European Formula 3 season guide

The Formula 3 Euro Series is dead after its 10-year run; the British Formula 3 International Series is emasculated after 34 years as one of motorsport's best talent generators. But here's the good news: the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, which was put into deep-freeze at the end of 1984 and revived last year, kicks off this weekend at Monza with a 30-car field brimming with quality.

Well, that's assuming the weather clears, because at the time of writing the F3 teams and drivers were kicking their heels at the Lombardy temple of speed, snow having caused the cancellation of the first of two days of testing. Luckily it looks like getting a bit warmer before the end of the week - not much warmer, mind you.

Based on last year's form, the natural picks for main title contenders are Raffaele Marciello and Felix Rosenqvist, with both likely looking nervously over their shoulders towards Alex Lynn and Will Buller. But it's going to be unpredictable, so let's have a look at all the runners and riders...

Prema Powerteam

#1. Raffaele Marciello (I)
Age: 18
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 2nd in European F3; 3rd in F3 Euro Series; 9th in Toyota Racing Series

#2. Alex Lynn (GB)
Age: 19
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2013 so far: 2nd in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 4th in British F3

#24. Lucas Auer (A)
Age: 18
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2013 so far: 3rd in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 2nd in German F3; 6th in Toyota Racing Series

#25. Eddie Cheever (I)
Age: 19
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 2nd in Italian F3

European titles in 2011 (with Roberto Merhi) and '12 (Daniel Juncadella) mean the storied Italian squad is top of the heap, and there's no reason to assume that's going to change this year.

Prema quickly got on top of the latest-generation Dallara last year and, while others caught up by the end of the season, it was Ferrari protege Marciello and British F3 convert Lynn - each in their second year of F3 - who burst out of the blocks to top the opening day of official testing at Barcelona earlier this month.

Auer and Cheever step up to this level, and the Austrian - his mum is Gerhard Berger's sister - looks easily capable of taking race wins before too long.

Carlin

#3. Harry Tincknell (GB)
Age: 21
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2012: 5th in British F3

#4. Jordan King (GB)
Age: 19
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2013 so far: 2nd in MRF Challenge
2012: 2nd in Formula Renault NEC; 13th in FRenault Eurocup; 5th in Toyota Racing Series

#26. Nicholas Latifi (CDN)
Age: 17
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2013 so far: 9th in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 7th in Italian F3

#27. Jann Mardenborough (GB)
Age: 21
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2013 so far: 10th in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 6th in British GT

The Hampshire team's bid in European F3 last year was very much a last-minute effort, and as a result it's fair to say that it's taken time to get on top of the Hankook tyres.

For all its success in British F3 last year - 20 wins in 28 races - Carlin knew it had to step up a level on aero and mechanical work, and Antonio Felix da Costa proved in Macau that some great progress had been made. Carlin's line-up is all-rookie at this level apart from Tincknell, who needs confidence rebuilding in qualifying.

For that reason few are expecting a consistent title push for the team, although there have been some great testing performances and all four drivers have the potential to spring a few surprises this year. Both Tincknell and King could win races, and don't rule out Latifi or Nissan GT Academy sensation Mardenborough for podiums.

Mucke Motorsport

#5. Pascal Wehrlein (D)
Age: 18
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 2nd in F3 Euro Series; 4th in European F3

#6. Felix Rosenqvist (S)
Age: 21
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 3rd in European F3; 4th in F3 Euro Series

#28. Mitchell Gilbert (AUS)
Age: 18
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 4th in German F3

#29. Roy Nissany (IL)
Age: 18
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 9th in ADAC Formel Masters

The Berliners' dour mainly-white livery has gone in favour of a lurid orange, and there's every reason to expect a lot of success this year.

Mucke got left behind a little with the new-generation car at the start of last season, but Rosenqvist - who enters his third year in Euro F3 - was the form man at the end of it, and both the Swede and Wehrlein were superb in Macau. This is a crucial season for Rosenqvist, while Wehrlein is only in for Monza at present before he moves onto the bigger stage of the DTM, freeing up a very desirable F3 seat. Gilbert did a respectable job on his top-level F3 debut in Macau, but this is a learning year for both him and Nissany.

Ma-con Motorsport

#7. Sven Muller (D)
Age: 21
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2012: 6th in F3 Euro Series; 8th in European F3

#8. Andre Rudersdorf (D)
Age: 17
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2012: 1st in Austrian F3; 1st in German F3 Trophy class

Like Carlin, this German team had a last-minute Euro F3 programme thrown together last year, with a lot of help from Volkswagen. With hardly any testing pre-season, Ma-con took time to hit its stride, although there were flashes of promise from its Anglo-Scandinavian duo of Blomqvist and Bernstorff.

For this year, Muller returns to the fold - he won races in ADAC Formel Masters with Ma-con before moving to Prema for his rookie F3 season last year. He looked pretty handy in Barcelona testing, and will surely lead the team. Rudersdorf has had success in old-spec F3 cars but it's a big step up for him.

