The Regional Formula 3 concept continued its global expansion this year, as the prevalence of the traditional series decreased. Josh Suttill and Elliot Wood review the 2019 season in F3, from America to Italy

W Series

When pre-season title favourite Jamie Chadwick sealed the first-ever W Series title, you’d be forgiven for thinking the inaugural season stuck to the script. However, the all-female series’ debut wasn’t short of surprise and drama both on and off track.

The Hockenheim season opener went pretty much to plan for Chadwick. She topped every session and only blotted her copybook once with an opening lap mistake at the hairpin which handed the lead to Sarah Moore. She wasted little time in reclaiming the lead, and never looked back.

Round two at Zolder saw a masterclass from former Formula V8 3.5 racer Beitske Visser, who beat polesitter Chadwick on the run down to Turn 1 and took victory by 8.451 seconds.

Chadwick and Visser were once again the class of the field at Misano. Fabienne Wohlwend ended Chadwick’s pole streak, but fell to third on lap one. Visser hounded Chadwick all race, but eventually finished half a second adrift.

The Norisring race belonged to ex-Renault junior Marta Garcia. The 18-year-old dominated all-weekend long, while Visser beat Chadwick to second place to slightly reduce the latter’s points lead.

Emma Kimilainen may well have been among that title fight had she not been sidelined by a nasty collision with Canadian Megan Gilkes in the season opener. She made her return at the Norisring with a solid fifth place. Two weeks later, she upstaged home hero Visser to take a remarkable win from pole at Assen.

Alice Powell proved to be Kimilainen’s closest rival in that race, taking the lead on the opening lap but then being pressured into a mistake at the first turn later on and conceding the position.

Powell would have her moment in the sun in the season finale at Brands Hatch. She started second but overtook the title-chasing Chadwick. Kimilainen followed her through at Paddock Hill Bend to round off her stellar return.

Chadwick then slipped to fourth to a brilliant overtake by Visser, but being off the podium was enough to become champion.

Garcia was unable to use her Norisring victory as a springboard to a late-season title challenge. She rounded off her season with ninth and eighth place finishes. Powell’s title chances evaporated with successive DNFs through no fault of her own at Misano and Norisring. Without her injury, Kimilainen would no doubt have also been in the mix, and all three should be a consistent threat to Chadwick and Visser next year.

Wohlwend showed flashes of brilliance, but her lack of experience at this level was demonstrated on multiple occasions. Still, for someone used to racing a Ferrari 488, she can be very proud with sixth in the points and the third-best qualifying record.

Miki Koyama quickly became a fan favourite with her charge from 17th on the grid to sixth at Hockenheim. This soon became her party trick. She had the 11th-best qualifying record but was seventh in the standings, despite a clumsy and pointless second half to the season.

Moore took eighth in the championship. Unfortunately, Hockenheim proved to be her peak, but she was a consistent top-10 qualifier and finisher. Vicky Piria, who was 10th in Euroformula Open in 2013, ended up ninth, with fifth on home soil at Misano her best finish of the year. Rounding out the top 10 was South African Tasmin Pepper.

The 29-year-old has had a lengthy absence from single-seaters, but starting the season with four points finishes was enough to secure her spot on the 2020 grid. In contrast, Jessica Hawkins had to wait until the penultimate round of the season to score her first points. Fortunately, it was the first of two seventh-place finishes and was enough to seal her 2020 drive. She tied on points with American?Sabre Cook,?whose ninth-place at Brands Hatch guaranteed her championship return.

This left Caitlin Wood and Gosia Rdest out in 13th and 14th. They starred at Assen, finishing in fifth and sixth, and deserve, at the very least, reserve driver roles next year.

Arguably the biggest underperformer of the season was Esmee Hawkey. Though new to single-seaters, she qualified in the top 10 on four occasions, including a stunning third on home soil at Brands Hatch. However, she stalled on the grid at Brands, meaning ninth at the Norisring was her only points finish of the year.

Naomi Schiff also registered just two points. Vivien Keszthelyi got to start four of the six races and did score, but fellow reserve Sarah Bovy failed to score and only made two appearances as a mechanical error stopped her from starting at Zolder.

Shea Holbrook had a miserable year. She had the worst qualifying record and finished no better than 12th, only ahead of Bovy and third reserve Megan Gilkes. The Canadian was benched at the Norisring and unintentionally caused Kimilainen’s sidelining, but did win the non-championship reversed-grid race at Assen in remarkable circumstances.

With at least six new drivers, more races and Formula 1 superlicence points now available, Chadwick will have an even-tougher fight on her hands for the 2020 title.

Asia

After a first season which attracted high-key drivers and a Winter Series that attracted even more high-profile headlines, Asian F3 had a quiet second season which was once again dominated by Hitech.

Ukyo Sasahara, once a star of Formula Renault in Europe, continued his career rebirth by beating Red Bull-backed team-mate Jack Doohan. Between them they won 13 of the 15 races, eight of which were claimed by Sasahara.

It was actually a late call-up that resulted in Sasahara driving Hitech’s #1 car, and both he and Doohan were beaten to the first pole of the season by Absolute Racing’s Daniel Cao. The Asian FR champion was less race-sharp than his opposition though and Sasahara took two wins on the trot before Doohan responded with one of his own.

Doohan was the presumed championship leader given Sasahara, who was focusing on a Porsche Carrera Cup Japan title campaign, was down for no further rounds. He did turn up for the next round at Thailand’s Buriram track though and took another two wins.

Hitech expanded to encompass Jackson Walls at Suzuka, where Doohan surprisingly looked more of a match for Sasahara. Doohan would have taken a triple win were it not for a mechanical failure, but he still closed the points gap after Sasahara followed his inherited race two win with ninth place in race three after being penalised for spinning poleman Petr Ptacek.

Sasahara was back on top of his game in the first visit to Shanghai, winning all three races. Doohan skipped on his Euroformula Open commitments to compete but had his weakest weekend yet. The season finale was also at Shanghai, and local driver Cao showed the progress he’d made across the season by making two stunning starts and wins, while third and fourth was enough for Sasahara to wrap up the title early.

Usually behind Sasahara, Doohan and Cao was BlackArts Racing’s Brendon Leitch, who took five podiums. Cao’s team-mate Eshan Pieris was a lonely fifth in the standings, ahead of part-timers Walls and Jordan Dempsey (Pinnacle Motorsport).

Americas

Global Racing Group’s Dakota Dickerson’s sought to replicate his United States F4 champion predecessor Kyle Kirkwood by following up with F3 Americas success, and while he succeeded in doing so, it was in a far less dominant way.

Benjamin Pedersen finished on the podium in all but one of the races in his part-time campaign last year, and he returned in 2019 aiming for the title. Deciding to race in BRDC British F3 meant he once again entered less than two-thirds of the American season, but still won seven races to team-mate Dickerson’s five and left the season opener as the points leader.

The absence of the Dane afterwards didn’t actually lend itself to Dickerson, as Abel Motorsports’ Jacob Abel made the most of tricky conditions at Road Atlanta to take his first two wins and the points lead. Dickerson finally took control at Pittsburgh with a triple win, as 2018 runner-up Baltazar Leguizamon ended his season early after five second places in eight races.

Pederson returned with rigour at Virginia and won six of the eight remaining races, as Abel also chose to skip rounds. This meant Dickerson wrapped up the title a round early at Road America, despite not winning a race since Pittsburgh.

Pedersen, with his higher scoring average, was a comfortable second in the standings, way ahead of one-time winner Mathias Soler-Obel (Velocity Racing Developments), Abel and James Roe Jr (GRG).

Australia

It took 10 years for John Magro to win the Australian F3 title, and he did it in style by going undefeated for R-Tek Motorsport.

He won all 18 races of the six-round season in his HWA-powered Dallara F311, the newest car on the grid. He kicked off the season with, beyond the obvious three wins, a new lap record at Winton and the end of a long losing streak. After making a poor start from pole in race one and having to fight back to take the lead, Magro took his first win since 2017.

At Morgan Park Raceway he had an easier time, then took another lap record on the championship’s visit to The Bend Motorsport Park. Magro equalled the consecutive win record at Sydney Motorsport Park, then sailed to success at Wakefield Park and Queensland Raceway.

Josh Buchan, winner of the Mount Panorama Formula Ford 50th Anniversary event at the start of the year, took one pole for Gilmour Racing and was second in the standings.

The rest

Former F3 Euro Series driver Sandro Zeller took his fourth Austrian F3 Cup title for his father’s team Jo Zeller Racing.

The 27-year-old dominated much of the season, only being beaten three times in the first 12 races. His grip on qualifying was weaker, especially when the F2000 Italian Trophy series shared the grid, and Regional F3 racers Alessio Deledda and Tom Beckhauser were two of the career-minded drivers who beat Zeller to pole or victory.

The Hungaroring season finale held on the same weekend as the Euroformula season closer acted as a ‘passing of the baton’ for the biggest championship using the Dallara F312/F317 car. Andrea Cola – runner-up to Zeller in the Austrian standings – claimed the Italian title, while Beckhauser succeeded Cola as the FIA Central European Zone champion.

Some in the?MSVR F3 Cup this year got distracted by the prospect of competing in Euroformula, leaving Chris Dittmann Racing’s Cian Carey to take a second successive title.

CF Racing’s Stefano Leaney won four of the first six races as an invitational entry in his Dallara F317, before switching to an older car to be eligible for points. He continued his winning streak after making the switch, with his time on the top step finally being ended at Silverstone by team-mate George Line and Carey.

Leaney returned to victory at the poorly contested Brands Hatch Grand Prix round in August, where Team Fox Racing’s Darragh Daly also won. Three more wins for Leaney in the remaining six races only put him fifth in the standings, with Carey taking a comfortable title win over University of Wolverhampton driver Shane Kelly.

The post 2019 International Formula 3 season review appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photos: FIA F3 European Championship

The recent upturn experienced by the FIA F3 European Championship reached another high in 2014, with a highly-competitive field headed by numerous top-line drivers, including some incredibly strong rookies.

Its reputation had already grown before Max Verstappen was handed a Formula 1 seat while he was still 16. That brought yet more attention, but Verstappen’s rivals deserve their fair share – none more so than the fellow teenage newcomer that won the title, Esteban Ocon.

All the drivers in the top ten at least are capable of and deserving of going on to bigger and better things. Below, PaddockScout reviews the top 20 in the final standings in detail.

1. Esteban Ocon

France, Prema Powerteam, age 18

478 points, 9 wins, 21 podiums, 15 pole positions, 7 fastest laps

Plenty was expected of Lotus F1 junior Ocon as he stepped up to F3 from Formula Renault 2.0 with champion team Prema, but by winning the title in relatively dominant fashion, he far exceeded those expectations.

He led the standings from just the second race, and his margin grew to 82 during the first four rounds, when he won at each weekend, and took 11 podiums from 12 races. He responded perfectly to Verstappen’s trebles at Spa and the Norisring with one of his own in Moscow, opening his lead to a season-high of 116. His run-in was a little wobbly in comparison, but he still did enough to wrap things up with a round to go.

Verstappen hogged much of the limelight, but Ocon was still an F3 rookie and is only a year older. And the hype around his rival boosts his standing too, with his Gravity management, Mercedes and the FIA all pushing for him to get F1 chances of his own sooner rather than later. A GP2 move seems likely for 2015. Season rating: 9/10

2. Tom Blomqvist

United Kingdom, Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, age 20

420 points, 6 wins, 15 podiums, 6 pole positions, 9 fastest laps

Being recruited to the Jagonya Ayam roster of drivers backed by Ricardo Gelael and KFC Indonesia allowed Blomqvist to get a seat in a Carlin machine and prove what he was really capable of, following a tough couple of seasons in under-resourced teams.

His season couldn’t have started better, beating Ocon to the win in the first of the 33 races, but his title bid took an early hit thanks to the draconian engine change rules, giving him three-ten place penalties and denying him two poles at Hockenheim. That took him from three points behind Ocon to 61, but he finished the year just 58 adrift – and nine ahead of Verstappen – with ten podiums from the last 12 races.

Of course his experience and maturity helped, and his talent isn’t as great as Ocon’s or Verstappen’s, but there’s absolutely no shame in that. Finding space for him further up the ladder will be harder for Jagonya Ayam, but he fully deserves to take the next step and get a quick package underneath him once again. Season rating: 8

3. Max Verstappen

Netherlands, Van Amersfoort Racing, age 17

411 points, 10 wins, 16 podiums, 7 pole positions, 7 fastest laps

Verstappen had made a strong impression in early single-seater tests and races, but jumping straight into the ultra-competitive F3 series for his first full campaign out of karts – and with a team that scored just one podium in 2013 – meant little was expected.

He was immediately among the frontrunners on pace though, and although predictable first-lap incidents hampered him at first, it took until just six races before he won. His six wins in nine days in June across and Spa and Norisring were simply incredible. He looked like he might threaten Ocon’s title, but was hindered by technical problems, grid penalties and some general raggedness, before he lost P2 to a faster Blomqvist on the final day. But winning more races than anybody else was the most remarkable achievement.

Confident and competent in his first F1 outings so far, anything other than a positive first impression in 2015 will be a surprise. His long-term potential is huge, it will be interesting to see whether he can make the most of it. Season rating: 9

4. Lucas Auer

Austria, Mucke Motorsport, age 20

365 points, 3 wins, 13 podiums, 1 pole position, 2 fastest laps

Fourth last year, Auer made the bold decision to leave Prema over the winter and move to Mucke. To not improve his championship position may have left him feeling disappointed, but understandable when faced with some almighty competition.

Most of the time, Mucke didn’t seem to be a match for Carlin or Prema. They were left behind in a terrible first weekend at Silverstone, but Auer promptly won the next race at Hockenheim. His later wins would also come on German soil, at the Nurburgring and the season finale back at Hockenheim. He comfortably outscored his more experienced team-mate Rosenqvist even if they were many times when they were inseparable. He probably should have beaten him to win in Macau, but for repeated braking errors.

The nephew of outgoing FIA single-seater chief Gerhard Berger, FR3.5 seems far more likely than GP2/3 for next year, and has already tested there. He’s also sampled Endurance, but Auer falling off the single-seater ladder would hardly be a good start to Berger’s legacy. Season rating: 8

5. Antonio Fuoco

Italy, Prema Powerteam, age 18

255 points, 2 wins, 10 podiums, 2 fastest laps

After claiming the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps title in his rookie season out of karts, Ferrari Driver Academy member Fuoco stepped up to F3 for 2014 and made a very bright start, heading an all-rookie podium in race three at Silverstone ahead of Verstappen and Ocon.

Unfortunately, while Ocon and Verstappen went on to even headier heights, Fuoco couldn’t maintain that kind of form. There were six non-scores in the next seven races, partly caused by a tough weekend at Pau thanks to a practice crash. After another poor spell in the middle of the year, he inherited his second and final win at Spielberg. Good pace and podiums after that was matched by more incidents, culminating in a clumsy penultimate race crash, a disqualification and a broken thumb.

Ignoring Ocon and Verstappen, fifth would usually still be a decent effort for an F3 rookie in only his second car racing season, and he should start 2015 as the title favourite. But doing a sophomore campaign with Prema is surprisingly not a forgone conclusion and he’s testing GP3 next week. Season rating: 7

6. Antonio Giovinazzi

Italy, Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, age 20

238 points, 2 wins, 7 podiums, 2 pole positions, 3 fastest laps

Much was expected of Giovinazzi in 2014, joining Carlin after a promising end to an otherwise tough rookie F3 season. He got a second-place in the fifth race of the season at Hockenheim, but that would be his only podium from the first 21 races.

He had cracked his chassis in a collision at the Norisring, and a replacement together with a fresh engine revitalised him immediately at Spielberg, where he was the quickest over the weekend and would have won twice, but lost the first to Fuoco for a safety car infringement. Another win followed a fortnight later at the Nurburgring when Verstappen broke down while leading. The final two weekends weren’t quite as strong, but in all he racked up six podiums from the last 12 races.

That form would easily make him a title contender for 2015, but rumour suggests his Indonesian backers are looking to move him, Blomqvist and Sean Gelael all on, perhaps up to FR3.5. Season rating: 7

7. Jordan King

United Kingdom, Carlin, age 20

217 points, 7 podiums

British champion, top European rookie and sixth overall last year, King will be disappointed to have not made more progress in his second year in the series with Carlin. He certainly made a step forward in terms of podium finishes, with seven instead of two.

