The Formula 3 Euroseries championship might suffer unduly from the arrival of the new GP3 series next year.
From the moment it was launched in 2002 with the merger of the French and German F3 series (in order to rival the British championship), the Formula 3 Euroseries quickly became the benchmark of feeder series leading to F1.
Virtually all young drivers who have made it into Formula 1 in the last five years cut their teeth in this extremely competitive series run in conjunction with the prestigious DTM races.
Several automakers have also officially participated in the series: Opel and Toyota in the past, and more notably Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen today.
And yet, the golden years of the Formula 3 Euroseries, which commands fairly steep investments, might be at an end with the arrival of the new GP3 series, officially presented Tuesday at the Paul-Ricard HTTT circuit.
With the goal of finalizing a true network of feeder series running up the ladder to the pinnacle of auto racing (Formula BMW, GP3, GP2 and F1), GP3 has quickly generated a lot of interest, to the detriment of the Formula 3 Euroseries.
The most prestigious teams of the feeder series will take the plunge next year. Manor and Carlin have left the F3 Euroseries for GP3 in 2010, while ART, also running GP3, will reduce its participation in F3.
The GP3 races will also be presented as support events during the F1 Grand Prix weekends, making it easier for young drivers to make contact with F1 managers.
Lastly, several well-known motor sport stars are championing the new series: Mark Webber, who will be running his own team (HW Arden, alongside his boss at Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner ) and who has driven the first official laps at Le Castellet, and Gary Anderson, the former F1 engineer (for Jordan, among others) who will be joining the Irish team Status.
The Formula 3 Euroseries has just crowned the talented Jules Bianchi, but its starting grid keeps getting smaller – will it survive the challenge?
photo:F3 Euroseries
From the moment it was launched in 2002 with the merger of the French and German F3 series (in order to rival the British championship), the Formula 3 Euroseries quickly became the benchmark of feeder series leading to F1.
Virtually all young drivers who have made it into Formula 1 in the last five years cut their teeth in this extremely competitive series run in conjunction with the prestigious DTM races.
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Several automakers have also officially participated in the series: Opel and Toyota in the past, and more notably Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen today.
And yet, the golden years of the Formula 3 Euroseries, which commands fairly steep investments, might be at an end with the arrival of the new GP3 series, officially presented Tuesday at the Paul-Ricard HTTT circuit.
With the goal of finalizing a true network of feeder series running up the ladder to the pinnacle of auto racing (Formula BMW, GP3, GP2 and F1), GP3 has quickly generated a lot of interest, to the detriment of the Formula 3 Euroseries.
The most prestigious teams of the feeder series will take the plunge next year. Manor and Carlin have left the F3 Euroseries for GP3 in 2010, while ART, also running GP3, will reduce its participation in F3.
The GP3 races will also be presented as support events during the F1 Grand Prix weekends, making it easier for young drivers to make contact with F1 managers.
Lastly, several well-known motor sport stars are championing the new series: Mark Webber, who will be running his own team (HW Arden, alongside his boss at Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner ) and who has driven the first official laps at Le Castellet, and Gary Anderson, the former F1 engineer (for Jordan, among others) who will be joining the Irish team Status.
The Formula 3 Euroseries has just crowned the talented Jules Bianchi, but its starting grid keeps getting smaller – will it survive the challenge?
photo:F3 Euroseries