the heady world of F1 is German Nico Hülkenberg. The newly-crowned F3 Euro champion, he was the victor of the 2007 Masters of F3 event and is now an official test driver for the AT&T Williams Grand Prix team.

Said Steve Thompson, manager of Kumho’s European motorsport division, “We offer our congratulations to Lewis on his victory in the F1 World Championship. Today’s F1 drivers are drawn from a variety of series, but F3 continues to play a major role in the development of most of them, and we are very proud to be a part of it.”

For further information on Kumho Tyres and its road and competition products, visit kumhotyre.co.uk