However, despite his four second-places, he lacked that last bit of speed to become a race winner, and up against some tougher competition than last year, he slipped back one place in the standings. Most of his podium finishes came from further back on the grid, only twice qualifying inside the top three, while Blomqvist and Giovinazzi did show that Carlin had a strong one-lap package.

With a decent budget behind him, King will be moving on next year, and is testing in both FR3.5 and GP2. He’s capable of doing well in either – he’s good driver, but was just a bit overshadowed in such exalted company this year. Season rating: 7

8. Felix Rosenqvist

Sweden, Mucke Motorsport, age 23

198 points, 1 win, 2 podiums, 1 pole position, 3 fastest laps

After running Raffaele Marciello pretty close for the title last year, Rosenqvist should have been moving on from F3, to bigger single-seaters or to a professional opportunity with a roof over his head. That chance didn’t come, and he was forced into a fourth year in Euro F3.

Only the title would have been good enough, and he was so good in 2013 that simply maintaining that form ought to have seen off the kids. But instead, he finished the season a disastrous eighth. After a difficult start, he took victory in the title race at the Pau Grand Prix, but a third in the next race would be his second and last podium of the campaign. He was regularly in the points, but too rarely in the top places and too often in some sort of trouble – his causing or not.

A convincing victory in the Macau Grand Prix has ended his year on a deserved high and repaired some of the damage done to his reputation. Hopefully, it will be enough to impress potential backers from Asia, Sweden or Germany to advance his career as he’d previously deserved. Season rating: 6

9. Jake Dennis

United Kingdom, Carlin, age 19

174 points, 3 podiums

Dennis was unable to win races like his fellow Formula Renault 2.0 graduates Ocon and Fuoco, but he still enjoyed a decent rookie F3 season. Unlike the other rookies. he was way off the pace at Silverstone, but made good progress as the year went on.

At Pau he used his experience from FR2.0 to enjoy his best weekend of the year, with two fourths and a third. He maintained good form through the next rounds, and after podiums at Spa and Spielberg he was up to sixth in the standings. The final three weekends were tough, but he arguably deserved better than ninth in the final reckoning.

He will be a title contender next year, and the Racing Steps Foundation has decided to move him over to Prema. Should Fuoco return, it will tough to beat the Italian in his own team, but joining the Mercedes-supported squad is perhaps better for his career than staying at, and leading, Carlin. Season rating: 7

10. Nicholas Latifi

Canada, Prema Powerteam, age 19

128 points, 1 podium (30/33 races)

Latifi came into the season after showing glimpses of promise in 2013 with Carlin, making a relatively late switch to Prema to replace Alex Lynn, and winning races in the Florida Winter Series at the start of the year.

Things began very promisingly at Silverstone with a second-place finish in race two, as well as a sixth and fourth. He sat fourth in the standings at that point, but things quickly went downhill. Never on the podium again, he struggled for qualifying pace relative to team-mate Ocon and was involved in a lot of incidents, with ten non-finishes. He ended his time in the series on a relative high with fourth at Imola.

He missed the final round at Hockenheim, opting to instead see out a three-round spell in FR3.5. It was the right call, as he finished second in the season finale, and was then very quick in testing, so the outlook is much better for 2015. 2014 ended with a clean and quick run to fifth in Macau. Season rating: 6

11. Gustavo Menezes

United States, Van Amersfoort Racing, age 20

91 points, 2 podiums, 1 pole position

Menezes stuck with Van Amersfoort for his graduation up from German to European F3, but found himself heavily overshadowed by Verstappen early on, scoring just two points from the first ten races. After that though, he certainly didn’t disgrace himself.

It was one of the championship’s most challenging venues of Spa that marked a turning point for Menezes. Pole in race two might have come in wet conditions, but he still ended the weekend with two third-place finishes in races that were dry. He couldn’t repeat those kind of highs for the rest of the campaign, but scored points in ten races from the last six rounds.

With so many of the drivers ahead of him in the final standings set to move on for 2015, Menezes would do well to stay in the series for another year. Verstappen has shown that Van Amersfoort can win races, though a move to a more prestigious team like Carlin could also be a possibility. Season rating: 6

12. Felix Serralles

Puerto Rico, Team West-Tec, age 22

82 points

After a nightmare end to his 2013 season with Fortec, Serralles gambled on a switch to series newcomers West-Tec – together with respected Fortec engineer Mick Kouros – for 2014. Taking on the category’s big boys wasn’t easy in those settings, but he did well.

He was a consistent points scorer from the very first round, making the top ten in 18 races overall. He only failed to score at one circuit, in a tough weekend at Spielberg as part of a six-race barren spell. His best result was a fourth at Spa – a circuit he has always gone well at – but that was the only time he could finish in the top seven.

There were still a few incidents when racing others, but overall, Serralles enjoyed a very respectable campaign and established West-Tec a fair way up the order. After a four-year spell plying his trade in Europe, he’ll return to the United States next year in Indy Lights, where his pace and experience should stand him in good stead. Season rating: 6

13. Ed Jones

United Arab Emirates, Carlin, age 19

70 points, 2 podiums (21/33 races)

Jones won the F3 Open title in 2013, but his full-time switch to the European Championship for 2014 would be a much tougher test. He began the year in strong fashion though, with an impressive eight podiums from 12 races in the Florida Winter Series.

That suggested he could mix it with the likes of Fuoco and Latifi in F3, and in just the second weekend at Hockenheim he scored a fine double podium. Sadly, his season was derailed soon after that when he suffered a fractured vertebrae in a crash in Pau. He missed the next four rounds, and the problem flared up again after his return. He scored in five of the last 12 races, with a best of sixth.

Jones’ original plan had been to move up to GP2 for next year, but a second season in Euro F3 would give him the chance to make the most of the promise he showed before his injury and get the higher championship result he’s capable of. Season rating: 6

14. Dennis van de Laar

Netherlands, Prema Powerteam, age 20

38 points

Another driver with a good run in Florida under his belt at the start of the year, van de Laar was expected to make a big step forward as he traded Van Amersfoort for Prema for his second season of European F3, but it wasn’t to be.

He scored points just nine times, which is a disappointing return for somebody with the champion team, and only tallied 18 points more than last term. He enjoyed a strong weekend early on at Pau, clinching his season’s best result of fifth, but failed to kick on from then. On the positive side, he only failed to finish races on three occasions, which is a respectable record given he was so often found battling hard in the midfield.

It remains to be seen where he goes from here. He has been sampling Porsches recently and sportscars may be a tempting career move, but does also have the resources to continue in single-seaters. Season rating: 5

15. Tatiana Calderon

Colombia, Jo Zeller Racing, age 21

29 points

Yet another to have begun the year by showing promise in FWS, Calderon had signed to race for the Signature-Renault project for 2014 but their struggles forced her into a very last minute move for the Silverstone opener into a car entered by Jo Zeller together with Mucke.

On the back foot without any testing in her new setup, the opening four rounds were tough and continued her point-less run from 2013, but she turned a corner at Spa with a superb run to fifth in race two from 11th on the grid. That started a very impressive run of picking up points in every single race weekend until the end of the season. Progressing well in races, more would have been possible with stronger qualifying.

Calderon may opt for another year of F3 next season – particularly with Mucke and Carlin likely to have openings for experienced F3 racers – but is also known to be evaluating GP3. Season rating: 6

16. Mitch Gilbert

Australia, Fortec Motorsports, age 20

28 points (18/33 races)

After a very difficult 2013 season with Mucke, the Kuala Lumpur-born driver hoped that a switch to Fortec – with whom he finished fifth in FR2.0 UK in 2011 – would see an upturn in fortunes. Things did improve, but not enough to stop him leaving the series mid-season.

After a tough opening round at Silverstone, he enjoyed a strong run to sixth at Hockenheim and then a successful weekend at Pau, ending with a sixth and a fifth. A couple more points followed in Hungary, but engine issues were then exposed at Spa and the Norisring, and were hard to solve.

With budget tight, Gilbert opted to switch his attention to a partial GP3 programme with Trident, where he has shown promise with his pace despite a lack of on-track preparation. Hopefully he can find a return to winning ways there in 2015. Season rating: 6

17. Roy Nissany

Israel, Mucke Motorsport, age 19

26 points

Nissany stuck with his long-time team Mucke for his second season in European F3 and made some progress, rising from 22nd to 17th in the standings and upping his points haul from 11 to 26. But a bit more could have been expected.

In the opening rounds, Nissany found himself having to come from towards the back of the large grid, but did well to get points in both Hockenheim and Pau. His best starting position was a sixth at the Norisring, which yielded a seventh in the race, and he got his best finish of sixth on his highest profile weekend at the Nurburgring.

Nissany recently joined his infamous father Chanoch in buying an F1 opportunity by testing an old Sauber in Valencia. He’s also sampled Auto GP, so a move to a larger car might be on the cards for next year. Season rating: 5

18. Sean Gelael

Indonesia, Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, age 18

25 points

Gelael used his move to Carlin to make a step forward after his learning year in 2013. Qualifying was a serious weakness versus his team-mates, taking until the final two rounds to starts races inside the top ten, but he often raced his way into the points.

His performances were some way behind his long-time team-mate Giovinazzi, but he’s still very young – not turning 18 until after the season ended – and is relatively lacking in experience, given he didn’t start karting anywhere near as early as many of his contemporaries. He did well to balance his education with a 33-race schedule too, no doubt visiting family and sponsors back home as well.

The rumoured step up to FR3.5 for the Jagonya Ayam project might suit Blomqvist and Giovinazzi, but it will throw Gelael into the deep end once again. But he’s been showing good progress and potential, and seems to be able to team that with patience too. Season rating: 5

19. Santino Ferrucci

United States, EuroInternational/Fortec Motorsports, age 16

24 points (21/33 races)

Having previously registered on the radar in karting and then gained his initial single-seater education in his native United States, Ferrucci had to wait until he turned 16 to make his European F3 debut after strong winter showings with EuroInternational.

When he finally got into action at Spa, his pace was strong and top results came the following weekend at the Norisring, with a stunning fifth and a fourth. His next two weekends were quiet, but then impressed in the wet qualifying at the Nurburgring with third, almost upstaging poleman and fellow teen Verstappen. He switched to Fortec for the final two rounds after winning with the team in a British series one-off, but couldn’t improve the team’s fortunes on the mainland.

Good times did come in Macau though, where he stayed out of trouble all weekend to finish a very creditable eighth. Hopefully he’ll be back next year, and in a car that can see him fight with the best in the field. Season rating: 7

20. Jules Szymkowiak

Netherlands, Van Amersfoort Racing, age 19

17 points

Szymkowiak made a big step up for his first proper season of single-seaters, moving from the Formula BMW Talent Cup to join Van Amersfoort. He might have been well outclassed by a fellow Dutch rookie, but had a respectable first season all the same.

The opening few rounds were tough for him, but he came good at the Hungaroring – a circuit he knew from FBMW – to finish sixth in the first race of the weekend from P14 on the grid. Two points finishes then followed at Spa. His best qualifying came at Moscow with seventh – his only top-ten start of the year – but he dropped out of the points. With just a few more points in Spielberg and the Nurburgring, he’ll be disappointed he didn’t carry on that progress from earlier in the campaign.

Nonetheless, his season was a good effort given his inexperience, and he certainly showed glimpses of promise. Hopefully he’ll be back next year to put what he’s learnt to use, and sticking with VAR would be good for continuity. Season rating: 6

The rest

John Bryant-Meisner joined management stablemate Gilbert at Fortec and picked up six points before encountering similar problems, staying on for one further round in Spielberg before also trying his hand at GP3. Alfonso Celis replaced Gilbert for Austria to make an appearance with Fortec for the second straight season, while Ferrucci was joined at Imola and then Macau by British champion Martin Cao.

Like Fortec, fellow British squad Double R also struggled with a single car for Felipe Guimaraes, who scored five points early on before a run of five straight retirements preceded his and the squad’s departure after the Norsiring.

T-Sport made it through the year with its two main drivers (though skipped Moscow) but didn’t fare much better in the scoring charts either. Spike Goddard showed some signs of progress in his second season and even led on wet tyres at the Nurburgring before being passed by Verstappen and the rest of the field, but his three points were all scored inside the first three rounds. Alex Toril mustered just one point after stepping up from F3 Open, and was involved in more than his fair share of incidents. The team gave Nick Cassidy a chance in their third car for the final two rounds, and although he didn’t get a top-ten finish in those six races, he then finished an almighty third at Macau.

West-Tec’s second car started the season in the hands of another F3 Open graduate Hector Hurst, who stayed out of trouble in Pau to net a point and took another two in Moscow before giving up his seat to Macau karting graduate Andy Chang for the final three events.

2012 Italian champion Riccardo Agostini returned to F3 for the start of the season with EuroInternational but quit after scoring just one point from three events, and enjoyed more success after switching to GP3. In the team’s second car, Michele Beretta was the only driver to do the full season and not score a point, as he found the step up from Formula Abarth to be too big, failing to finish a third of the races and usually only on camera for the wrong reasons. Once Ferrucci departed, Brazilian karter Sergio Sette Camara and GP2 veteran Stefano Coletti drove for the team in the final two rounds, Coletti using it as a qualifier/test session for Macau where he ended up a respectable sixth.

Sandro Zeller spent another year in the series – bar three rounds – with his family team but failed to score.

A significant one-off entry was that of Will Buller at Imola. By doing so he competed in F3 for a fifth straight year, but more importantly, he did so with Signature, who replaced the stillborn Renault engine with one from their former partners Volkswagen to return to F3 racing for the first time since 2011, finishing the weekend with a sixth.

The post 2014 FIA F3 European Championship season review appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photos: FIA Formula 3 European Championship

Last year the European F3 scene was revitalised, with the rebranding of the Euro Series into the FIA F3 European Championship leading to the grid doubling in size. The quality of those drivers was decent, but this year the amount of talent on display has increased further with a number of very promising drivers joining the field. New engine regulations are set to shake up the established competitive order between the teams.

PaddockScout takes a look at the squads and drivers taking part in the 2014 season.

Prema Powerteam

In 2013, Prema drivers won 17 out of the 30 races of the regular season, took the drivers’ and the teams’ title and won the Macau Grand Prix. However, the off-season hasn’t been kind to the Italian team. Despite having signed two exceptionally highly-rated Formula Renault 2.0 graduates, the team came up short on actual established title challengers – with Lucas Auer leaving for Mucke and Alex Lynn blindsinding them with a Red Bull contract and a GP3 switch. Instead, their two experienced names are those who haven’t proved they can fight for the title – but it doesn’t mean they can’t.

1. Nicholas Latifi

Age: 18
Nation: Canada
2013: 15th in FIA F3

Latifi’s 15th place in 2013 doesn’t really paint an accurate picture of his debut year in European F3 – indeed, while he struggled for consistency and wouldn’t exactly match his more experienced teammates, almost all experts picked up on his flashes of frontrunning pace.

Still, whether the deserved a deal with Prema was another question – that is, right until the Canadian joined the Ferrari-run FWS and picked up four victories in 12 races. At this point, the Canadian could very well be Prema’s best bet in the drivers’ championship. He was solid in the pre-season despite the Mercedes engine’s shortcomings and his own car catching fire at the Hungaroring to sideline him for the entire event.

He’s still not the most consistent driver around, but given the 33 races this season, there’s little doubt that race wins will come Latifi’s way.

2. Esteban Ocon

Age: 17
Nation: France
2013: 3rd in Eurocup FR2.0

In his two years in single-seaters, Ocon has become a Eurocup race winner, finished third in the series behind FR3.5 star newcomers Oliver Rowland and Pierre Gasly and built up a reputation as Lotus F1’s most promising protege.

Ocon’s partnership with Prema is a good move for both sides. It makes sense for the Frenchman because, unlike Rowland and Gasly, he doesn’t seem ready for 3.5 yet, still somewhat lacking consistency and struggling to convert his blistering testing pace into actual results. It makes sense for Prema, because there isn’t a team in F3 whose lineup wouldn’t be strengthened with a driver of Ocon’s calibre.

His most realistic goal is probably coming out on top in the rookie classifications, but there’s also almost no doubt that he’ll be fighting for race wins and showing up series veterans soon enough. He showed a glimpse of what he could achieve when he finished tenth on his debut in Macau after dropping to the back at the start.

25. Antonio Fuoco

Age: 17
Nation: Italy
2013: FR2.0 Alps champion

Anyone who followed last year’s Formula Renault Alps season knows that Ferrari protege Antonio Fuoco is, plain and simple, the next big thing in single-seaters.

