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ART Grand Prix
#1 Jules Bianchi (F)
Age: 19
Euro Series starts: 20
Euro Series wins: 2
2008 season: 3rd in F3 Euro Series; won F3 Masters
Bianchi had an impressive debut season in the category last year, winning two races (plus the famous Masters event) and finishing third in the standings. Staying with top team ART means he follows in the footsteps of Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg as the firm pre-season title favourite. Rumour has it there's a GP2 deal on the table if he wins the title, so 2009 will test his ability to perform under the weight of expectation.
#2 Valtteri Bottas (FIN)
Age: 19
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: Formula Renault Eurocup champion; Formula Renault North European Cup champion
Bottas comes into 2009 as one of several likely candidates for rookie of the year honours following his two Formula Renault titles last season. The fact that he beat runaway British F3 championship leader Daniel Ricciardo to the Eurocup crown is a good sign, and he has been close to the pace in testing so far. The key for the Finn, and every Euro Series rookie, will be achieving consistent front running pace in such an intensely competitive championship.
#23 Esteban Gutierrez (MEX)
Age: 17
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: Formula BMW Europe champion
Gutierrez burst onto the scene last year, making a name for himself with six consecutive victories early in the FBMW Europe season before taking a seventh en route to the title. He may only be 17, but he already has experience of more powerful machinery following one-off appearances in German F3 and International Formula Master during 2008. The Mexican will likely be a contender for at least the odd victory in his debut F3 season.
#24 Adrien Tambay (F)
Age: 18
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: 3rd in Formula BMW Europe
The son of former grand prix driver Patrick doesn't come to Formula 3 with the same title-winning pedigree as his ART team-mates, but third place in the super competitive entry-level Formula BMW Europe last year was a strong progression in only his second season of car racing. He hasn't matched his team-mates yet, but ART could be in with a shout of wins for all four of its drivers this year if Tambay progresses quickly.
Mucke Motorsport
#8 Sam Bird (GB)
Age: 22
Euro Series starts: 20
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: 11th in F3 Euro Series
Bird's 11th place in last year's standings makes his debut Euro Series season look a lot worse than it was. He struggled for regular pace but was a genuine podium contender and was even in with a shout of victory in the blue riband Macau Grand Prix last year. Beginning his third year of F3, he really needs his switch to Mucke to pay off and mount a serious championship challenge.
#26 Alex Sims (GB)
Age: 19
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: Formula Renault UK runner-up
Sims graduates to Formula 3 on the back of claiming the prestigious McLaren Autosport BRDC Award at the end of last season. That followed second place in Formula Renault in Britain, where he was regarded as a better driver than he was often able to show. Armed with the knowledge of expert team Mucke and working with a couple of team-mates experienced in F3, he should have every opportunity to join the likes of Bottas and Gutierrez in the contest for standout rookie season.
#7 Christian Vietoris (D)
Age: 20
Euro Series starts: 20
Euro Series wins: 1
2008 season: 6th in F3 Euro Series
The momentum of Vietoris's career seems to have stuttered slightly as he attempted to follow countryman Nico Hulkenberg's path of success through Formula BMW, A1GP and F3, but he would have been in the hunt for the runner-up spot to Hulkenberg last year were it not for a spate of mid-season retirements. Question marks remain over whether he possesses the same utterly dominant pace as the likes of Hulkenberg, but he will get no better opportunity to answer them than a second season with Mucke.
#14 Marco Wittman (D)
Age: 19
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: Formula BMW Europe runner-up
Wittman produced an unspectacular yet hugely impressive season in Formula BMW Europe in 2008. He may have won only once, but he finished every one of the 16 races in the top six to earn the runner-up spot behind Gutierrez. At first glance he doesn't appear to be as strong a prospect as some of his fellow rookies, but the consistency he found last year could be the key to a successful first season of F3.
Signature
#3 Mika Maki (FIN)
Age: 21
Euro Series starts: 20
Euro Series wins: 2
2008 season: 4th in F3 Euro Series
Maki charged into the limelight at the beginning of 2008 with two wins in the first two rounds. He lost his way a little after that, then a huge road accident mid-season all but ended his hopes of staying in touch with Hulkenberg - he didn't miss any races but wasn't the same driver during the summer. Back with a fresh start this year, he could be the one most likely to take the challenge to Bianchi and ART.
#4 Jean-Karl Vernay (F)
Age: 22
Euro Series starts: 40
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: 8th in F3 Euro Series
Red Bull's patience with Vernay ran out after two winless seasons in the Euro Series and he's no longer on the energy drinks firm's junior scheme, but the Frenchman has retained his place at Signature for a third season. History shows that he'll be a regular in the top 10, but he's shown no signs yet of troubling those at the sharp end.
