Prema Powerteam‘s Raffaele Marciello could win the FIA F3 European Championship at his home circuit of Vallelunga this weekend.
Born in Rome, the Italian travels down the road to the Autodromo Piero Taruffi as he aims to expand his 9.5 point lead over nearest rival Felix Rosenqvist and hopefully gain the title, results permitting.
Ferrari Driver Academy member Marciello already has an advantage over the Swede, having plenty of experience at the 4KM track. For Rosenqvist – and many other competitors on the grid – Friday’s six hour test session will give them their first taste of the Italian track playing host to the penultimate round of the 2013 season.
Although, Rosenqvist certainly came off the best at the last round in Zandvoort so while track experience may be lacking the Kfzteile24 Mucke Motorsport driver will certainly not let that stop him from taking the fight to the final round in Hockenheim.
Indeed Marciello’s Prema Powerteam team mates Alex Lynn and Lucas Auer are also involved in a fight of their own, the challenge of finishing third. Both men have held the position at some point over the season but it’s Lynn who currently has a slim advantage.
Another Prema Powerteam F3 racer, Eddie Cheever, said: “Vallelunga is a great racetrack, featuring several fast and challenging corners. The final corner is my favourite corner. I live in Rome and the circuit is located just half an hour away. So, it’s a true home event for me and I want to use this opportunity to work my way up in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship standings. I have to admit that I used to have bad luck at Vallelunga, in my career to date, but I hope that I will be able to make and end to this streak of bad luck, now.”