Despite having lacked any sort of substantial experience in cars (apart from a stint in the Panam GP Winter Series), he took the Alps series by storm, easily seeing off the challenge from his two highly-rated teammates or any Eurocup regulars that made guest appearances in the series. Then, in the off-season, he won four races in the Florida Winter Series, arguably being the championship’s most consistently rapid driver.

Ferrari certainly seem to have a lot of faith in the youngster and, as such, have placed him in FIA F3 in the footsteps of Italy’s other big hope Raffaele Marciello. Just like Ocon, he’ll be aiming for the rookie title, albeit he’s probably even more likely to pull off some major upsets against series veterans, given his uncanny ability to adapt to new challenges.

26. Dennis van de Laar

Age: 20
Nation: Netherlands
2013: 20th in FIA F3

Dutchman van de Laar is definitely the dark horse of Prema’s 2014 lineup, not having the reputation of the two rookies or the flashes of record pace that elevated Latifi’s status.

At the same time, the 20-year-old is definitely no pushover. He was solid in FR2.0 NEC and German F3, he held his own next to his teammates at Van Amersfoort Racing in FIA F3 last year and he won the first race of the Florida Winter Series.

At Prema, a sophomore driver like him will definitely be expected to deliver victories, which may very well happen. However, going by the pre-season test, making the top ten in the standings is probably the most realistic goal he can be setting.

kfzteile24 Mucke Motorsport

German team Mucke Motorsport are almost inarguably the most successful team in European F3 history that still doesn’t have a drivers’ or a teams’ title. And, despite the fact they’ve gone from four cars to three, 2014 will represent their best chance thus far to correct that particular statistic. Out of the top four finishers in 2013, two have left the series, while two will drive in Mucke’s orange colours in 2014.

3. Lucas Auer

Age: 19
Nation: Austria
2013: 4th in FIA F3

Auer’s move from Prema to Mucke easily became the main event of the FIA F3 off-season – a driver of championship potential switching from one elite team to another.

The Austrian prodigy hasn’t exactly shown any allegiance to particular teams over his single-seater career – before taking fourth in FIA F3 with Prema, he was the JK Racing Asia Series champion with EuroInternational and took runner-up in German F3 with VAR. Despite being a well-recognized talent on the junior ladder, he is also yet to sign with any F1 junior programme.

In 2013, he was obviously quick, but would struggle to find that extra tenth to consistently run at the front. He also had a fair share of incidents, although they were far from frequent enough to overshadow an excellent campaign. Despite both the Merc engines and, to a lesser extent, himself struggling in the pre-season, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be content with anything but the title in six months’ time.

4. Roy Nissany

Age: 19
Nation: Israel
2013: 22nd in FIA F3

Nissany is another driver who has become inseparable from Mucke over the recent years, having spent his every season in cars since 2011 with the German team.

There’s little surprise in the fact that the partnership has endured – Nissany, after all, finished on the podium in his very first race with the team in ADAC Formel Masters and would go on to take a respectable 11th in his rookie year. Since then, he hasn’t really managed to live up to that standard – he was only 9th in his sophomore campaign in ADAC and, despite scoring one point more than respected teammate Mitch Gilbert, had a generally anonymous first season in FIA F3.

He’ll be likely facing another tough year ahead – giving the absurdly strong level of his teammates – but the experience is likely to help and, at the very least, he should be aiming to deliver points on a regular basis.

27. Felix Rosenqvist

Age: 22
Nation: Sweden
2013: 2nd in FIA F3

If his teammate Auer hasn’t exactly stuck around with any single team for more than a year, Rosenqvist is the polar opposite – 2014 will be his fourth season in European F3 with Mucke.

Over his three campaigns in the series, the Swede has amassed 15 victories, won the Masters of F3 on two occasions and recorded a best finish of second in the standings. His return to the European F3 series for 2014 was a bit last-minute as opporunities further up the ladder failed to materialize. The 22-year-old, as such, will be the 2014 grid’s most experienced driver by quite a large margin.

Rosenqvist has shown, time and time again, that he’s remarkably quick and that he works well with Mucke. But, as it goes, nobody will take those factors into consideration if he doesn’t take the title on his fourth attempt.

Carlin

In 2013, the addition of Carlin proved to be massive for the rebranded FIA F3 championship, as the British squad were the only ones in the field who were reliably capable of breaking up the monotony of a Prema – Mucke dominance. However, being the proverbial “spoiler” and fighting for individual race successes only is clearly not enough for their ambitions and, during the pre-season, the leading VW-engined team showed just how well they prepared for this year. In addition to fielding three cars under the banner of KFC sponsorship, which formally make up a separate team, Carlin will also run three extremely promising drivers under their own banner.

5. Jordan King

Age: 20
Nation: United Kingdom
2013: 6th in British F3, British F3 champion

Having always been regarded as a serious talent, King still managed to raise his profile big-time in 2013, winning the British F3 series and finishing as the best non-Prema rookie in the regular FIA F3 season.

But, even before his two podiums in FIA F3 and sixth overall in the standings, he finished runner-up in FR2.0 NEC and took a podium finish in the ultra-competitive Eurocup.

Being one of the drivers expected to factor in the title hunt this year, he was expectedly quick in the pre-season, albeit somewhat overshadowed by drivers from Carlin’s KFC-sponsored lineup. Still, he’s proven he can win races and, given how strong Carlin seems to be, he should mount a serious title challenge.

6. Ed Jones

Age: 19
Nation: United Arab Emirates
2013: F3 Open champion

A graduate of the well-regarded Intersteps championship in 2011, Jones had a difficult first year outside of Britain, only notching up 2 points in a full-time Eurocup campaign with Fortec.

He really got going in 2013, though, notching two podiums in the Eurocup and winning the F3 Open title on his first attempt. In the off-season, he took part in the Florida Winter Series and, despite taking no wins, was on the podium in eight of the 12 races.

His switch to Carlin is a bit of a surprise – his career has been mostly tied to Fortec up to this point – but it seems to have been the correct decision, as he’s reliably figured in the top ten in pre-season testing. For his rookie season, a good finish in the standings and potentially a couple of podiums could be reasonable goals.

28. Jake Dennis

Age: 18
Nation: United Kingdom
2013: 4th in Eurocup FR2.0

The fact that Jake Dennis is a huge acquisition for the 2014 FIA F3 grid should be evident right away due to the fact that he is backed by the notoriously selective Racing Steps Foundation.

Apart from that, he also won titles in both of his first two years in cars – InterSteps in 2011 and FR2.0 NEC in 2012 – before taking fourth in Eurocup’s famously stellar 2013 grid.

He is a great signing for Carlin, as evidenced by his stellar pace in the pre-season, and should be able to contest podiums and wins on occasion throughout the season. Also, he is eligible for the rookie standings and is likely to seriously challenge the likes of Ocon and Fuoco.

EuroInternational

Seasoned team EuroInternational didn’t really have a perfect debut year in European F3 in 2013, fielding only one car for Tom Blomqvist, who did well enough but couldn’t really fight for wins or leading positions in the series. 2014, however, is very much looking up – while, given a full-rookie lineup, they probably won’t be looking for any title glory, the adjusted goals should allow for positive resuls with what is a very promising trio of drivers.

7. Riccardo Agostini

Age: 19
Nation: Italy
2013: 10th in Auto GP

As of this writing, Agostini is the final champion in the history of Italian F3 and a very much well-deserved one at that, having clinched the title in his first year in the series.

Prior to that, he raced in Formula Abarth with mixed success, while 2013 saw his F3 title allow him to move into Auto GP with Manor. However,? as the Dutch team seemed to struggle, he cut his campain short, despite picking up a maiden podium at Hungaroring.

He’s a rather obvious signing for EuroInternational – talented and, well, Italian just like the team. Agostini appeared to be right on the pace of frontrunners in the pre-season and should lead EuroInternational’s 2014 efforts – after all, his biggest success thus far came in F3 machinery.

8. Michele Beretta

Age: 19
Nation: Italy
2013: 2nd in Formula Abarth

Another graduate of the Italian Formula Abarth series, Beretta finished runner-up in that championship in his sophomore season, losing out to rookie star Alessio Rovera.

His extensively tested in F3 over the off-season, but a direct promotion to FIA F3 with EuroInternational still came as a bit of a surprise – going from Abarths to the biggest Formula Three series out there is quite a leap.

Understandably, he wasn’t anywhere near the front in the pre-season testing, but he hasn’t been off the pace, either. 2014 will definitely be a learning season and scoring any substantial amount of points would already be a huge success.

29. Santino Ferrucci

Age: 15
Nation: United States
2013: 5th in F2000 Championship

You won’t see Ferrucci on the grid until at least Spa, but that’s not because he doesn’t have the money or because he isn’t ready – it’s simply because he is too young.

The 15-year-old made his car debut in the F2000 Championship Series in America last year after a grand career in karting. Despite joining the series halfway through, he finished all his races in the top five and made fifth in the overall standings.

Unofficially linked to F1 team McLaren, he was shockingly impressive in the off-season with EuroInternational, setting the pace in numerous private testing days. The Italian team, therefore, have already announced that he’ll be racing as soon as he’s eligible and, given his sheer pace, he could make some headlines.

Fortec Motorsports

Strong in Formula Renault at both 2.0 and 3.5 level, Fortec took the fight to Carlin in British F3 in 2012 but couldn’t really repeat that form in Europe last season. That wasn’t helped by a revolving door of drivers, and so this year the team has downsized to a two car entry.

9. Mitchell Gilbert

Age: 19
Nation: Australia
2013: 23rd in FIA F3

Gilbert’s 2013 season was all kinds of disastrous – while fellow German F3 graduate Auer took a race win and numerous podiums, the Aussie languished with Mucke, taking until race 21 to score his first points.

There was little reason to believe thsoe results where representative of Gilbert’s actual skill level, as, before that, he was great in karting, finished fifth in his rookie year in FR2.0 UK and wasn’t far off of Auer in ATS F3, taking fourth overall.

With Fortec, he has a fresh start in the biggest F3 category and, despite the teams’ downsizing, things should surely go better for Gilbert. He was rather inconsistent during the pre-season, but is expected to start racking up points in no time.

10. John Bryant-Meisner

Age: 19
Nation: Sweden
2013: 5th in German F3

There is little doubt that Swedish racer Bryant-Meisner was going to mix it with Auer and Gilbert in the 2012 German F3 season, but an early injury ended his promising campaign after one round.

After a lengthy recovery, he was back to the series in 2013 and finished fifth, picking up two wins along the way. He also made his debut in FIA F3 with Fortec for the last two rounds of the season and managed to make it into the points right away.

He was pretty level with Gilbert in the pre-season and, while Fortec seem to legitimately struggle for outright pace at the moment, the Swede completes a lineup that should get some regular points out of it.

ThreeBond with T-Sport

British squad T-Sport had huge ambitions for the 2013 European F3 season and, while it didn’t entirely go according to plan, a streak of late-season performances from guest star Alexander Sims proved the team’s immense potential. A lineup of consisting of a protege and a new arrival should help them build on their 2013 success.

11. Richard Goddard

Age: 21
Nation: Australia
2013: 31st in FIA F3

Inseparable from T-Sport since 2012, Goddard took their car to the British F3 National Class title that year and was one corner away from a race win in the series in 2013, just to be narrowly denied by a puncture.

His last year debut in FIA F3 wasn’t nearly as successful as he struggled to find consistent pace throughout and didn’t wind up scoring any points.

Just like fellow Aussie Gilbert, he’ll be hoping to significantly improve on 2013. His pre-season was quiet, but he’s got off to a good start in practice at Silverstone and will be hoping to break his dry run of pointless finishes in no time.

12. Alexander Toril

Age: 17
Nation: Spain
2013: 5th in F3 Open

In 2013, Toril was one of the most consistent drivers of the F3 Open grid, finishing all but one race in the points. At the same time, wins proved out of his reach and he didn’t get to stand on the top spot of any of his four podiums.

His contract with T-Sport was signed after extensive off-season testing and, as such, he should be very much prepared for the year, having reportedly impressed the team in private sessions.

He seemed pretty level with Goddard in the official tests and will be hoping to add his fair share of points to T-Sport’s overall tally.

Double R Racing

Originally founded by Kimi Raikkonen and his manager Steve Robertson, former British champions Double R had a challenging year in their first season in European F3 with an inexperienced driver line-up. They may have slimmed down their continental assault down to just one car this year, but have found a well-travelled driver to fill it.

14. Felipe Guimaraes

Age: 23
Nation: Brazil
2013: South American F3 champion, 4th in British F3

A podium finisher in A1 Grand Prix and GP3 in 2009 and 2010, Guimaraes re-emerged from the relative wilderness last year when he competed in British F3, bagging two race wins for Fortec.

He also notched up the South American title, and in January of this year claimed his second straight F3 Brazil Open win at Interlagos.

He now joins up with Double R, giving them the experience that they certainly lacked last year. However, there have to be doubts over whether a single-car team can take the fight to the larger multi-car outfits to score regular points or better.

Van Amersfoort Racing

Four-times champions in German F3, the Dutch team stepped up to European competition last year. They had a quiet first season but improved towards the end after bringing in Sven Muller, who got them a podium at Hockenheim. They’ve got an exciting line-up for 2014, promoting one driver from German F3 and bringing in a pair of promising Dutch youngsters.

15. Jules Szymkowiak

Age: 18
Nation: Netherlands
2013: 6th in Formula BMW Talent Cup

Szymkowiak makes the big step up to FIA F3 from the Formula BMW Talent Cup. He won the first scholarship prize for the 2013 intake and took several victories in ‘test races’ during the year. He could only finish sixth in the all-important grand final event however, after crashing out attempting to take the lead in race two.

Despite his inexperience, he has looked good in testing, benefiting from the competitiveness of the Van Amersfoort-VW package to go particularly well at the Hungaroring with the seventh quickest time on day two.

In his first season in a proper single-seater series he will no doubt find the going tough at times, but his pre-season form suggests that he’s got what it takes to shine on occasion. He’s advised by and trains with Adrian Sutil.

16. Gustavo Menezes

Age: 19
Nation: United States
2013: 4th in German F3

Menezes steps up to European F3 with Van Amersfoort after a strong season in German F3 last year. He did a respectable job to finish fourth behind the all-conquering Motopark trio, beating them to wins on two occasions.

A strong international karter, Menezes had concentrated on Star Mazda back home in the first two years of his car racing career in 2011-12, alongside selected Formula Renault 2.0 appearances.

Now, he’s focussed fully on Europe. He wasn’t able to reach the same heights as his considerably less experienced team-mates in pre-season – he’ll be hoping that trend doesn’t continue into the season and that he can impress.

30. Max Verstappen

Age: 16
Nation: Netherlands
2013: World KZ, European KZ and KF champion

Having won pretty much anything there was to win in karting last year and then stunned in his early single-seater tests over the winter, Verstappen steps straight into FIA F3 for his first full single-seater campaign.

He showed in the Florida Winter Series earlier this year that he could easily hold his own against many of the other FIA F3 drivers, and he’s continued to impress in pre-season testing – twice topping a session and regularly finishing in the top five. That’s not just down to the strength of the VW engine – his team-mates could manage nothing like that.

Despite his undoubted pace, Verstappen has still got lots to learn about single-seater racing, and is doing so at a far more competitive level than most. But if he can overcome that, he could show up a few of the most highly-rated drivers on the entire ladder. At the same time, it’s more important that he develops as a driver rather than just climb the ladder as soon as possible – his father Jos made it to F1 after two years but never fulfilled his potential.

Jo Zeller Racing

The plucky family team was set to continue to run a single car for Sandro Zeller, the son of the team boss. However, it has instead taken on a refugee of the delayed Signature-Renault project for the opening weekend. Zeller has entered two cars for the season, so it’s possible that Sandro could return to action.

17. Sandro Zeller

Age: 22
Nation: Switzerland
2013: 27th in FIA F3

Zeller has been racing his father’s F3 cars in one form or another since 2009, and this is set to be his third full season at European level. He’ll miss Silverstone to let Calderon drive, but the team has two entries so he should appear at some point.

Zeller finished 12th overall in 2012 with a best result of ninth, but the significant increase of competition last year saw him fail to score points. He’ll hope that another year’s experience will help him to get the better of the rookies, but testing form doesn’t suggest he’ll be making any big strides up the order should he race.

If he and Calderon can race together at the same time, having two cars with some decent experience behind the wheel should help to drive the team forward.