#25 Tiago Geronimi (BR)
Age: 20
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: 5th in Formula BMW Europe
Something seemed to click half way through last season for Geronimi and he transformed from a midfielder to a front runner during one weekend at the Hungaroring. Eight straight races in the top six, three of them wins, followed and rocketed him up the standings as he added 178 points to the nine he'd scored in the first half. The big question is whether that improved form will carry over into F3. If it does, Signature could be onto a winner.
Manor Motorsport
#28 Roberto Merhi (E)
Age: 18
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: Formula Renault West European Cup runner-up; 4th in Formula Renault Eurocup
Merhi coupled a strong dual Formula Renault campaign with a handful of F3 outings last season and made something of an impression on the Euro Series team bosses in outings for British team Hitech Racing at the Masters and Macau. A tug of war for his services followed, which Manor eventually won. Running three rookies this year, the team will need Merhi to be able to repeat his blistering pace on a regular basis if it is to play a part at the front of the grid.
#9 Cesar Ramos (BR)
Age: 19
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: 6th in Italian Formula Renault, 7th in Formula Renault Eurocup
Ramos posted a couple of solid but unspectacular seasons in Formula Renault in each of the last two years. He has shown flashes of an impressive pace sporadically in both races and testing so far in his career, but has picked a tough challenge to attempt to better that record with a rookie season in the Euro Series. That said, the team has been genuinely impressed with his testing pace holds high hopes that the Brazilian will be up there by the end of the year.
#10 Pedro Henrique (BR)
Age: 20
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: F3 Sudamerica runner-up
There shouldn't be a lot that Henrique doesn't know about Formula 3 cars after three years of racing in the South American championship. But adjusting to the tyres, tracks and level of competition in the Euro Series is no small task. A handful of Formula Renault races in Europe during 2007 won't have done a lot to raise Henrique's confidence this side of the Atlantic and 2009 will most likely be a year of learning.
SG Formula
#30 Andrea Caldarelli (I)
Age: 19
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: 3rd in Formula Renault Eurocup; 3rd in Formula Renault West European Cup
Caldarelli was the fourth of the front runners in Formula Renault last season - along with Bottas, Merhi and Ricciardo - and has arrived in F3 with less fuss than the other trio, although he did earn an F1 test outing for Toyota in Bahrain in December. He finished on the podium 10 times in 14 races in the Eurocup last year, which is no small achievement. But he failed to win one, so he is another still yet to unleash a pace to put his rivals in the shade.
#11 Henkie Waldschmidt (NL)
Age: 20
Euro Series starts: 19
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: F3 Euro Series
Waldschmidt was one of few drivers not to score during last year's Euro Series, so the former Formula Renault race winner will need to take a giant leap forward in his second year with SG if he is to pop up at the sharp end. He doesn't seem to have quite clicked with F3 yet, but there's plenty of opportunity for improvement in both his and the team's second year in the category. Like his new team-mate Caldarelli, Waldschmidt drove Toyota's F1 car in Bahrain during the winter.
#12 Alex Marsoin (F)
Age: 20
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: 19th in Formula Renault 3.5
Marsoin had planned a second season in Formula Renault 3.5 this year, but his deal with Comtec Racing was disrupted by his budget problems from the beginning of the pre-season and he now finds refuge in place of Jon Lancaster at SG in F3. Lancaster is hoping to find a drive elsewhere, so Marsoin could well have an SG car for the whole season.
Prema Powerteam
#6 Stefano Coletti (I)
Age: 20
Euro Series starts: 18
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: 20th in F3 Euro Series
Coletti began his debut season in Formula 3 with Signature last year but was dropped by backer Red Bull after just two rounds. He returned with Prema when Charlie Kimball ran out of money and was a regular front runner by the end of the year. The Monegasque did enough to encourage Prema to keep him on for 2009 and he looks a likely candidate to continue the Italian team's reverse grid race-winning form of last year.
#27 Matteo Chinosi (I)
Age: 20
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: 5th in German F3
Chinosi is another newcomer to the Euro Series well versed in the traits of a Formula 3 car, having spent the last two seasons in the German championship with Ombra Racing. It's difficult to gauge a driver's true ability from a German F3 campaign, and Chinosi's British F3 pole position at Monza last year owed more to fortune than brilliance, but he has shown flashes of ability and was solid enough in Italian Formula Renault a couple of years ago. A full year with Prema will give him the opportunity to prove himself.
