Valtteri Bottas

Name: Valtteri Bottas
Date of birth: 28 August 1989 (age 21)
Nationality: Finnish
Currently: 6th in GP3 standings

Valtteri began his single-seater career in 2007, racing in the Formula Renault Northern European Cup and finished third in the standings with two wins. At the end of the year he contested the Formula Renault UK Winter Series and won three of the four races, but could not be crowned champion because he did not hold an MSA-registered licence.

In 2008 he continued in the NEC, switching from the Korainen Bros team to Motopark Academy. He dominated the championship, winning 12 of the 14 races he contested in the 16 race season. He also took part in the Eurocup with Motopark Academy, where he also won the title. He won five races to pip Daniel Ricciardo to the crown.

For 2009 Valtteri moved up to the Formula 3 Euro Series, driving for the crack ART Grand Prix squad. He scored six podiums and two pole positions to finish third in the standings as top rookie. Though he didn't win a Euro Series race, he did win the prestigous Masters of F3 event at Zandvoort in June.

At the beginning of 2010 Valtteri was signed by Williams as their test and reserve driver. He remained with ART in F3 for a title crack. He and ART suffered from a disappointing season, Valtteri only managing to win two races and finish third overall, as Edoardo Mortara ran away with the title. He did win the Masters again at Zandvoort, becoming the first driver to win the event twice.

Valtteri has switched to the GP3 Series in 2011, remaining with ART. Despite starting the season as the favourite he had a slow start to the season, with just one podium finish from the first half. He picked things up at the Nurburgring though, finishing third in the first race and then winning the second. He lies just ten points off the standings lead in sixth place.

Talent rating: Valtteri shone in 2008 with his double Formula Renault crown. He then impressed again with his maiden year in F3. Last year was tougher, as has been the first half of 2011. However, the talent hasn't just disappeared overnight and he remains a top prospect. 8/10

Chances of getting to F1: Valtteri's performances in his early career made F1 bosses take note, with Williams signing him up. That deal means he has his foot in the door already, but he needs to progress to GP2 and impress there before he can make the step up. 8/10

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Photo credits: GP3, Thijs Bekkema, F3 Euro Series, GP3

Rio Haryanto

Name: Rio Haryanto
Date of birth: 22 January 1993 (age 18)
Nationality: Indonesian
Currently: 11th in GP3 standings, 10th in Auto GP standings

Rio made the step from karting into single-seaters in 2008, contesting the Formula Asia 2.0 series for Formula Renault cars. He won one race and finished third in the standings. He also contested 10 of the 14 races in the Asian Formula Renault Challenge, taking two wins and finishing sixth in the final standings.

For 2009 he moved to the Formula BMW Pacific series, driving for the Meritus team. From the opening 10 rounds of the season he won six times (including an emphatic four wins from four races at his home meeting at Sentul in Indonesia). The final five races of the year were all won by guest drivers, with Rio being the top regular driver and therefore receiving maximum points and allowing him to take the title with ease.

2010 saw Rio make the move to Europe to contest the brand-new GP3 Series with Manor Racing. Despite his relative inexperience at the age of just 17 he won at the second round of the season at Istanbul. He scored a further two podium finishes at Silverstone and Monza to place fifth in the final standings.

As the top driver in the Manor team he was given the chance to test for the sister Virgin Racing F1 team at the end-of-season young driver test at Abu Dhabi.

Rio has remained in GP3 in 2011, but failed to score any points in the opening three meetings of the year. He scored a fourth-place finish at Silverstone and then won in a rain-hit race at the Nurburgring, coming out on top of a late three-way fight for the win. He has also been racing in Auto GP for DAMS, finishing second in a race at Brno.

Talent rating: Rio was dominant in Formula BMW, and then shone in his first year in Europe in GP3 against more accomplished rivals. He has struggled this year so far but showed off his talent with his drive to victory at the Nurburgring. 6/10

Chances of getting to F1: Rio has attracted plenty of attention from his native Indonesia, and has good funding with it. He has already established links with the Virgin team, and also has time on his side to move into GP2 and do well there before making the step to F1. 8/10

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Photo credits: GP3, BMW, Pt. Kiky Sport, GP3

Alexander Sims

Name: Alexander Sims
Date of birth: 15 March 1988 (age 23)
Nationality: British
Currently: Leading GP3 standings

After winning numerous titles in karting, Alexander made his single-seater debut in the Formula Renault UK Winter Series at the end of 2006, finishing his first car race in second place. He made the full-time step into single-seaters for 2007 at the relatively late age of 19. He finished eighth in the Formula Renault UK standings, scoring one win and two other podium finishes. He remained in the series with the Manor Competition team in 2008, where he scored the most points of any driver, but the series' dropped scores system meant he finished runner-up, with two wins and ten other podium finishes. At the end of 2008 he won the prestigous McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.