18. Tatiana Calderon

Age: 21
Nation: Colombia
2013: 32nd in FIA F3

Calderon had been set to race for the returning Signature team, but problems with the new Oreca-built Renault engine has meant that the team has withdrawn from the opening weekend.

Calderon has therefore made a last minute switch to Jo Zeller Racing. She had a tough season with Double R last year with the team lacking an experienced leader in its first season in Europe, but she has proven her abilities in the Florida Winter Series at the start of this year, winning a race against some of the best drivers in this field.

This is far from an ideal start to her F3 campaign however, and she’ll probably struggle to make an impression on her own at the small Swiss team, particularly arriving at such short notice.

Jagonya Ayam with Carlin

Sean Gelael’s Indonesian backers have helped him trade Double R for Carlin, establishing a separate entry whose name translates as ‘masters of chicken’ in deference to lead sponsor KFC (Gelael’s father runs their Indonesian arm). and bringing in experienced F3 racer Tom Blomqvist to work with Gelael and long-time team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi. With Carlin equipment underneath them and the VW engines looking fast, Blomqvist and Giovinazzi in particular could shine.

19. Antonio Giovinazzi

Age: 20
Nation: Italy
2013: 17th in FIA F3

Giovinazzi emerged as Formula Pilota China champion in his rookie car racing season in 2012. Although he’s still relatively under the radar, he coped admirably last year with the big step up to F3.

Having to lead the Double R team in its first season of European F3, his season took a while to get going, but when it did he became a regular presence in the top ten in the final two rounds. Making an impression on the competitive continental grid was tough but he was able to shine in British F3, taking the team back to the front with two wins and finishing runner-up. An impressive feat, even in a depleted competition.

Moving to Carlin thanks to Gelael’s generous backers, he should now be able to prove what he can do with a strong package underneath him. With VW’s engine looking as strong as it has in pre-season, Giovinazzi could be a dark horse for the title.

20. Sean Gelael

Age: 17
Nation: Indonesia
2013: 28th in FIA F3

Gelael has not been a match for Giovinazzi in their two years together on the junior single-seater ladder, but he’s still performed well for his age and lack of experience.

He won a race on his way to fourth in Formula Pilota China and scored podiums in British F3. That’s promising aged 15 and 16 respectively, even if his FIA F3 campaign was point-less.

He will learn lots at Carlin, and even though he is unlikely to match either of his team-mates, he will learn from Blomqvist in particular (who is, after all, getting his seat paid for with that purpose in mind) and should make a definite step up from last year. Testing suggests he’ll be in the top half of the field, and he should score points regularly if he stays out of trouble.

31. Tom Blomqvist

Age: 20
Nation: United Kingdom
2013: 7th in FIA F3

Blomqvist looked very promising when he won the Formula Renault UK title at 16, but his career has rather failed to kick on in the three years since. However, he can put that down to factors outside of his control.

A lack of funding has seen him with lesser teams for his two years in European F3. His 2012 campaign with Ma-Con was an extremely late deal for driver and team with no testing, while last year saw him in a single car entry with EuroInternational despite support from Red Bull. On his own in a team new to the series, he couldn’t match the might of Prema or Carlin.

If you can’t beat them, join them. Thanks to the new Indonesian support, he’s now got a place in a top team with a full winter’s preparation behind him. That should give him what he needs to deliver on his ability and experience. With team and engine looking quick pre-season, he starts as a definite title contender.

Team West-Tec

Having conquered the F3 Open last year with new Carlin recruit Ed Jones, British outfit Team West-Tec expands into the European championship for 2014. The capture of respected ex-Fortec engineer Mick Kouros – who got the best out of Pipo Derani last year and has brought Felix Serralles with him – should help the team to be competitive.

21. Felix Serralles

Age: 21
Nation: Puerto Rico
2013: 11th in FIA F3

Serralles had a tough 2013, starting promisingly enough but going severely downhill after that and ending the year with seven non-finishes from the last nine races, prompting him to withdraw from the trip to Macau.

It was a big shame that he failed to continue the momentum from his breakthrough British F3 campaign in 2012, when he came close to an unexpected title and also shone against European competition at the Norisring and Spa. Fortec struggled in their first full continental F3 campaign however, and Serralles suffered.

West-Tec are unlikely to be able to fight at the front right away, but this move gives Serralles the chance to take a step back and? then make the most out of the challenge of leading a new team. He’s looked decent in pre-season – even topping a session – but it remains to be seen where West-Tec sit in the real pecking order.

22. Hector Hurst

Age: 21
Nation: United Kingdom
2013: 7th in F3 Open

Hurst’s move into FIA F3 for this season came as something of a surprise given that he had previously announced a second year in the F3 Open (now Euroformula) for 2014. Like Blomqvist, he’s managed by Mark Blundell, and although there is little on his resume that immediately stands out, he’s shown some glimpses of promise in a slightly unusual career to-date.

Tenth in Formula 2 in 2012 was a decent result for a driver with only one season in Formula Renault BARC under his belt, and he was a regular fixture in the top ten before his season went awry at the end. Last year in F3 Open was a similar tale of starting strongly and then fading, but he was the strongest driver outside of the West-Tec and RP teams.

He’s unlikely to challenge the front in his rookie season in such a competitive series, but there are some experienced people in the team and Hurst will hope that this time he gets better as the campaign goes on and the squad finds its feet.

Calendar

Silverstone, United Kingdom – 19-20 April
Hockenheim, Germany – 3-4 May
Pau, France – 10-11 May
Hungaroring, Hungary – 31 May-1 June
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium – 21-22 June
Norisring, Germany – 28-29 June
Moscow, Russia – 12-13 July
Spielberg, Austria – 2-3 August
Nurburgring, Germany – 16-17 August
Imola, Italy – 11-12 October
Hockenheim, Germany – 18-19 October

The post 2014 FIA F3 European Championship driver-by-driver preview appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: FIA Formula 3 European Championship

An official entry list released by the FIA for the European F3 championship has confirmed the participation of Felix Rosenqvist and several other previously unannounced drivers.

Rosenqvist, 22, will be entering his fourth year in European F3, having finished a close runner-up to champion Raffaele Marciello last year. The Swede spent all of his three prior years in the series with Mucke and secured a combined total of 15 victories.

The entry list also sees the confirmation of Fortec’s FIA F3 lineup as the team elects to field Mitch Gilbert and John Bryant-Meisner, who share the same management. 19-year-old Gilbert was fourth in German F3 in 2012 but had a tough campaign in 2013 after his switch to FIA F3 with Mucke, taking only 10 points on his way to 23rd in the standings. Meanwhile, Bryant-Meisner, also 19, made a triumphant return to racing in 2013 after being sidelined for most of 2012 with an injury. He took two victories in German F3 on his way to fifth and managed to impress Fortec on his guest outings with the team in European F3.

Formula BMW Talent Cup graduate Jules Szymkowiak will complete Van Amersfoort Racing’s lineup, having finished sixth in his previous series’ Grand Final last year. Series mainstay Sandro Zeller will continue to compete for family-run Jo Zeller Racing, with the team set to field a second entry.

Overall, the FIA F3 entry list includes full-time 30 entries, with 28 names already confirmed. Like Jo Zeller Racing, Team-West-Tec are also yet to announce their second driver with rumours putting Canadian Nelson Mason in pole position for the seat.

“We?re absolutely delighted to have received 30 entries for the FIA Formula 3 European Championship”, stated the President of FIA’s Single-Seater Commission Gerhard Berger. “The entry list, comprising twelve great teams, looks fantastic with experienced drivers and a dozen or so rookies whose performance will be highlighted by a separate classification. Given the overall level, we?ll have another exceptional champion this season.”

The 2014 FIA F3 season will kick off at Silverstone on April 19-20 and will span 11 rounds, concluding in October with the series’ second visit to Hockenheimring.

2014 FIA F3 European Championship lineup so far

The post Rosenqvist among drivers confirmed by FIA F3 entry list appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photos: FIA F3 European Championship

The inaugural season for the revamped European F3 championship was met with a lot of excitement from all sides involved, but, ultimately, wound up being the expected evolution of the F3 Euro Series – a great grid with some fascinating racing, yet still mostly dominated by Prema and Mucke despite the involvement of the two big British squads.

It was a Marciello – Rosenqvist show, but that didn’t mean there weren’t lots of people to watch all around the grid – veterans, regional F3 graduates and ambitious upcomers from ADAC Formel Masters and Formula Pilota China alike. Below, we give you the rundown of the drivers who headlined FIA F3’s first year…

1. Raffaele Marciello

Italy, Prema Powerteam, age 18

489.5 points, 13 wins, 19 podiums, 12 pole positions, 7 fastest laps

After lighting up the F3 Euro Series with a powerhouse debut season in 2012 following two decent campaigns in Italian single-seaters, the pressure was on Marciello in 2013 as the Ferrari protege came into the championship as the favourite (further bolstered by Pascal Wehrlein’s DTM promotion).

Over the first four rounds he took six wins from 12 races despite losing one due to a technical infringement. Many were ready to call it there, but a dreadful weekend at Spielberg severely decreased his lead. The pattern continued for the rest of the year. A phenomenal weekend at Nurburgring would be followed by an absolute shocker at Zandvoort and, due to the inconsistencies, he had to wait until the last round to officially become champion.

It was not perfect – he noticeably struggled when not in the lead and seemed to falter when Prema wasn’t the best car at a given round. But he was often so eerily untouchable that you tend to forget the bumps. Having set the pace in GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5 testing, he looks set to continue his winning ways next season with the latter series his likely destination. Season rating: 8/10

2. Felix Rosenqvist

Sweden, Mucke Motorsport, age 22

457 points, 10 wins, 18 podiums, 4 pole positions, 10 fastest laps

2013 marked Rosenqvist’s third year in European F3, after a stellar debut in 2011 and a very up-and-down 2012. After Wehrlein was called up to DTM, the Swede quickly slotted into the status of Mucke’s chief title hope and fully lived up to that title as the season went on.

The severely rainy opener at Monza wound up being his worst showing of the year, as from that point on he began reliably increasing his points tally. When Marciello faltered at Spielberg, Rosenqvist took advantage with a stunning triple victory and then scored more points than anyone at the Norising. Just like Marciello, he also had some crucial points losses, stalling on the grid at Nurburgring and going off in qualifying at Vallelunga. Still, each time, the Swede fought his way back into the points, fighting for every single position.

It wasn’t enough in the end, but it sure made an impression. His F3 tenure should be over now and, while he hasn’t been that prominent in post-season testing, he would be a very welcome addition to the GP2 or the FR3.5 grid. If not, his Mercedes and Mucke ties should create a DTM opportunity. Season rating: 8

3. Alex Lynn

United Kingdom, Prema Powerteam, age 20

339.5 points, 3 wins, 14 podiums, 5 pole positions, 4 fastest laps

After three years with Fortec, which included a Formula Renault UK title and a solid debut season in British F3, Lynn secured a Prema deal for his European move and was soon one of the potential title contenders.

The first rounds went rather according to plan, as he reliably made the points and fought for podiums, even taking a maiden pole at Silverstone. At another British track – Brands – he finally took his first victory and later added another at Norisring. There were some issues and inconsistencies mid-season, but that was ironed out quick, as he made the top eight in the final eleven races of the championship, adding yet another victory at Vallelunga. Having secured third in the standings, he then confidently won the prestigious Macau Grand Prix.

Another year of F3 seemed to be the plan, but after the Macau triumph, the Briton instead lined up a switch to GP3 with Carlin. He’s also been accepted into the Red Bull Junior Team, which should provide a clear path of progression for his career. Season rating: 8

4. Lucas Auer

Austria, Prema Powerteam, age 19

277 points, 1 win, 9 podiums, 3 fastest laps

Auer might be the nephew of the President of FIA’s Single-Seater Commision – one Gerhard Berger – but nepotism has nothing to do with where he is right now. He broke into FIA F3 on merit, having taken the 2011 JK Racing Asia title in his debut year and then finishing third in German F3 in 2012.

Not a lot of people mark their first race in a championship with a podium – but that’s what the Austrian managed at Monza, following it up with a similar success at Silverstone. He kept reliably bagging points throughout the first half and inherited his first victory when Marciello was disqualified at Brands.

There was a bit of pattern change in half two, as Auer reliably finished within the top seven, yet only managing the occasional podium. He briefly challenged Lynn for third in the standings, but wound up settling for fourth. He’s already sealed the deal to do a sophomore FIA F3 campaign, switching to Mucke, with who he’ll surely be expected to challenge for the title. Season rating: 8

5. Harry Tincknell

United Kingdom, Carlin, age 22

227 points, 1 wins, 2 podiums, 2 pole positions

Having been mostly UK-bound for the early years of his single-seater career, Tincknell had a big jump ahead of him in the switch to European F3, despite having two previous years in the British series.

But from race one Tincknell adapted exceptionally well. He scored in all three races at Monza and then held on to his first win in the series from pole at Silverstone. At Brands, he added another podium, but that’s where standout performances came to a halt as the Briton continuously put in solid but unremarkable weekends, before a return to form at Hockenheim with three fifth-place finishes.

He still seems to lack that one final tenth, but the fact that he’s second only to Rosenqvist in total points finishes is one to be proud of. Mentored by Allan McNish, Tincknell has been linked with a move into the LMP2 class of endurance racing and it’s hard to imagine a driver more perfect for the role.?Season rating: 7

6. Jordan King

United Kingdom, Carlin, age 19

176 points, 2 podiums, 1 fastest lap

The highest-placed driver without prior F3 experience in the standings, Formula NEC runner-up King was a more than welcome addition to the grid, but ended up surpassing expectations.

The initial adjustment phase, which yielded some quality finishes yet also a bit too many retirements, was over at Spielberg, where King snatched his first podium in the series. From that point on, he was reliably a force at the front, with four fourth-place finishes and another podium at Zandvoort.

Having also added the British F3 title to his CV in 2013, the young Briton really put himself on the market, testing in a number of series after the season was over. Still, he is expected to stay in FIA F3, where he could look to end Prema’s dominance. Season rating: 8

7. Tom Blomqvist

United Kingdom, EuroInternational, age 19

151.5 points, 3 podiums

Another Formula Renault UK champion in the field, Blomqvist scored a Red Bull Junior Team spot after a strong 2012 and stayed on for a sophomore year in FIA F3.

Having joined EuroInternational, who he knew from a grandiose part-time campaign in German F3 last year, Blomqvist was rather surprisingly left by himself, as the second seat of the car was unfilled for most of the season. That did not make things easy for him or the squad and, together, they were often rather inconsistent. Still, the talent and experience showed – he scored three podiums in the first three rounds and was generally a reliable points finisher, which allowed him to repeat his rookie year’s result of seventh place.

As Red Bull have been pretty ruthless when it comes to selection, in both past and present, one tough year proved enough for Blomqvist to lose his backing. Still, it seems he won’t be lost without it, as he’s heavily tipped to join Carlin for a 2014 campaign in FIA F3, with backing from KFC Indonesia alongside Gelael and Giovinazzi. Season rating: 7

8. Pipo Derani

Brazil, Fortec Motorsports, age 20

151.5 points, 3 podiums

After a promising rookie year in Formula Renault NEC was followed up by three difficult campaigns in various F3 championships, the Brazilian needed to perform big-time in 2013.

But, while his team-mates got up to speed in the FIA F3 championship rather quickly, Derani had a very tough adjustment period, scoring a rather paltry 18 points over the first five rounds. However, just when Fortec began losing drivers and struggling for results, something clicked for Derani. At Nurburgring, he was suddenly the team leader, taking two podiums as he doubled his pre-round points tally. More strong weekends followed, capped off with another podium at Vallelunga and, finally, he firmly took over as the top Fortec driver in the standings – something that seemed completely implausible halfway through.

His season culminated with a third-place finish in the prestigious Macau GP. Shortly after that, Derani announced a switch to Road to Indy’s Pro Mazda series for 2014. He’s earned that one fully. Season rating: 7

9. Sven Muller

Germany, ma-con/Van Amersfoort Racing, age 21

122 points, 1 podium

The 21-year-old ADAC Formel Masters graduate was tipped for great things in FIA F3 after a stellar rookie year with Prema in 2012. However, plans came undone when he was not retained by the Italian squad, forcing him to secure a quick move to the familiar ma-con squad.

The partnership wouldn’t last all year as Muller, who was routinely quick but kept narrowly missing out on podiums and being involved in way too many crashes, switched to Van Amersfoort Racing come Zandvoort. While that didn’t dramatically improve his results, he found some welcome consistency and managed a great final weekend at Hockenheim where he finally took his first podium of the year.

