The FIA F3 European Championship has a complete grid for the 2013 season, in its inaugural year under the FIA banner. The most promising 30 drivers that have got their spaces on the grid for this season have an average age of 19 between them all, with there being such a diverse international plethora of talent from across the globe. Fifteen different nationalities are being proudly represented by the drivers in the twelve teams competing this season, which also sees a high invasion of British drivers.
Formula 3, which is going under a new modern and dynamic direction, thanks to Single Seater Commission President and former Ferrari and McLaren F1 driver, Gerhard Berger, has the backing of FIA President Jean Todt, saying that it is a key strategy to rebuild a clear path from Karting to Formula One for the future: ” I am doubly pleased by the fact that in these difficult economic times, this new championship has managed to attract 30 drivers from a wide spread of countries.”
Both Michela Cerruti and Tatiana Calderon have the opportunity to make their mark this season, as they will be pushing hard to keep their male rivals on their toes, as well as drivers like William Buller, Raffaele Marcello, Felix Rosenqvist, Pascal Wehrlein and Felix Seralles clearly making it difficult to judge, as to just who will be favourite to win the title this season.
The young chargers that have joined the party in this high-octane series, including 16-year-old Sean Galeal and 17-year-old Andre Rudersdorf, will also be putting the hammer down in this exciting championship, that saw a lot of thrills and spills in 2012. There will also be Jann Mardenborough joining in the fun, who won the Nissan GT Academy prize, which paved his way into motorsport, as well as the Cardiff driver tasting his first experience in the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand in the winter period.
With the next test scheduled at Monza just days from the start of the first race weekend on the 22nd – 24th of March, it will be interesting to see just who has adapted to the Dallara chassis and respective engines from Volkswagen, Nissan and Merecedes-Benz, to ensure optimisation of the total package needed to compete at the front of the pack…
