The FIA Formula 3 European Championship has announced a calendar that will see the grid of young drivers take in eight countries stretched across the continent.
The 11 round calendar will see F3 mainly support DTM as it has done in previous years but stand out events will include trips to Russia and Spa, the latter supporting the World Touring Car Championship as well as a stand alone meeting at historic Italian circuit Imola.
However, the one addition to the schedule that will have F3 fans drooling is the return of an event that was arguably more famous if not just as famous as the Macau Grand Prix, the Grand Prix de Pau – returning after a year off the F3 circus.
The President of the FIA’s Single Seater Commission, Gerhard Berger, noted: “The calendar we have succeeded in putting together for 2014 will enable drivers to continue their apprenticeship of topflight racing at several leading Formula 1 circuits, as well as at two venues that have played an important part in the history of Formula 3.
“The FIA Formula 3 European Championship will form an integral part of the package at a number of top meetings, including seven rounds of the DTM and two rounds of FIA World Championships: the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). The FIA Formula 3 European Championship will also top the bill at the highly popular Grand Prix de Pau, which stars the notoriously challenging street circuit in southwest France. Other new venues visited by the series compared with 2013 are Spa-Francorchamps, the Hungaroring, Imola and the Moscow Raceway.”
“Our determination to reposition Formula 3 as a core feeder series to Formula 1 is poised to gather strength in 2014. The combined efforts of the FIA and the championship’s promoter ITR have attracted new engine suppliers and teams, and Formula 3 is gradually recovering the role it should never have lost in motorsport. Without losing sight of the need to contain costs, the arrival of new-generation engines and the introduction of new technical regulations will provide the necessary foundations for Formula 3 to grow sustainably and become an inescapable stepping stone for drivers who wish to go on to compete in Formula 1 and other professional championships.”