It seemed rather likely that Muller could stick around as one of F3’s experienced drivers, but he wound up securing Porsche backing for a season in the Carrera Cup Germany, where he has the potential to build a long career in sportscars. Season rating: 7

10. Alexander Sims

United Kingdom, ThreeBond with T-Sport, age 25

112 points, 5 podiums, 1 fastest lap (12/30 races)

When T-Sport needed a replacement driver for the departing Buller, they wisely opted to call up McLaren GT3 man Sims, who further solidified himself as an exceptionally handy guest driver in 2013.

He made that especially apparently in his four rounds with T-Sport, as he climbed into the top ten in the standings with a very limited schedule. Stepping in at Norisring, he immediately showed frontrunning pace, confidently taking two top-five finishes. At Nurburgring, he gave the team their first podium of the year, and while Zandvoort didn’t go so well, he was the man of the moment at Vallelunga, taking podiums in all three races on a track generally dominated by Prema.

Combined with his outright brilliant guest showings in GP3, Sims has duly returned into the single-seater limelight, despite the rather above-average age. It’s fair to say he’s earned at least one crack at GP2 or FR3.5, but if he continues in single-seaters, another year at the F3 level is more likely. Season rating: 8

11. Felix Serralles

United States, Fortec, age 21

104 points, 2 podiums, 1 fastest lap

Fortec’s chief hope in F3 after coming within one round of the British crown, the talented Puerto Rican had some serious expectations to live up to in his first year in the European championship.

The season started well enough, too. As Fortec were coming to grips with the new challenge, Serralles delivered some good finishes in the first two rounds before hitting a jackpot at Hockenheim, where he finished runner-up twice. His season would completely come apart after that. He left Spielberg and Brands empty-handed and, following two decent enough showings at Norisring and Nurburgring, would not score again for the remainder of the year, consistently hitting trouble and seemingly struggling due to a back injury remission. The absolute lowpoint came at the Hockenheim finale when, after colliding with Estonian Kevin Korjus, he deliberately ran into the latter’s car and was excluded from the race.

Having missed Macau, Serralles has now joined series newcomers West-Tec for 2014. He’s surely talented enough to succeed, but there are issues that need ironing out. His career will hinge on whether he can do that as soon as possible. Season rating: 6

12. Josh Hill

United Kingdom, Fortec, age 22

56 points, 1 podium (15/30 races)

Coming out of what is perhaps the most successful racing family in single-seaters, Hill finally entered the big leagues in 2012 when he took third in Formula Renault 2.0 NEC. Pressure was again on to perform this year as he lined up the switch to European F3.

The first two rounds at Monza and Silverstone weren’t the easiest, as he often failed to maximize his pace and only took two points finishes. But at Hockenheim, it all suddenly clicked as Hill took a very impressive podium finish in race two. He’s remained largely on-pace for the next two rounds, despite some rather inconsistent performances.

Midway through the rather promising season, Josh officially called it quits on his motorsports career, instead focusing on music. Season rating: 7

13. Eddie Cheever, Jr.

Italy, Prema Powerteam, age 20

50 points

After a good sophomore year in Italian F3, Cheever was finally given the nod to the European scene, and remained with Prema for his rookie year in the FIA series.

As matching his teammates would probably have been a rather tall order, his occasional points finishes early on were a pretty decent start. However, there wasn’t much in the way of noticeable improvement at mid-season, where he had a seven-race non-scoring streak, as he continued to struggle with converting decent qualifying results into points. It wouldn’t have been a season to be remembered fondly, but his performance on home turf at Vallelunga was genuinely encouraging, as he took his best finish of the season in fourth and his second-best – a fifth place.

He might be done with single-seaters after this year, as news has been circulating that he’s lined up a seat in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. Season rating: 6

14. Pascal Wehrlein

Germany, Mucke Motorsport, age 19

49 points, 1 win, 3 podiums, 2 pole positions, 2 fastest laps (3/30 races)

After an outright stunning rookie year in F3 Euro, Wehrlein was set to come back for a title campaign, but was called up at short-notice by the Mercedes DTM squad.

He still got to do the opening weekend at Monza and showed just what we’d be in for if he stuck around, with a double pole and a victory in tricky conditions.

His rookie year in DTM went alright after all, despite some rather noticeable bad luck. He’ll surely stick around for another year in touring cars at least, but, as we’ve seen previously, there’s always a chance he’ll be back to running open-wheelers at some point down the line. Season rating: N/A

15. Nicholas Latifi

Canada, Carlin, age 18

45 points

After a rather quiet, if promising, rookie single-seater year in Italian F3 and a TRS campaign, the Canadian youngster wound up making the huge FIA F3 jump with Carlin.

Surpisingly, it took Latifi just one round to adapt – in race four of the season, he suddenly took a very impressive fifth-place finish and then had a number of other standout results as the year went on.

There was not much in the way of consistency, which explains the 45 points, but the pace shown by Latifi was extremely promising for a single-seater sophomore. He deserves another year in FIA F3 at the very least and looks rather set to get the chance, potentially switching to Prema. Season rating: 7

16. William Buller

United Kingdom, ThreeBond with T-Sport/Fortec, age 21

39 points (15/30 races)

If Buller’s Formula Renault 3.5 venture was the really good part of his season, his fourth year in Formula Three, on the contrary, didn’t quite go to plan.

After some very promising pre-season tests with the T-Sport squad, he was expected to fight at the front, but the pace just wasn’t there. His brilliant opening race, where he went from 12th on the grid to fourth, wound up his best result of the year. Opting for a change of scenery after just four rounds, he signed up to race with Fortec, but, after his debut round with them yielded no points, the Northern Irishman called it quits on European F3, focusing on the British series instead.

While his F3 efforts this year have been extremely par for the course, he has shown something special in 3.5 and is expected to make the full-time switch in 2014. Season rating: 6

17. Antonio Giovinazzi

Italy, Double R Racing, age 19

31 points

After British F3 was scaled back, the ultra-promising Formula Pilota China champion wound up getting a European F3 drive in just his second year in single-seaters.

To say it was a challenge would be an understatement, as both he and the team lacked the experience to regularly fight for points. Yet Giovinazzi still looked very competent – he routinely finished on the outskirts of the top ten, picking up the occasional point and noticeably improving along the way. Much of his season was hurt by poor qualifying – he hadn’t started higher than tenth before the Hockenheim finale. The German track, however, seemed to suit him and Double R reasonably well and, having made it in the top ten for all three grids, he almost doubled his points total in one weekend.

Largely reliant on the backing of his teammate Sean Gelael, as the rookie duo will move higher up the field for 2014 by joining Carlin, where Giovinazzi in particular could shine. Season rating: 7

18. Lucas Wolf

Germany, URD Rennsport, age 19

28 points, 1 podium

A year ago, the underexperienced ADAC Formel Masters graduate surprised Formula 3 with a podium in his otherwise tough maiden season and, as such, was deserving of another European F3 campaign with family-run team URD Rennsport.

Admittedly, with a severely increased grid, it was always going be much harder to replicate the feat. And, for most of it, Wolf was achieving results par for the course – only managing to break into the top ten on one weekend and often involved in incidents. However, the Spielberg weekend midway through the season saw Wolf fight on an entirely different level. He qualified for all three races in the top three and, despite one DNF, managed to bag a podium.

It’s tough to see where 2014 will take the young German – it’d make sense to stay in F3, but he’s tried his hand at GT3 racing and might end up switching his focus. Season rating: 6

19. Michael Lewis

United States, Mucke Motorsport, age 22

23 points (27/30 races)

Having not been retained by Prema after an up-and-down rookie season in F3, American Michael Lewis struggled to find another seat on the grid and was not there for the opener, after a predicted deal with Romeo Ferraris fell through.

He was, however, the obvious choice for Mucke to replace the outgoing Wehrlein and stepped into the German’s seat from round two. Still, it was Rosenqvist’s year in the team, as the rest seemed to struggle – and the American was no exception. A quiet and ultimately disappointing second year saw him race mostly on the outskirts of the top ten, picking up the occasional points but failing to achieve standout results.

At 22, the California native could afford another year in F3, but looking for outside alternatives seems more sensible – he’s definitely capable enough to adapt to the Road to Indy racing scene should it come to that. Season rating: 5

20. Dennis van de Laar

Netherlands, Van Amersfoort Racing, age 18

22 points

Dutchman Dennis van de Laar was a surprise promotion for Van Amersfoort Racing, joining their FIA F3 squad after just one midfield year in German F3.

As such, rookie season struggles for inevitable. To van de Laar’s credit, he adapted rather quickly, scoring in the opening two races when the Dutch squad’s car was showing very promising pace.

The promising start didn’t seem to lead to much and, by the end, he was outclassed by new teammate Muller, finishing with a best result of sixth to the German’s podium. Still, it was a decent enough rookie season and one that van de Laar will be hoping to follow up on, having secured a deal to race with Prema in 2014. Season rating: 6

21. Jann Mardenborough

United Kingdom, Carlin, age 22

12 points

There’s one thing that always prefaces any discussions of Mardenborough’s results – that being, his background. The GT Academy winner didn’t come from karting and, instead, is one of the “gamer turned racer” types. His first season in cars came in 2012, when he looked spectacularly sharp in British GT.

A new challenge beckoned for 2013 in the form of single-seaters and FIA F3 in particular. And, while Mardenborough doesn’t have the background to match any of his competitors, he’s shown a rather remarkable ability to adapt, being a rather consistent factor in the midfield from the get-go.

His best finish did come in the penalty-fest that was the Norisring opener and his 12 points pale in comparison to Latifi’s 45, yet, on sheer pace, he was mighty impressive. He has tested in FR3.5 and GP3 and looked impressively ready for a switch, but his single-seater efforts are probably not his main focus. Season rating: 7

22. Roy Nissany

Israel, Mucke Motorsport, age 19

11 points

After two midfield years in ADAC Formel Masters, Nissany opted for the rather huge leap to FIA F3 – admittedly, a move that worked out well in the past for others.

However, Rosenqvist was the only driver this year capable of consistently bagging points in the orange car and Roy was no exception. To his credit, it was a better season than expected – while he was often amongst the backmarkers, he was more than capable of fighting for the occasional point.

His middle of the season was probably stronger than the end, yet it still wound up painting a nice picture. He’s earned the chance to be retained by Mucke for 2014. Season rating: 5

23. Mitch Gilbert

Australia, Mucke Motorsport, age 19

10 points

After finishing fourth in his rookie German F3 year, Gilbert looked more than ready for the FIA F3 switch and lined up a very good seat with Mucke.

So, not much was indicating that a “nightmare” year was upcoming. But, in the end, that’s what happened. He was surprisingly lacking pace over the few opening rounds, often running with the backmarkers, and, while points and other decent finishes started coming in in the second half, it was not enough to salvage the year.

But those things happen. And, indeed, Gilbert has shown his considerable talent before and has what it takes to bounce back from a tough year. A change of scenery will suit him well for 2014, as he looks to be a prime candidate for a Fortec seat. Season rating: 5

24. Andre Rudersdorf

Germany, ma-con, age 18

3 points

German youngster Andre Rudersdorf came into 2013 after two titles the previous year, but, when compared to FIA F3, both were pretty minor (Austrian F3 and German F3 Trophy Class).

So, with a smaller team like ma-con, all Rudersdorf really needed to do was run on-pace and, for the majority of the running, he lived up to the mission.While let down by his qualifying efforts (making the top 20 on the grid only twice), he’s generally been neat and tidy in the races, which allowed him to pick up three points.

Should be retained by ma-con for 2014 and will hopefully strive to become a more prominent part of the top ten. Season rating: 5

25. John Bryant-Meisner

Sweden, Fortec Motorsport, age 19

2 points (6/30 races)

The Swede, recovering from an injury that sidelined him for pretty much all of 2012, spent most of this year racing German F3, but did try out the final FIA F3 rounds with a clear goal of stepping up to the category in 2014.

He’s made an impression, too, managing to mostly keep up with the other Fortec drivers in both qualifying and races. Reliably in the midfield on his debut, he would record five top-16 finishes and, among them, picked up two points. If this was the audition for 2014, you’d have to imagine that he passed it. Season rating: N/A

Daniil Kvyat

Russia, Carlin, age 19

1 win, 7 podiums, 5 pole positions, 2 fastest laps (21/30 races)

Red Bull Junior Team’s Daniil Kvyat was a surprise part-time acquisition by Carlin, as the Russian was simultaneously signed up for GP3.

Ultimately, it turned into a double campaign and one Kvyat could be mighty proud of. He took an against-odds pole during his first round and, while struggling with starts, still managed to convert that into a podium. He was masterful at Spielberg, taking a triple pole but ultimately finishing runner-up to Rosenqvist on all three occasions. Finally, he managed to convert his fifth pole into a win at Zandvoort and then capped off his campaign with several other strong finishes.

Sure, there were off rounds, but they weren’t due to any inherent lack of pace. And, with this kind of FIA F3 guesting on his resume and a GP3 title, Kvyat, who was promoted by Red Bull into an F1 seat for next year, can make that step with his head held high. Season rating: 8

The rest of the field

Double R’s Sean Gelael and Tatiana Calderon did not wind up scoring points, although it wasn’t for the lack of trying, especially on the Indonesian’s part. Gelael, thus, has probably fulfilled his goals for the huge step to FIA F3 and, at 17, remains a very interesting prospect.

Dmitry Suranovich began the season with Fortec, but ended up retiring from racing altogether after the first round. Alfonso Celis and Ed Jones both appeared in one-offs with the British team at later stages.

Mans Grenhagen was extremely promising in testing for Van Amersfoort Racing, but couldn’t convert the pace into any points and was replaced after one too many crashes. Spike Goddard was competent but quiet in his first season with T-Sport, albeit finding himself in a fair share of incidents in wheel-to-wheel racing.

Sandro Zeller had a tough year after a somewhat encouraging rookie season in 2013, while Romeo Ferraris couldn’t really find themselves in a position to fight for points during the several appearances with Gary Thompson and Michela Cerruti.

Kevin Korjus and Stefano Coletti checked off an appearance each to qualify for the Macau GP. Finally, Toyota Racing Series New Zealand double champ Nick Cassidy was very rapid on his two guest rounds, but never quite managed to convert the pace into a standout result.

The post 2013 FIA F3 European Championship season review appeared first on Formula Scout.

EuroInternational’s Tom Blomqvist has been declared the race one winner for the European F3 round at Norisring after the man who finished first on-track, Raffaele Marciello, was given a post-race penalty among 11 other drivers.

Blomqvist finished eighth on the road and was due to inherit one place as Felix Rosenqvist found himself provisionally disqualified for a fuel issue in qualifying. However, in a race that saw multiple yellow flags in the busiest sections of the track, the top seven ahead of Blomqvist found themselves penalized for not slowing down sufficiently for the yellows, giving the Brit his first win in the series.

Among the penalized were the Prema trio of Raffaele Marciello, Alex Lynn and Lucas Auer who completed the original podium. Fortec’s Felix Serralles and Pipo Derani, Alex Sims, Nick Cassidy, Carlin teammates Jordan King and Jann Mardenborough, Mucke’s Roy Nissany?and Michael Lewis as well as local driver Lucas Wolf also received time penalties. All of the aforementioned drivers found twenty seconds added to their race clocks for not respecting double-waved yellow flags.

As such, the top ten has been completely altered from the original finishing order. Blomqvist is classified in first, ahead of Carlin’s Harry Tincknell and ma-con’s Andre Rudersdorf, who takes his first podium in the series. Eddie Cheever takes fourth ahead of his demoted teammate Marciello, with Sandro Zeller leading the other two Prema cars of Lynn and Auer in sixth. Rounding out the top ten are Serralles and Sims.

Race results

* denotes post-race time penalty of 20 seconds

The post Blomqvist inherits race one win as 12 drivers get time penalties appeared first on Formula Scout.

We preview the upcoming Masters of F3 event at Zandvoort, featuring 25 cars that will fight for the victory in the prestigious event…

The 2012 Masters of Formula Three event attracted a rather diverse grid with full-timers from multiple different championships forming a grid of 20. This year, it’s quite a bit more straightforward, with the introduction of the European F3 series, which this year has enough of a grid to ensure that the majority of the roster for the Masters event is made up from their regulars. Despite the loss of variety, though, the grid is as good as usual, with lots of very talented folk aiming to leave their mark on the prestigious yearly non-championship event.

