Euro F3 runner-up wary of Max Verstappen karting-to-F3 leap

Blomqvist, who spent two years in Formula Renault and one in German F3 before moving into European F3, said he was impressed with the job rookies Verstappen (who was third in the 2014 championship) and champion Esteban Ocon did last year.

"To be fair to those two, it's been a while since anyone stepped into F3 and did as well as they did last year so young," he said.

"Obviously there was a lot of media hype, and it was me and those two who were the most competitive throughout the year, and it really has done the championship some good."

Italian karter Alessio Lorandi has already been announced with Verstappen's old team Van Amersfoort Racing for 2015, while Briton Callum Ilott is taking a berth with Blomqvist's old squad Carlin.

"One thing Verstappen has done is bring karters in who think they can do the same as he did," said Blomqvist.

"I don't know if that's good or bad or what, but I still think F3 should not be the first step after karting.

"You can't take that away from what Max did, and it'll be interesting to see what these other guys can do."

Blomqvist also said that Verstappen's graduation to Formula 1 with Toro Rosso, plus his own and fourth-placed Lucas Auer's DTM deals, are great news for F3.

"Last year interest in the championship went through the roof," he said, "and this year it already looks really strong.

"It's great - it's a shame Ocon hasn't got anything sorted yet, but three of the top four from last year have gone on to be professional drivers in 2015 and it's very good for the championship."