For 2009 Alexander made the step up to Formula 3, contesting the Euro Series with the Mucke Motorsport team. Despite his relative inexperience he finished fourth overall, just missing out on the rookie title to Valtteri Bottas, who drove for championship-winning squad ART.

Sims was signed by the Gravity Sports Management firm for the 2010 season, enabling him to continue in Formula 3 for a second year. He made the switch to ART, where he was expected to fight Bottas for the title. Unfortunately ART could not dominate proceedings as they had in previous years. A disappointing season saw Sims finish fourth again, with just one win.

In November 2010 Alexander completed a test with the McLaren F1 team at Silverstone, as a prize for winning the award in 2008.

For 2011 Alexander made the move to the GP3 Series, racing for Status Grand Prix. He won the second of ther races at the season opener at Istanbul, but then suffered two first-lap incidents at Barcelona. A podium at Valencia followed after topping the timesheets in a mid-season test, before he scored a double podium finish at Silverstone where he demonstrated fine overtaking to work his way through the field. This has given him the lead in the standings at the halfway stage.

Talent rating: After a good start to his single-seater career his stunning rookie year in F3 made everyone take notice, if they hadn't already. A member of both the BRDC's Superstar and MSA's Team UK programmes, Alexander has been highlighted as one of the UK's hottest young drivers. He suffered a tough second year in F3 last year, but is now making ammends in GP3. 8/10

Chances of getting to Formula 1: Gravity support should help him into GP2 next year, should he continue with his strong form. Impressing there from the off will be key to his chances of making it to the big time. At 23, he cannot afford to waste any time. 7/10

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Photo credits: GP3, Jakob Ebrey, Alexander Sims, GP3

Lewis Williamson

Name: Lewis Williamson
Date of birth: 11 November 1989 (age 21)
Nationality: British
Currently: 6th in GP3 standings

After a successful karting career in Scotland and Britain, Lewis made his first steps into single-seaters with a guest drive in Formula Jedi. He qualified in pole position and won his first ever car race. He then contested the Formula Renault UK Winter Series, in a car leased by Highland Arena, a company set up by family friends to promote sporting talent from the Scottish Highlands. He scored two podium finishes from four races to end up sixth in the final standings.

Lewis contested the full Formula Renault UK season with CRS Racing in 2009, scoring two podium finishes and ending tenth in the final standings. He switched to Manor Competition for 2010, claiming five victories and nine podium finishes. He finished the season as runner-up, narrowly missing out on the title.

At the end of the year he took part in a GP3 Series test after a last minute phone call with Atech CRS boss David Hayle. He topped the timesheets on his first day in the car and was quickest again on the following day. His performance impressed the GP3 teams and he would eventually be signed by MW Arden for the 2011 season.

In December 2010 Lewis won the prestigous McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, after a series of evaluation tests in different machinery at Silverstone.

Before the 2011 GP3 season got underway Lewis was chosen by Red Bull to substitute for their driver Daniel Ricciardo at the ISR team in Formula Renault 3.5 at the season opener at Motorland, while Ricciardo was attending the Chinese Grand Prix. A gearbox issue before the first race prevented him from scoring any points, but the support from Red Bull has continued into his GP3 campaign, where he is wearing their logos.

A tangle with another driver in his first GP3 race in Turkey meant he scored no points from the first weekend of the season. That trend continued at Barcelona but he scored a pole position for the next round at Valencia, finishing the race second. He then scored his first victory in the series at Silverstone on the morning of the British GP. He lies sixth in the standings at the halfway stage, just ten points off the lead.