Prema Powerteam

We start with Prema, the Italian squad which has to be considered a favorite in any F3 event they participate in, including the Masters round, which they won in 2012 with Dani Juncadella. While things have been going very smoothly for Prema in the main series, with the team confidently leading the drivers’ and the teams’ standings, the absence of championship leader Raffaele Marciello could be an issue for the squad’s Masters hopes.

However, it isn’t all about the Ferrari junior, and Prema have a traditionally stellar squad to bring to the event even without him. Kicking things off is Alex Lynn, fourth in the European F3 standings with a win to his name. Lynn has been impressively rapid in his first year in the primary category but does seem to suffer from a lack of consistency. And, after Lynn looked very good on his first Masters appearance in 2012, when he finished seventh, he seems a prime candidate to take the event win this year.

His Austrian teammate, Lucas Auer, is another obvious contender. The Austrian might not have shown the outright pace that Lynn has had this year, but has been very mature with his driving, a factor that sees him in third in the European F3 standings. He’s never taken part in the Masters, but has shined at Zandvoort at prior stages of his career, taking double pole at the track on his first German F3 appearance last year.

Italian Eddie Cheever is only 16th in the European F3 standings after a tough rookie year so far. He’s looked good on-track on multiple occasions but seems to struggle for track knowledge – his prior career having been almost exclusive to Italian championships. He’s never done the Masters and, here, a top ten finish would be a very decent goal to strive for.

Finally, replacing Marciello is Emil Bernstorff, hailing from German F3’s Lotus squad for a one-off appearance with Prema. The Briton is a very reasonable choice in that regard – he is quick, has prior F3 Euro experience at Zandvoort (having done the 2012 season in the category) and is currently going strong in German F3, with four wins and third in the standings. If he gets back up to speed with the car quickly enough, he could aim for a podium.

Mucke Motorsport

While Prema won the event in 2012, Mucke have most recently won a year prior to that. The advantage the German squad has here lies in the fact that 2011’s winner – Felix Rosenqvist – still drives for them in the category and probably enters the event as the favorite. Rosenqvist is currently second in the main series, coming off the heels of an absolutely dominant Spielberg round in European F3. He’s had a great run of form recently and there’s very little reason to imagine why it should come to an end here.

Photo: FIA F3

Michael Lewis also hails with prior Masters experience, having finished eighth in the event last year with Prema. He’s replaced DTM-bound Pascal Wehrlein at Mucke this year but has had trouble figuring out the car so far, which is reflected in him scoring only six points so far. Still, he knows the track quite well, having taken an F3 Euro podium here last year, and thus could be a factor for the top five.

Mucke will also field Israeli youngster Roy Nissany, for whom this is very likely to be a learning experience. He’s raced Zandvoort before in ADAC Formel Masters, with a best finish of fifth, and has been performing above expectations in European F3 this year, so a top ten finish is quite possible.

Finally, substituting Mucke regular Mitch Gilbert for one race is the very experienced Yuhi Sekiguchi. The 25-year-old driver won the Japanese F3 title in 2012 and has notably taken a Mucke car to fourth at the prestigious Macau F3 race in 2011.

Carlin

Another team with a full-scale four-car assault on the Masters is Carlin, who bring their European F3 regulars to Zandvoort. Heading the list is Harry Tincknell, arguably the British squad’s leader and the team’s only race winner in 2013’s European F3 season so far. It might be quite a challenging race for Tincknell, though – due to his plentiful experience in British championships, he mostly excels at local tracks and has pretty much no prior experience at Zandvoort. Still, he is a consistent and very mature driver and has reliably been in contention for podiums this year.

Photo: FIA F3

Carlin can also expect great things from Jordan King, who’s been having a very impressive rookie season in European F3.?He’s coming off the heels of a mighty performance at Spielberg, where the Briton has taken his first podium in the series, and overall sits in eighth in the standings. It should play into his hands that King has won at Zandvoort before, taking a victory here on his way to second in the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC standings.

The team’s other two rookies have also been quite notable this year. Single-seater debutant Jann Mardenborough has made quite a few headlines with his foray into the category, as he’s looked well within his depth in the very competitive category of European F3. Meanwhile, Nicholas Latifi has raised a few eyebrows with some really impressive races in his first year of European F3 and, if things go his way at Zandvoort, he could very well find himself in the top five.

Fortec

The final four-car squad on the grid is are the Brits at Fortec, who also bring over their European F3 roster. Felix Serralles will lead the quartet, having been Fortec’s main hope in last year’s British F3 and this year’s European F3 series, having taken two podiums for the team in 2013. He has little in the way of previous experience at Zandvoort, having retired from last year’s Masters without completing a lap in the race, but he’s quite adaptable and should be a reasonable challenger for the podium.

Josh Hill has been one of the main surprises of the European F3 season, having scored his first podium and generally being a consistent man in the top ten. At Zandvoort, he could produce another shock result – just like King, he’s won here in Formula Renault 2.0 NEC.

Just like Serralles, Pipo Derani graduated with Fortec from British F3, yet his season in the main series has not gone so well so far, with 18 points and the best finish of fifth at the opener. Still, he has experience on his side, having been in the Masters for two years now – he retired on lap one in 2011 and was 11th in 2012. He should be aiming to get his personal best result.

Finally, the team’s new recruit Will Buller will also be making his third Masters appearance. He’s currently only 12th in the standings of European F3 and has recently switched over from T-Sport. His best result at the Masters in sixth last year and he’s also taken a win in the F3 Euro Series at the track, so he should be considered one of the definite contenders for podium.

Rest of the field

Photo: FIA F3

EuroInternational will be fielding one car with Red Bull Junior Team’s Tom Blomqvist at the wheel. For the Briton, 2013 has been rather difficult so far, with only three podiums in a season which he started as one of the favorites. He has no prior Masters experience, but has done Zandvoort in other series, including F3 Euro Series in 2012, where he managed a fourth and a fifth. If the car’s up to speed, he will be fighting it out at the top.

German squad ma-con will run the two drivers they field in the European F3 series. Sven Muller has had a difficult year so far, still searching for his first podium finish of 2012 and being involved in far too many incidents. In 2012, he made his Masters debut with Prema, finishing tenth – his real breakthrough came a bit later, with Muller taking double pole for the regular F3 Euro round at the track a month later. He’s very quick and, again, while much depends on the car, if it’s up to speed, he will be among those at the top. Meanwhile, his teammate Andre Rudersdorf is another one of the learners, coming to the track with little in the way of F3 experience. Rudersdorf has done some Zandvoort races in the German F3 Trophy Class, but this is very much a different level.

Van Amersfoort will run local driver Dennis van de Laar, with the other regular driver Mans Grenhagen unable to come up with funds for the non-championship round. Van de Laar could very well produce a decent result – he gets along with the track, having raced it in Formula Renault NEC and taken his only German F3 podium there a year later.

Double R bring in their usual European F3 lineup. Sean Gelael and Tatiana Calderon will both be continuing their learning years in European single-seaters, with neither having any Zandvoort experience to speak of. Rapid youngster Antonio Giovinazzi also has no Zandvoort record, but given his season form, could very well strive for a top ten finish.

Spike Goddard and Sandro Zeller will both be returning to the Masters, respectively with T-Sport and Jo Zeller Racing, after both drivers debuted at the event in 2012. They were among the three F308 runners in that field (with the rest racing F312s) – Zeller was the top placed F308 driver, with Goddard coming in in second among the older cars. They’re in the same machinery as the rest this year and will continue their learning experience in the big leagues.

The post Preview: European F3 field contest Masters of F3 event at Zandvoort appeared first on Formula Scout.

With the season starting at Monza this weekend, we take a look at the 30-car grid for the revamped category, full of quality young drivers.

Whether Gerhard Berger’s European F3 project will improve the state of things across the Formula Three category remains to be seen, but it’s hard to argue against one thing – the European F3 grid for 2013 assembled some of the most promising young drivers in single-seaters. With championship contenders from last year’s F3 Euro Series returning to have a go at it once again and plenty of talented youngsters coming in from other F3 categories, the 30-car grid looks as impressive as ever.

While the continuation of the lineage set by the F3 Euro Series is clear (as the newly-rebranded European F3 will run mostly as a support series for DTM and will continue the very commendable practice of live online streaming), the championship underwent some drastic changes. Among the most important is the disappearance of reverse-grid races, as all three races in a round will now yield the same amount of points and will be formed via more direct methods.

Here’s the driver-by-driver look at the 2013 European F3 season, ahead of the first round that’ll take place this weekend at Monza.

Prema Powerteam

Raffaele Marciello

Age: 18
Nation: Italy
2012: Third in Formula 3 Euro Series

It comes as very little surprise that Marciello was retained by Prema for the 2013 season and, perhaps, even less of the surprise that he inherited the coveted number “1” in the team that claimed the title last year with Dani Juncadella.

Joining the Ferrari Driver Academy as he graduated out of karting at the start of 2010, Marciello worked his way through Formula Abarth and Italian F3, finishing third in both. However, it is 2012 that put Marciello on the map as the Italian joined Prema in the F3 Euro Series for a campaign that would see him unexpectedly challenge for the title. He won three races in the first two rounds; another three victories would follow and, despite not being able to finish some of the races due to aggressive driving in the series, he ended the season a very strong third.

Throughout testing, he has confirmed his top form so far, often being fastest on the grid and proving his immense one-lap pace. With the reverse-grid races gone (and Marciello wasn’t too great at those), he is surely the main championship contender, and while the competition has got tougher, don’t bet against him replicating Juncadella’s feat.

Alex Lynn

Age: 19
Nation: United Kingdom
2012: Fourth in British Formula 3

The rest of Prema’s powerhouse four-car lineup is entirely rookies, led by Lynn. Rightly considered by many as one of Britain’s best upcoming single-seater drivers, Lynn, quite frankly, surpasses even that definition by being one of the most adaptive and quick drivers of the massive European F3 grid.

He claimed the Formula Renault UK Winter Series title at the end of his first single-seater season in 2010, and was virtually untouchable when he stayed in the category in 2011, taking the title by a country mile. His upward trajectory in junior single-seaters continued in 2012 when Fortec gave him a seat in British F3. Lynn finished the season in fourth, gaining massive momentum by the end of the year to start challenging for poles and wins, with his maiden victory at the penultimate round serving as proof of development. He then took pole and a third-place finish on his Macau debut.

That weekend he signed a deal with Prema to race in European F3. It’ll be the first time in his career that Lynn will part ways with Fortec, but, going by his frontrunner pace in testing, that doesn’t concern him much.

Lucas Auer

Age: 19
Nation: Austria
2012: Second in German Formula 3

He might be the nephew of the ex-F1 man Berger, but Auer’s speed would get the recognition it deserves even without that factoid. 2011 saw Auer’s first stab at single-seater racing and it was a grand rookie campaign that saw him win the JK Racing Asia series title, narrowly beating the vastly more experienced Afiq Ikhwan by seven points.

After his Toyota Racing Series campaign in early 2012 (marked with one podium and two poles), Auer joined van Amersfoort in German F3. With two wins over the year, he snatched away second place during the last few rounds and finished as the series vice-champion.

Auer made a return to Toyota Racing Series yearly this year and was a major title contender, but, with a penalty at the last round, ended up third behind Nick Cassidy and his European F3 teammate Lynn. He hasn’t been quite as quick as Alex in the testing, but the step-up Auer is making is quite a bit bigger, so expect him to start winning by the end of the year.

Eddie Cheever, Jr.

Age: 19
Nation: Italy
2012: Second in Italian Formula 3

The son of American ex-F1 driver of the same name, Cheever, Jr. completes the Prema lineup, graduating to their European F3 squad from the now-defunct Italian F3.

He started his single-seater career with seasons in Swiss Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Abarth, finishing tenth in both. Another promotion a year later and Cheever was in Italian F3, raising the result to three podiums and finishing ninth. Unlike Marciello, Cheever stayed in the category for 2012 and was a major title contender. He finished second in both the European and the Italian classifications, after nearly snatching the title away from Riccardo Agostini – however, he was among a number of post-race disqualifications at the end of the last round and so only managed second.

It’s hard to tell what Cheever can achieve throughout the season as his results during pre-season testing were fairly inconsistent and he lacks the experience at the level that most of the series frontrunners have. However, he should be a regular points finisher and could be a podium contender, should a race go particularly his way.

Mucke Motorsport

Pascal Wehrlein

Age: 18
Nation: Germany
2012: Second in Formula 3 Euro Series

Mucke’s top man of 2012, Pascal Wehrlein, will move on to Merc’s DTM squad, replacing Ralf Schumacher, this year after finishing runner-up to Juncadella in the F3 Euro Series his rookie year. Still, he isn’t completely done with F3, as he will make an appearance at the Monza round of the series.

After making his single-seater debut in ADAC Formel Masters in 2010 and running away with the series title in 2011, Wehrlein stunned the racing world with his first F3 year, as he took a win and multiple podiums on his way to a very strong second in the standings, with a super-consistent second half of the year.

He would’ve surely been a title favorite had he stayed in the series, showing some very strong results in testing and coming off of a fantastic rookie year. However, a DTM seat is not something he could refuse, but it will be nice to see him fight for the win at Monza at the very least.

Felix Rosenqvist

Age: 21
Nation: Sweden
2013: Fourth in Formula 3 Euro Series

For Felix, another man out of the 2012 Mucke lineup, this will be his third season in European F3 and, just like last year, it’s hard not to imagine him at the front of the grid.

Rosenqvist began his single-seater career in 2007 and raced in various local Formula Renault categories until 2009, winning titles in Asian FR2.0 and Swedish FR2.0. He graduated to German F3 in 2010 and was fifth with Performance Racing with two wins against a very competitive grid. In 2011, he joined Mucke in the Euro Series and did exceptionally well in his rookie year, finishing fifth and winning the prestigious Masters of F3 race.

He entered the 2012 season as one of the main title contenders, but had a pretty weak start to the season and let Juncadella and others run away in the standings. His form returned by the end of the season and, rather ominously for 2013, winning four of the final six feature races on the way to fourth before finishing second at Macau. He wasn’t exactly quickest in testing but, with Rosenqvist’s experience and fantastic end of last year form, he will surely add to his win tally in 2013.

Mitchell Gilbert

Age: 18
Nation: Australia
2013: Fourth in German Formula 3

Malaysian-born Aussie Mitchell Gilbert is another promising German F3 graduate on the 2013 European F3 field, with Mucke expanding their contingent in the series from two to four cars.

18-year-old Gilbert began his full-time single-seater career in 2011, entering the hyper-competitive Formula Renault 2.0 UK field, in which he finished an impressive fifth, behind major names in the junior ladder. That success could not have gone unnoticed and, in 2012, Gilbert switched from Fortec to Performance Racing and German F3. Alongside Auer, he fought for wins against far more experienced drivers and was fourth at the end of it, with two victories to his name.

While he hasn’t been a regular top ten man in testing so far, it’s easy to forget that his experience is extremely limited, compared to some drivers on the grid. As such, with this year serving as preparation for a further foray to the top of the ladder, consistent and regular finishes with a handful of points and takeaway noticeable results would already be a massive achievement.

Roy Nissany

Age: 18
Nation: Israel
2012: Ninth in ADAC Formel Masters

The fourth driver in the Mucke lineup is Roy Nissany, the son of ex-F1 tester Chanoch and a Mucke man since 2011. Nissany made his transition from karting to single-seaters in 201o, with a Formula Lista Junior campaign that saw him finish eighth in the Swiss series. He transferred to the German stepping stoner series ADAC Formel Masters in 2011 and, joining Mucke, finished eleventh in his rookie season with two podiums.

Last year saw Nissany continue in ADAC FM, where he finally took his maiden win in the series and ended the season in ninth. With an early deal it can be assumed he has a large budget like his father, but, for an ADAC FM graduate with not that much experience, he has been placing solidly in the lower half of the top 20 in testing.

Carlin

Harry Tincknell

Age: 21
Nation: United Kingdom
2012: Fifth in British Formula 3

With British F3 reduced to four events, Carlin made the necessary full-time transition to the European series and their front man Harry Tincknell went along with them.

After two years in Formula Renault UK, over the course of which he amassed four wins and a Winter Series title, Tincknell joined Fortec in British F3 in 2011 and, with a maiden win, took eleventh place in the standings. He was expected to fight for the title with Carlin in 2012, but it didn’t quite work out as he never had quite the speed to challenge the leading trio. However, with his remarkable consistency and a mastery of reverse-grid races, he finished a commendable fifth, with four wins – all of them achieved outside of feature races.