#5 Basil Shaaban (LEB)
Age: 29
Euro Series starts: 40
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: F3 Euro Series
It's rare to see a 29-year-old Formula 3 driver and, although Shaaban was a late starter, he hasn't threatened the top 10 in two years in the Euro Series so far. A move from HBR to the more fancied Prema team will increase his chances of crawling further up the grid, but it's fair to say that expectations will be conservative heading into his fifth season of single-seater racing.
Carlin Motorsport
#15 Brendon Hartley (NZ)
Age: 19
Euro Series starts: 8
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: 3rd in British F3, 3rd in Macau Grand Prix
Hartley has plenty of F3 pedigree having won five races in the British championship last year and shone at the Masters and Macau events, but his success this year is likely to come down to whether he and Carlin Motorsport can get their heads around the difference between the British and European championships. The New Zealander seems to have a bright future whatever having recently been named Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso's reserve F1 driver, but he is desperate to add an F3 title to his Formula Renault crown after letting the opportunity slip away last season.
#16 Jake Rosenzweig (USA)
Age: 20
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: 8th in Formula Renault West European Cup; 28th in Formula Renault Eurocup
Rosenzweig was something of a surprise choice to fill Carlin's second seat in a year when the team desperately needs success in Europe. Despite a fairly forgettable year racing Formula Renault in Europe in 2008, the American impressed the team in what was only intended as a one-off test. He hasn't been a match for Hartley so far in testing though.
Motopark Academy
#19 Atte Mustonen (FIN)
Age: 20
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: 6th in British F3
Mustonen has plumped for Europe following a disappointing season in Britain last year where he failed to live up to pre-season expectations as a title favourite. Considering it will be his third year in the category - and he was a race winner in his first - the Finn doesn't have the luxury of time to get up to speed with the quirks of the Euro Series or bringing new team Motopark slowly to the fore. His testing pace was impressive though, so he'll be looking to start strongly at Hockenheim.
#20 Christopher Zanella (SUI)
Age: 19
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: Swiss Formula Renault champion
Zanella will be something of an unknown to those who aren't avid followers of the Swiss Formula Renault championship. He narrowly clinched the title with four wins from the 12 races and turned to Motopark's new venture for his graduation to F3. Expectations won't be too high for a debut season in a field of this class, but his early testing pace was surprisingly promising.
Kolles & Heinz Union
#22 Carlo van Dam (NL)
Age: 23
Euro Series starts: 2
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: Japanese F3 champion
Van Dam is seasoned Formula 3 campaigner and has tasted plenty of success, winning the German and Japanese titles in the last two seasons. He was quickest for most of last year's Macau Grand Prix, but lost any chance of victory when he crashed in the qualifying race. He has ventured into the Euro Series in the past, driving for RC Motorsport at Hockenheim in 2007, but will be looking to drum up some backing by continuing his front running form in the world's leading F3 series. Whether that goal is achievable with the brand new Kolles & Heinz Union outfit remains to be seen.
#21 Robert Wickens (CAN)
Age: 20
Euro Series starts: 14
Euro Series wins: 1
2008 season: 12th in Formula Renault 3.5; 15th in F3 Euro Series
Like Hartley, Wickens is one of Red Bull's favoured junior drivers and he is often farmed out to several series in a season. He combined F3 and World Series duties last year and is pencilled in for both F2 and F3 outings this year. He's already a winner in the Euro Series thanks to the shortened reverse grid race at Le Mans last year, but with six clashes between F2 and F3, it is unclear how often he'll appear in an F3 car. Jens Klingmann tested the second Kolles car throughout the pre-season and is a candidate to fill the seat when Wickens is unavailable.
HBR Motorsport
#17 Kevin Mirocha (D)
Age: 17
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: 6th in German F3
Sixth place in the German F3 championship seemed like a poor return for Mirocha, following an impressive debut car racing season in Formula BMW in 2007. He does at least have experience of an F3 car and several of the Euro Series circuits, but progress into the top 10 by the end of the season will be a good return for the teenager.
#18 Johnny Cecotto Jr (VEN)
Age: 19
Euro Series starts: 0
Euro Series wins: 0
2008 season: 3rd in German F3
The son of multiple touring car champion Johnny Cecotto has dabbled in Formula 3 since 2006 and last year completed a full season in Germany with two wins taking him to third in the standings. Previous campaigns in International Formula Master, Italian F3000 and Euroseries 3000 have given him plenty of single-seater experience, but how his form shapes up in a championship as tough as the F3 Euro Series is unclear.