Talent rating: Despite a late move into single-seaters Lewis has proven his talent since then, finishing runner-up in Formula Renault and then impressing immediately behind the wheel of a GP3 car. He remains in with a chance of the title in GP3 at his first attempt, and has clearly impressed Red Bull. 8/10

Chances of getting to F1: His current form makes him deserving of moving up the ladder, but funding could be an issue. His best hopes are with Red Bull, and being made an official member of their Junior Team. If so, they will probably place him in FR3.5, and perhaps take him to F1 one day. 7/10

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 Photo credits: GP3/Lewis Williamson/DPPI

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs

Name: Adrian Quaife-Hobbs
Date of birth: 3 February 1991 (age 20)
Nationality: British
Currently: Seventh in GP3 Series standings

Though, like most, Adrian began his career in karting, he then began racing in the T-Cars series in 2005. A saloon car series exlusively for drivers aged 14-17, Adrian took eight wins from 17 races to win the series at his first attempt, becoming the youngest ever driver to win an MSA-sanctioned series,

He contined into T-Cars into 2006, but switched focus during the year to begin testing in preparation for his move to single-seaters in 2007. A Formula BMW scholarship gained him entry to the UK series for 2007, where he finished tenth in the final standings. He also began racing in Formula Renault later in the year, entering races in both the Eurocup and North European Cup.

Adrian entered a full season of Formula Renault in 2008, in both the Italian series and the Eurocup with the BVM Minardi team. He finished fourth in the Italian championship with one win, but only managed to score two points in the Eurocup.

Remaining in Formula Renault for 2009, Adrian entered both the NEC and the Eurocup with Motopark Academy, finishing fourth in the standings in both series with one win in each.

Adrian made the step up to Formula 3 for 2010, entering the Euro Series with Motopark. After scoring points in the opening two events he then switched to the new GP3 Series with Manor Racing. After a slow start to the season he was much stronger towards the end, claiming a podium at Spa.

At the end of 2010 he tested in both the Formula Renault 3.5 Series and GP2 Series. He topped the timesheets on three of the five FR3.5 test days in Spain, and was never outside of the top three. In the GP2 test at Abu Dhabi he impressed again, including being third quickest in one of the sessions.

Despite his testing pace in the quicker cars, Adrian has remained with Manor in GP3 for a second season in 2011, and once again after a slow start he took his maiden win in the first race at Valencia. The Manor team's links with the Virgin Racing F1 team saw Adrian complete a straight-line aero test with the team in Spain earlier in the year.

Talent rating: Adrian showed promise early in his career, and while he often showed his potential in Formula Renault he seemed to lack the consistency. Now one of the frontrunners in GP3, he again seems to be unable to regularly show his pace. He did show his pace in FR3.5 and GP2 testing over the winter, however. 6/10

Chances of getting to F1: Adrian has shown he could be competitive in a higher series, and he could also have the backing to do it thanks to the family-run Quaife transmission manufacturer. His established links with Virgin Racing could help him to make that final jump too. 6/10

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 Photo credits: GP3 Media Service, Adrian Quaife-Hobbs

Mitch Evans

Full name: Mitchell Evans
Date of birth: 24 June 1994 (Age 16)
Nationality: New Zealander
Currently: Third in GP3 standings

Evans began his car racing career in 2007 in Formula First in his home nation. This was followed by Formula Ford, finishing runner-up in the New Zealand championship in 2008-09 and runner-up in the Australian series in 2009. His performances caught the eye of Formula 1 driver Mark Webber.

At the beginning of 2010 Evans won the Toyota Racing Series, a series in New Zealand that runs from January to March and attracts international drivers. For the rest of the year he raced in the Australian Formula 3 Championship, finishing runner-up by just one point. He had missed the second round as he was testing Formula Abarth in Italy.

Evans retained his Toyota Racing Series title at the beginning of 2011, also becoming the youngest ever winner of a Grand Prix when he won the New Zealand Grand Prix in February. He signed for the MW Arden GP3 Series team for his move to Europe. He finished sixth and seventh in the first two races of the season at Istanbul. At Barcelona he took pole position and then converted this to a race win, finishing fifth in the second race. He lies third in the standings, five points off the leader.

Talent rating: Evans' acheivements in New Zealand and Australia marked him out as a prodigous talent, but his has only been strengthened with the way he has adapted to racing in Europe so quicky to emerge as a title favourite at just 16. 9/10

Chances of getting to Formula 1: Racing on the Formula 1 support bill in GP3 at such a young age will get him noticed, while being mentored and guided by Mark Webber will help him in the right direction. As always, money could be an issue. 9/10

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Photo credit: GP3 media service