There will be no reverse-grid races in European F3, but, with his grand pace during testing, it looks like he might do fine without them. It’s hard to expect Carlin to go a year in F3 without wins and Tincknell might just be the one to deliver them.

Jordan King

Age: 19
Nation: United Kingdom
2012: Second in Formula Renault 2.0 NEC

The three people lined up by Carlin alongside Tincknell are quite a bit les experienced than he is, but can be expected to make a substantial impression this year. Jordan King is, perhaps, the most likely driver to rival Carlin’s veteran Tincknell – especially after his 2012 performance left a lot of people impressed.

King switched to single-seaters full-time in 2011, joining Manor in Formula Renault 2.0 UK for its final season. He finished an impressive eighth in his rookie season, before making his graduation to the Eurocup and NEC the next year. He scored a maiden podium in the primary FR2.0 category, while in NEC he was challenging fellow Brit Jake Dennis for the title, although ultimately had to settle for second place. King also had some very impressive performances overseas, taking the MRF Challenge title in 2011 and finishing second in the 2012-2013 championship.

King was surprisingly on par with Tincknell throughout the testing, both of them setting quite impressive times, so don’t be surprised if his name makes a couple of headlines during his rookie year.

Nicholas Latifi

Age: 17
Nation: Canada
2012: Seventh in Italian Formula 3

One of the less experienced drivers on the grid, 17-year-old Toronto-born Latifi could very well be an interesting man to watch this year.

He made his debut on the European single-seater scene in 2012 with an Italian Formula Three campaign. With a Vallelunga win and three other podium finishes in the latter half of the season, he finished seventh overall, with a significant spike in his results after he switched from BVM to JD Motorsport. He then joined Giles for a TRS campaign, finishing ninth in a field of F3’s best.

His testing results have been encouraging so far and with the pace he’s been showing, he will easily make it in the top 15 at the end of the year.

Jann Mardenborough

Age: 21
Nation: United Kingdom
2012: Sixth in British GT

While most fresh faces on the grid should be classified as European F3 rookies, Mardenborough falls in the category of, in general, single-seater rookies.

Winning the Nissan GT Academy for Playstation gamers in 2011, Mardenborough completed his transition to a full-time racer in 2012, joining British GT and finishing sixth. It was quite a surprise, however, to see him join the TRS field in the beginning of 2013 in order to prepare himself for the main season – perhaps even more of a surprise that he actually did really well against F3’s finest, finishing tenth with a front row start to his name.

He’s also been on-pace in testing, and while a further single-seater career doesn’t seem to figure much in his goals, he’ll probably do well enough throughout the season.

Fortec Motorsport

Felix Serralles

Age: 20
Nation: Puerto Rico
2012: Third in British Formula 3

With Fortec doing the same as Carlin and switching from British F3 to European F3, they were also in a need of a proven frontrunner? and it seems, with Felix Serralles, they have one.

Serralles started his career in the US, taking third in the Skip Barber National Championship in 2010 along the way. He transitioned to Europe in 2011, taking 14th in the Eurocup Formula Renault with Fortec in his rookie year. Continuing with the team, Serralles moved to the British F3 series and was in the title fight against Carlin’s Jack Harvey and Jazeman Jaafar until the very last round, finishing third at the end of the year.

Fortec’s form in testing is a bit suspect, but Serralles certainly looked as their best driver. Fighting for the title would probably be a long shot, but he’s very likely to contend for individual race wins.

Pipo Derani

Age: 19
Nation: Brazil
2012: Eighth in British Formula 3

Derani, like Serralles, is moving up from British F3 with Fortec, after being a race-winner in the series in 2012. He started his single-seater career in 2009 with a foray in FR 2.0 NEC, where he finished seventh.

Derani moved to F3 in 2010, taking tenth in the German championship, before joining Fortec in British F3. He was 15th in his rookie season with a maiden podium, while the second season saw him move up to eighth.

The Brazilian has been reasonably quick in testing, not quite matching the pace set by Serralles, but being close enough. With his massive F3 experience, he should be able to fight for individual podiums.

Josh Hill

Age: 22
Nation: United Kingdom
2012: Third in Formula Renault 2.0 NEC

Son to one F1 World Champion and grandson to another, Josh Hill will be making his debut in European F3 in 2012.

Hill, 22, has been a junior single-seater regular since 2009, starting his career off with two seasons in UK Formula Ford with Jamun. He won five times in his second year, finishing fifth in the standings, before moving up to Formula Renault 2.0 UK with Manor, where he finished seventh. In 2012, he progressed to FR 2.0 NEC, where he finished third, behind fellow Brits Dennis and King, with five race wins.

Hill hasn’t gotten quite up to speed in testing so far, but he’s completely new to F3 machinery and it may take him some time to adjust. With Fortec behind him, he can be expected to perform well in the latter half of the season.

Dmitry Suranovich

Age: 17
Nation: Russia
2012: No points in GP3

Belarus-born Russian youngster will be making a bit of a step down from GP3 this year, but at 17 it’s quite understandable.

Suranovich started his foray into single-seaters in 2010 with a part-time Formula Abarth campaign with Euronova. He made quite a step up to GP3 in 2011 and actually did fairly decent for a complete rookie, despite failing to score points, with a best finish of eleventh.

He hasn’t been particularly quick in testing so far, but, again, it’s completely new territory for the guy and he can probably start fighting for the points by the end of the year.

Double R Racing

Tatiana Calderon

Age: 20
Nation: Colombia
2012: Ninth in Formula3 Open

After racing in the Star Mazda championship (which is part of Road to Indy over in the US) for two years, scoring two podiums in 2011, Colombian racer Calderon made a switch to European single-seater racing. She got the season off to a great start last year, with a podium in the European F3 Open Winter Series, and went on to participate in the series full-time, finishing ninth in the main championship.

In early 2013, she prepared for a future European F3 foray by running in the TRS, where she finished twelfth with ETEC. She got signed by newcomers Double R shortly after they announced their switch from British F3 and did all the pre-season testing with them. Going by her performance in that and taking into account the team’s relative inexperience, she will probably fight for the occasional points finish.

Antonio Giovinazzi

Age: 19
Nation: Italy
2012: Formula Pilota China champion

After impressive karting results in 2011 (with a third place in the KF2 World Cup), Giovinazzi made an impression on the single-seater world right away with his 2012 debut. He joined Eurasia Motorsport in Formula Pilota China and went on to take the title by a landslide, with six wins over the season and overall 13 podiums in 18 races. He also made a one-off appearance in Formula Abarth and took two wins and a second place against series regulars in very difficult weather conditions.

Giovinazzi isn’t particularly well-funded so his seat with Double R is a pleasant surprise and he’ll surely produce a great result or two for the team throughout the season, even though he’s making such a massive step-up. Even though wins might be pretty far down the line, he’s surely a man to watch – particularly considering his outright excellent pace in the final pre-season test.

Sean Gelael

Age: 16
Nation: Indonesian
2012: Fourth in Formula Pilota China

Just like Giovinazzi, Sean Gelael made his debut in single-seaters in 2012 in Formula Pilota China and also had a quality rookie year with Eurasia Motorsport, finishing fourth in the standings with one win over the course of the year.

He was supposed to join Double R in British F3, but after the calendar was reduced, him and his FPC teammate were moved to the European series. Unlike the Italian, Gelael is pretty well-funded, with his native sponsors also funding Giovinazzi as well. He’s done very decent for a 16-year-old rookie in testing so far and could very well match Calderon throughout the season.

ma-con Motorsport

Sven Muller

Age: 21
Nation: Germany
2012: Sixth in Formula 3 Euro Series

Another ADAC Formel Masters graduate on the grid, Sven Muller was set to retain his Prema seat for 2013, but was replaced in the end. Thankfully for the championship, the very talented German found a seat with ma-con and will surely be one of the outside title contenders during the year.

Muller started his single-seater career in 2010, joining Eifelland in ADAC FM, finishing ninth in his debut series. He stayed in the series for a second year, joining ma-con with which he took four wins on his way to third in the championship. Muller joined Prema for the F3 Euro Series in 2012 and was, for a bit, the most impressive rookie on the field. He was passed by Wehrlein after a couple of rounds, but was also improving quite a bit, culminating in a double pole at Zandvoort and a maiden win at Hockenheim.

Consistently in the top five in testing, Muller looks like a possible title candidate and, while that might prove a bit challenging with a smaller team, he’ll surely add to that maiden win of his.

Andre Rudersdorf

Age: 17
Nation: Germany
2012: German F3 Trophy class and Austrian F3 champion

Graduating from karting in 2011, Rudersdorf joined Krafft Walzen in ADAC Formel Masters and finished 18th overall, placing highest in his team. In 2012, he was signed on by his current team, ma-con, to race in the Trophy class of German F3. The season saw him win that by a huge margin as well as taking the Austrian F3 title.

European F3 will surely be a huge step-up from the Trophy class of German F3, but he’s done surprisingly well in testing so far. With Muller as his teammate and a fairly noticeable learning curve, Rudersdorf might just start fighting for points by the end of the season, though, with the step up he’s making, that’s quite a bit to ask for.

Threebond with T-Sport

Will Buller

Age: 20
Nation: United Kingdom
2012: Fifth in Formula 3 Euro Series

While Buller’s aptitude on-track is unquestionable, his possibly greatest asset in F3 in 2013 will be his massive experience at the level, as the Brit is rivaled by pretty much only Rosenqvist when it comes to Formula Three record.

At 20, Buller already has a long junior single-seater career behind him, dating back to 2008 and Formula BMW Europe, where he finished 12th and tenth in two seasons with Fortec. 2010 saw Buller switch to British F3 with Hitech, finishing eighth in the standings. He entered 2011 as one of the title contenders, rejoining Fortec, yet was only fourth in the end. Last year, Buller entered into the F3 Euro Series, joining Carlin. He was a major title contender for a big part of the season but ultimately was only fifth due to a late-season slump in form. He also took a race win in an otherwise disappointing GP3 campaign.

With T-Sport and their Nissan engine seeming quite quick in testing, Buller should have all he could need to take the fight to the title yet again. He probably doesn’t have the outright pace to match the likes of Marciello and Lynn, but his consistency and experience should definitely make him a factor.

Spike Goddard

Age: 20
Nation: Australia
2012: British Formula 3 National class champion

While Goddard might be the same age as his teammate, it is an obvious fact he has nowhere near the levels of experience possessed by Buller and, as such, this will be very much a learning year for the youngster.

The Aussie graduated from karting in 2009 and spent two years racing in local series before joining British Formula Ford in 2011. Entering the series with Jamun Racing, Goddard finished tenth in his rookie year, with a season best finish of fifth. He joined T-Sport in 2012 for a British F3 campaign in the lower “Rookie” class, which he won with relative ease, only having one main competitor for the majority of the season.

European F3, as such, might seem like a pretty huge step and the testing has confirmed that thus far, as Spike has been generally on-pace, but not exactly troubling the top ten. It’s very likely that his season will go along those lines with an occasional points finish being a very realistic target.

Van Amersfoort Racing

Dennis van de Laar

Age: 20
Nation: Netherlands
2012: Ninth in German Formula 3

Another German F3 graduate, van de Laar is also one of the less-experienced drivers on the grid, but whatever predictions could be made about his season were quite skewed by his and his team’s pace during testing.

Van de Laar, 19, started his career in 2010 with third in the Formido Swift Cup, taking a win and four additional podium finishes along the way. He joined Van Amersfoort in 2011 for a campaign in Formula Renault 2.0 NEC, where he was seventh at the end of the year in a massive grid. The next year saw him graduate to German F3, continuing on with the same team – not quite matching his teammates Auer and Rene Binder, he did, nonetheless, achieve one podium finish on his way to ninth.

Again, you could say that the step up van de Laar making is huge and he’d be expected to struggle, but his pace in testing so far has been quite solid and, should he keep it up, he can surely be a consistent points finisher, maybe even scoring a podium or two in his rookie year.

Mans Grenhagen

Age: 19
Nation: Sweden
2012: Third in Formula 3 Open

Grenhagen’s signing with Van Amersfoort came a bit out of the left field, yet, after the Swede has topped a day of testing and has been consistently up there with the expected contenders, it’s hard not to believe the team made a right call.

His single-seater career started off in 2009, when he was eighth in the Swiss-based Formula Lista Junior. In 2010, Grenhagen joined Jenzer in Formula Abarth, but raced part-time only, scoring some points in the eight races out of 14 he took part in. He then missed 2011 but made quite a triumphant return in 2012’s F3 Open. He was the main title contender up until the half-point yet, with his main rivals gaining ground, he went through a bit of a slump in form, falling to third at the end of the year.

After putting himself on the map in 2012, the sky’s the limit for this year, and it seems Grenhagen is approaching it with full intention to make the best out of the opportunity. With him and his teammate very quick in the testing, Mans might well fight for the title and will probably do so, provided he ironed out the mistakes that plagued him in F3 Open.

Romeo Ferraris

Gary Thompson

Age: 20
Nation: Ireland
2012: Fourth in Japanese F3 National class

The number 22 seat at Romeo Ferraris was always going to be a last-minute decision, with American Michael Lewis seemingly on pole for it after testing with them at Barcelona. However, it was Irish F3 veteran Thompson who snatched up the spot at the end, at least for the first round at Monza.

Thompson kicked off his single-seater career with a second in Formula BMW Pacific in 2009, losing out on the title to GP2 man Rio Haryanto. He then joined KCMG in Japanese F3’s national class, where, over the three years, he finished fifth (twice) and fourth in the standings, taking two wins in the process.

He hasn’t had a chance to test before the icy Monza so the pace remains a bit of a mystery, but it will certainly be a tough challenge, as Thompson hasn’t raced the F312 before.

Michela Cerruti

Age: 26
Nation: Italy
2012: 30th in Formula 3 Open/15th in German Formula 3

Despite being the oldest out of the drivers on the grid, Cerruti is also one with the least single-seater experience. Having raced in different categories of racing before (with wins in the Italian GT Championship and the touring car Superstars Series), Cerruti only tried single-seater racing in 2011, debuting in the Toyota Racing Series and then partaking in part-time campaigns in German F3 and F3 Open.

As such, the step up to European F3 will certainly be huge and, going by the testing, Cerruti will mostly be at the back for the opening races at least. Whether she can get up to speed or not remains to be seen, but, with her previous touring car successes, you shouldn’t rule that out.

EuroInternational

Tom Blomqvist

Age: 19
Nation: United Kingdom
2012: Seventh in Formula 3 Euro Series

The Red Bull Junior Team newcomer will continue in European F3, switching to the EuroInternational team that’s just entered the championship.

At 19, the son of rally driver Stig Blomqvist has achieved multiple successes in junior single-seaters. He finished third in Formula Renault 2.0 Sweden in his debut year and, switching to the UK series in 2010, won the title ahead of the now-former Red Bull Junior Team driver Lewis Williamson. In 2011, he finished sixth in an injury-curtailed season with Peformance Racing in German F3 before embarking on a full-time campaign in European F3 with ma-con, while simultaneously joining EuroInternational for a part-time schedule in German F3 – he was seventh in the first and fifth with five wins in the second.

He’s been notably quick in the testing so far, topping one of the Barcelona sessions and generally being near the top, so Blomqvist will surely be one of the guys to beat. He’ll certainly get his maiden series win at that point, but a top five finish overall is more than likely. He should have a teammate in time for Silverstone.

Jo Zeller Racing

Sandro Zeller

Age: 21
Nation: Switzerland
2012: 12th in Formula 3 Euro Series

Son of team owner Jo Zeller (a 12-time Swiss F3 champion), Sandro will remain the only driver supported by the team after his last year teammate Andrea Roda left for Auto GP.

At 21, Zeller has multiple years of F3 experience behind him. He started single-seater racing in 2008, joining Formula Lista Junior and scoring his maiden pole position. He was fifth in that very series in 2009, and also moved on to F3 with his father’s team. In 2010, Zeller joined German F3, finishing 17th. He raced a part-time campaign in the F3 Euro Series in 2011, while simultaneously securing the Austrian F3 title for the first time. Last year, he was the only driver in the Euro Series to race an old-spec F308, yet still finished 12th, beating his teammate.

With a switch to F312s, Zeller could finally be a points contender and yet his pace as of yet is unclear due to him missing a couple of tests.

