The Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup will not continue into 2019, with series officials laying the blame on the championships demise on the ‘ill-conceived’ junior formulae plans by the FIA.
The past two seasons has seen a dramatic decline in entries in the category, with its final season only having four full-time racers, and despite plans to continue in 2019 as the rebranded FormulaNEC with the Taatus-built 2.0-litre car, it has now been decided the championship will cease to be.
The series began in 2005 following the uniting of the German and Dutch Formula Renault national series and across the years has seen a number of future Formula 1 and world motor sport stars grace its grid, including the likes of current Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport driver Valtteri Bottas and 2019 McLaren F1 Team debutant Lando Norris as well as his new team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. and Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda driver Daniil Kvyat.
Former FIA Formula E champion Sébastien Buemi is another alumnus of the series, as is the race winner of race one of the 2018-19 season Antonio Felix da Costa.
German racer Doureid Ghattas will go down in the history books as the final champion of the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, doing so by taking five of the ten victories for Anders Motorsport.
“We are very sorry to have to stop the series at this point,” said series organiser and promoter, Mick de Haas. “The ill-conceived FIA plans for the future of Formula racing has meant that over the past three years we have seen a serious decline in the young drivers market.
“The costs are far too high for individual drivers and the market place is too fragmented. There is now no more room for a very effective and competitive single seater concept like formula Renault 2.0. Yet it has helped many young drivers over the past two decades to the top.
“I would like to thank Renault and their suppliers, the teams that have competed in the NEC, the circuits and all the people that have worked with and for the NEC over the past 13 years.”