URD Rennsport

Lucas Wolf

Age: 18
Nation: Germany
2012: 11th in Formula 3 Euro Series

Rounding out our preview is another promising German youngster in Lucas Wolf, who will continue with URD for another year.

Wolf made his debut in single-seaters in 2010, scoring a maiden podium in his rookie season of ADAC Formel Masters. He finished eighth that year and stayed on for another year, repeating his results in the standings, albeit now having taken a victory. Family-run URD Rennsport brought Wolf over to the F3 Euro Series in 2012, where he finished 12th overall. He scored a podium in the very last round at Hockenheim, after turning in a strong streak of decent finishes.

Wolf has shown decent pace in testing so far, but, with the increased amount of participants, it might be a bit hard to replicate his 2012 result. Still, as he’s shown decent improvement over the year, he might very well surprise us this year.

The post 2013 FIA F3 European Championship driver-by-driver preview appeared first on Formula Scout.

Swiss driver Sandro Zeller will continue racing for his father’s team in European F3, the series having confirmed him for a 2013 seat.

Zeller, 21, has spent his entire career in single-seaters with Jo Zeller Racing, starting off in Formula Lista Junior in 2008. Finishing 14th in his first year, he continued in the series the next year, taking one win and finishing fifth overall. He made the switch to German F3 in 2010, finishing 17th and scoring three points over the year. He also took part in Austrian F3, finishing third and taking the title the subsequent year.

In 2012, he entered F3 Euro Series for a full-time campaign as the only driver, contesting the entire series in an F308 (compared to the main class F312 cars). He finished 12th in the overall standings, ahead of two full-time F312 drivers.

Zeller will make the switch to F312 machinery in 2013, putting him on level field with other drivers in the series. Alongside the Swiss driver, Jo Zeller Racing is expected to run another car.

The post Jo Zeller Racing confirms Sandro Zeller for European F3 appeared first on Formula Scout.

PaddockScout takes a look back at an incident-packed season of the Formula 3 Euro Series and the drivers involved…

2012 turned out to be the final year of the Formula 3 Euro Series as we know it, before it fully morphs into the FIA F3 European Championship next year. After a tough couple of seasons for the category recently, this year saw something of a renaissance with larger grids and a title fight that went down to the very last race. The racing however did leave something to be desired on several occasions and made GP2 races look fairly well-mannered.

Daniel Juncadella eventually triumphed as expected, but only after being pushed all the way by a pair of impressive rookies in the shape of Pascal Wehrlein and Raffaele Marciello. Here’s our review of their seasons and the rest of the regulars.

1. Daniel Juncadella

Spain, Prema Powerteam, age 21

240 points, 5 wins, 10 podiums, 5 pole positions, 6 fastest laps

The Spanish young talent entered his third season as the overwhelming title favourite, after finishing eighth and third the years before. While finances haven’t exactly been much of a problem for him after he secured backing from Astana, he had to deliver a dominant campaign this year to prove that he’s good enough for the next step up the ladder. Well, eight rounds and 24 races later we can conclude he’s pretty much done just that.

Still, it was far from a perfect season as although Juncadella never really lacked pace he was involved in his fair share of accidents that won’t look too good on his resume. A particular low point of his season came when he had a win taken away and replaced with a DSQ during the round at Norisring, as he achieved that win after punting two other contenders off the track. Another disqualification came his way at Nurburgring, where a start from pole turned to disaster when he attempted to block Rosenqvist and ended up pushing the Swede into the barrier.

At the same time, Juncadella was easily the most consistently quick man in the series, regardless of what track it was, and that consistency, plus the uncanny Vettel-like ability to run away with races after one lap gave him the title in the end. Don’t let the points fool you – he would’ve had much a bigger gap to his closest rivals if the final round of the season didn’t go so bad for him.

Winning the F3 title gave Juncadella a prize F1 test with Ferrari and, with the season over, he’s tested in every GP2 post-year session so far with Rapax. He looks likely to make that move after some impressive times, although the DTM with backers Mercedes could also be an option. Season rating: 8

2. Pascal Wehrlein

Germany, Mucke Motorsport, age 18

226 points, 1 win, 10 podiums, 1 pole position, 1 fastest lap

For Wehrlein, F3 Euro Series was quite a step up from the ADAC Formel Masters series in which he raced for the two previous years, claiming the title in 2011. However, not a lot of people could have seen him managing it so well as the German wonderkid, in only his third year of car racing, has managed to beat many F3 regulars with shockingly impressive? consistency on his way to second in the overall standings.

Wehrlein wasn’t exactly the class of the field when it came to one-lap pace but was very much on it in the races, especially in the latter half of the season. Cruelly denied his first win of the season during the second Norisring race which he started from pole but ended up collected by Buller in the tricky conditions, he picked it up one round later, making the most out of Juncadella’s messy start. From that point onwards, he turned into a consistent podium finisher and very nearly challenged Juncadella for the title in the end.

With just a single win to his name but nine other podium finishes, Wehrlein’s maturity and stability allowed him to stay in contention against far more experienced drivers for the majority of the season. It’s unclear what the future holds for him but staying in F3 for another year could be a good idea. Then again, his Macau performance (fourth place) suggests that he might just be ready for a promotion to a more competitive series. Season rating: 9

3. Raffaele Marciello

Italy, Prema Powerteam, age 17

219.5 points, 6 wins, 10 podiums, 2 pole positions, 6 fastest laps

Even though he’s been member of the Ferrari Driver Academy since the end of 2010, the Italian’s performance this year was one of the most surprising revelations of the grid. After third in Formula Abarth in his debut year in car racing and third in Italian F3 the year after, Marciello now has another grand season to add to his resume and he’s only about to hit 18 in December.

While Juncadella and Rosenqvist were the seeming title contenders before the start of the season due to their sheer experience, the first half of the season has shown that the Ferrari protege could easily match the pace of either of them, as he started scoring win after win and was toe-to-toe with his Spanish rival after four rounds of the season. However, as the season went on to its second half, some consistency problems started to emerge, as Marciello failed to capitalize on Juncadella’s multiple mistakes and ended up losing out to Wehrlein for second. Running into the back of Buller’s car in the beginning of the final race of the season effectively capped off his streak of misfortunes.

Still, the raw pace was always there and the sheer amount of wins Marciello has accumulated in 2012 is nothing short of spectacular, considering his experience. The Zurich-born Italian has already tested with Fortec in FR3.5, but doing another year in F3 might be a good idea, considering he still has to iron out some rough sides to his driving. Season rating: 9

4. Felix Rosenqvist

Sweden, Mucke Motorsport, age 21

212.5 points, 4 wins, 8 podiums, 3 pole positions, 3 fastest laps

After Rosenqvist’s unexpected victory in the Masters of Formula 3 in 2011, many expected him to fight for the Euro title in his third year of F3 racing. Alas, it was not to be, as, after a very decent first round at Hockenheim, Felix ended up in a streak of lacklustre qualifying and race performances, which effectively put him out of contention and pretty far down the standings.

Still, the season wasn’t all bad as Rosenqvist finally found his form in the latter half of the year, scoring feature race wins at Zandvoort and Valencia before winning both race one and three from pole at Hockenheim. The late-season form was good enough to promote him to fourth in the points, quite close to the title contenders and, with one more round at Hockenheim or something, he could’ve very well fought for it.

While 2012 will probably not be the most fondly-remembered season of his career, Felix did manage to score an important second at the Macau Grand Prix. Having done no testing in higher-level series so far, it is unclear where he might end up next year, but something like GP3 or FR3.5 would be a sensible choice. Season rating: 7

5. William Buller

United Kingdom, Carlin, age 20

182.5 points, 2 wins, 7 podiums, 1 pole position, 1 fastest lap

2012 has been a very busy year for Will Buller, who was entered into two simultaneous full-time campaigns with Carlin. His effort in the Euro Series was much more impressive than his GP3 run, which should’ve been expected, considering that Buller had previously had two years of British F3 to get acquainted with the machinery.

At certain points of the season, it almost seemed like he could fight for the title, but, just as his rivals Juncadella and Marciello lost all consistency closer to the end of the year, Buller seemed to lack in outright pace, which was, perhaps, a sign of fatigue due to the busy schedule.

Still, for most of the year he was a consistent podium contender, even recording two reverse-grid race wins to his name. He should’ve had a third one, too, for the first race at Norisring, but the officials weirdly decided not to promote the rest of the field after Juncadella’s DSQ.

Buller tested for Comtec in FR3.5 in the final post-season test and has the money for a step up, but he could aim even higher and end up in GP2 next year. Really, only time will tell. Season rating: 7

6. Sven Muller

Germany, Prema Powerteam, age 20

172 points, 1 win, 6 podiums, 2 pole positions, 1 fastest lap

Another rookie who surpassed expectations this season was Sven Muller who, like Wehrlein, graduated to F3 after two years of ADAC Formel Masters (he was third in Wehrlein’s title year). While it took him quite some time to adapt to the machinery, he found his feet in the series around the halfway point of the season and looked mighty impressive from there. In fact, were he a bit luckier, he could’ve been right up there with Wehrlein, challenging for the title.

The definite season highlight for Muller was securing a double pole at Zandvoort and while the first of those was converted into a respectable second-place finish, Muller wasn’t so impressive when he tried to replicate or improve on that feat in race three. In rainy conditions, the start of the race was given under the Safety Car and, as green flag racing was just about to begin, Muller suddenly broke way too early on the start-finish straight, which resulted in a massive crash involving him and Marciello – an incident he was later penalised for with a five-place grid drop for the next event.

Still, the sought-after maiden win came at Hockenheim, where Muller lined up in fourth on the reverse grid for race two and ended up taking the win, passing Wolf for the lead with three laps to go.

After a very impressive rookie season, the future looks bright for the young German and it is rumoured that Prema will continue to provide him a seat in the series in 2013. Season rating: 8

7. Tom Blomqvist

United Kingdom, ma-con Motorsport, age 18

157.5 points, 2 podiums

Seventh might not have been the highest position in the standings that Blomqvist aspired to reach this year, but to see him top the “Sons of Former WRC Champions” category was quite surprising. A member of the McLaren F1 Driver Program, he was signed by the Volkswagen-supported outfit ma-con, but both he and the team were significantly hampered by not doing any pre-season testing.

Still, Blomqvist proceeded to have a steady, consistent season, in which he finished in all but one of the races. He might not have been particularly impressive in qualifying sessions (in fact, for the majority of the season, that was his biggest problem) but he was easily on it in the races and that meant he was consistently scoring points while others were involved in unnecessary collisions. At Red Bull Ring, he scored his first podium in the series (in a reverse grid race) and then added another to his tally in a feature race at Valencia.

Considering his decent debut season and his German F3 appearances in 2012 (which were limited, but consistently dominant), it’s no wonder he seems to have secured another year in the series, this time with the Italian outfit Eurointernational. Season rating: 7

8. Michael Lewis

United States, Prema Powerteam, age 21

127 points, 1 win, 5 podiums, 1 fastest lap

It’s rare to see a driver from the States trying his luck in the junior ladder that leads to F1, but it’s even rarer to see one who shows enough promise. Lewis is, perhaps, one of those rarities, as his second place in Italian F3 in 2011 clearly proved, but this year he didn’t deliver nearly as impressive of a performance when facing tougher competition.

He was, again, not particularly quick in qualifying sessions throughout all the season, but displayed an amount of impressive performances over the year. Among those was a long-awaited maiden win in the reverse grid race at Valencia and another four podium appearances. Still, unlike Blomqvist, the American could not make up for the lack of one-lap speed with consistency as he was involved in his share of collisions, some of which were undoubtedly his fault.

Still, for a first year in the Euro Series, it wasn’t a bad effort and certainly warrants a continuation of the campaign, should Prema or any other teams go for him in 2013. Season rating: 5

9. Carlos Sainz, Jr.

Spain, Carlin, age 18

112 points, 2 podiums, 2 pole positions, 1 fastest lap

As far as pre-season expectations combined with actual season results go, 2012 has pretty much been the textbook definition of “disappointing” for Carlos Sainz, Jr. It was hardly predictable, but the 2011 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC champion enjoyed massively uninspiring runs in both British F3 and, mainly, in this very championship.

He’s always had the pace, no doubt, as the Red Bull Junior Team driver is obviously no slowcoach and proved that by taking a double pole for the first round of the championship at Hockenheim. The two second-place finishes he would earn there would somehow remain his only podium finishes of the year as, from that point on, he’s been pretty much nowhere near. After a confident performance at Brands Hatch, Sainz’s campaign went completely downhill as he negated decent qualifying runs by frequently partaking in (and, often, causing) avoidable and unnecessary collisions. The absolute low point of his season was the third race at Nurburgring where his frankly ludicrous move ended what could be a major recovery drive from points leader Juncadella.

Despite the unimpressive season behind him, Sainz Jr remains a Red Bull-backed driver and has tested in all the post-season sessions of FR3.5 so far. He looked very competitive in those, yet, according to the latest rumours, he will be making a switch to GP3, which should be good enough to further hone his wheel-to-wheel skills at this stage of his career. Season rating: 5

10. Emil Bernstorff

United Kingdom, ma-con Motorsport, age 19

91 points, 1 podium

Runner-up to Wehrlein in the 2011 season of ADAC Formel Masters, the British youngster also made the leap to F3 Euro Series, but wasn’t nearly as successful. Yet, as part of a new team and still obviously a rookie at this level, he did well enough, rounding up the top ten of the regular points scorers in the standings.

The first three rounds only yielded 11 points for Bernstorff but at Norisring he scored his maiden podium finish which seemed to kick off a series of consistent midfield performances. Obviously, with all of the adapting out of the way, it would be really nice to see Bernstorff continue in the series next year, as he’s clearly talented enough to deserve another shot. Season rating: 6

11. Lucas Wolf

Germany, URD Rennsport, age 18

36 points, 1 podium

Another ADAC Formel Masters graduate (finishing eighth in both seasons that he contested), Wolf proved, perhaps, a touch too inexperienced for a championship of this level. He managed to score, surprisingly, in the first two races of the year, but what followed was a long streak without any points. There was improvement towards the end, including a very impressive reverse-grid podium at Hockenheim, but, in the points, he remained way too far off the top ten.

If URD Rennsport continue their campaign in the series in 2013, we could see Wolf have another stab at it, but, otherwise, I’d imagine he has to prove himself at a national Formula 3 level first. Season rating: 4

12. Sandro Zeller

Switzerland, Jo Zeller Racing, age 21

23 points

For somebody who spent multiple years racing around in various levels of F3 (including a title in the local F3 Austria series in 2011), 23 points over the course of an entire season is nothing too impressive. Then again, Sandro Zeller earned all of those in an older-spec car (running a Dallara F308 while everyone else, including his teammate, was contesting in an F312), so you can never be too sure. He did outscore his teammate, but it’s really hard to make any definite judgements about a season spent in such inferior machinery. Season rating: N/A

13. Andrea Roda

Italy, Jo Zeller Racing, age 22

15 points

Having spent three years in Formula Renault 2.0 Italy (with one podium finish throughout) and two years in Italian F3, Roda made the step up to the Euro Series in 2012 and was, rather expectedly, a consistent backmarker. His best finish of the season was an eighth place at Zandvoort and that was only due to a high retirement rate.

If he has the money, he could continue racing in the category in 2013, but this year’s performance wouldn’t exactly justify it. Still, he could very well be a late-maturing talent, since that’s something true of quite a lot of Italian single-seater racers. Season rating: 3

14. Luis Sa Silva

Angola, Angola Racing Team, age 22

14 points (7/8 rounds)

Throughout his quite lengthy junior single-seater career Sa Silva has managed a number of impressive results, including being runner-up to Matheo Tuscher in the 2011 season of Formula Pilota China. This season, however, he probably won’t be too proud of as, just like Roda, he was consistently at the back. Still, he did manage a very respectable seventh at Nurburgring, keeping some serious opposition at bay, and could’ve potentially outscored Roda if not for withdrawing from all three races at Brands Hatch. Season rating: 3

15. Philip Ellis

United Kingdom, GU-Racing, age 20

0 points (3/8 rounds)

Ellis impressed in 2011, winning the Formula Lista Junior title in his first year of car racing. However, his campaign in F3 so far proved rather unimpressive and, among all things, way too short, as he only got to contest three rounds in the year. The jump from Formula Lista Junior to F3 Euro Series does seem like a bit of a tall order so, for next year, I would hope to see him in a national F3 championship of sorts. Season rating: N/A

The post F3 Euro Series 2012 driver-by-driver season review appeared first on Formula Scout.