URD Rennsport

#9. Lucas Wolf (D)
Age: 18
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 11th in European F3; 11th in F3 Euro Series

URD is still best-known to 1980s Group C2 fetishists, which is surprising bearing in mind that team principal Harald Ungar is the brother of AMG Mercedes chief Gerhard. It's had success in German F3, but the transition to the category's top level is proving a little more difficult. Unfortunately its driver (pictured in action last year) is operating again as a 'lone Wolf'. He's a competent pedaller, but has his work cut out without a team-mate to learn from.

Jo Zeller Racing

#10. Sandro Zeller (CH)
Age: 21
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 2nd in Austrian F3; 12th in F3 Euro Series; no points in European F3

The Swiss Zeller family has spent most of its past four decades with the air-restricted drone of an F3 engine as a soundtrack. Jo was an indefatigable racer who claimed squillions of Swiss and Austrian titles, and son Sandro seems to have inherited the desire.

Last year (as pictured) he operated with an older-spec chassis and results weren't great. Whether they will improve with a new car is a moot point; there's little to suggest that the current-generation machine is any quicker than the old.

Fortec Motorsport

#11. Felix Serralles (USA)
Age: 20
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2013 so far: 6th in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 3rd in British F3; 8th in Toyota Racing Series

#12. Pipo Derani (BR)
Age: 19
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2013 so far: 7th in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 8th in British F3

#30. Josh Hill (GB)
Age: 22
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 3rd in Formula Renault NEC; 4th in Toyota Racing Series

#31. Dmitry Suranovich (RUS)
Age: 17
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: no points in GP3; 12th in Toyota Racing Series

It's been a frustrating winter for Fortec, which put Serralles and Derani to bed well in time but had to wait ages to grab Hill and Suranovich.

Led by senior engineer Mick Kouros, the team has ploughed a lone furrow over the past two or three years, keeping its powder dry in testing and concentrating on set-up work and teaching the drivers. That worked a treat in 2012, and arguably had either Lynn or Serralles been in their second year of F3 we could have been feting one of them as British champ.

Don't rule Serralles out for Monza pole this weekend - he flew there in British F3 last year - and bear in mind that Fortec has also kept more private test days in hand than some others.

T-Sport

#14. Will Buller (GB)
Age: 20
Car: Dallara-Nissan
2012: 5th in F3 Euro Series; 6th in European F3; 15th in GP3

#15. Spike Goddard (AUS)
Age: 20
Car: Dallara-Nissan
2013 so far: 17th in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 1st in British F3 National Class

Brackley's second-biggest racing team has struggled over its decade of existence, thanks mainly to usually having rookie drivers with little previous track record.

This time around it has secured Buller, already a race winner at this level, and combined with the potent ThreeBond Nissan engine there is every reason for the German manufacturers to be quaking in their boots - and potentially regretting stalling on the new engine regulations. Goddard didn't have too much in the way of opposition in the National Class of British F3 last year but at least he now has a team-mate to learn from.

Double R Racing

#16. Tatiana Calderon (CO)
Age: 20
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2013 so far: 12th in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 9th in European F3 Open

#17. Antonio Giovinazzi (I)
Age: 19
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 1st in Formula Pilota China

#32. Sean Gelael (RI)
Age: 16
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 4th in Formula Pilota China

Another 'old-school' F3 team in the same vein as T-Sport, Double R - Woking's second-biggest racing team - has fallen down the pecking order of fashionableness in recent years.

That could be about to change...early reports suggest that Giovinazzi is the real deal, although he is the veteran of just eight car-race meetings, all in Formula Abarth machinery. He has effectively been taken under the wing of Gelael's family, and the 16-year-old - the youngest driver in the series - should not be too far away either. Calderon steps into a far tougher arena than she's used to but has looked respectable in testing.

Van Amersfoort Racing

#18. Dennis van de Laar (NL)
Age: 19
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2012: 9th in German F3

#19. Mans Grenhagen (S)
Age: 20
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2012: 3rd in European F3 Open

The Dutch squad returns to the top flight of F3, and had hoped to graduate with Auer, who the team carried to the runner-up spot in German F3 last year. Then the Austrian got tucked under the wing of Mercedes, leaving Frits van Amersfoort's team needing someone to partner van de Laar.

That is Grenhagen, whose career has been generally underfunded but who some people rate highly. Certainly his results were good in F3 Open last year. Van de Laar didn't set the world alight in German F3 and was accident-prone in Macau, but seems to have improved in testing.

EuroInternational

#20. Tom Blomqvist (GB)
Age: 19
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 7th in F3 Euro Series; 7th in European F3; 5th in German F3

This Italian team is hoping to add a second car from round two at Silverstone, but for now it's making do with just the one for Blomqvist. Like Van Amersfoort, the team only returned to the top echelon of F3 at the end of 2012. Not only that, but it has changed engine supplier from VW to Merc since then.

Still, Blomqvist - for whom team boss Antonio Ferrari has enormous regard - has gone well in testing and it would be a surprise if he wasn't towards the front, especially as with Red Bull patronage for the first time he no longer has budget worries.

Romeo Ferraris

#22. Gary Thompson (IRL)
Age: 20
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 4th in Japanese F3 National Class

#23. Michela Cerruti (I)
Age: 26
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 15th in German F3; 16th in Toyota Racing Series; 7th in Italian GT

Romeo Ferraris may sound like a made-up name from one of those lower-level series on the career mode of the TOCA Race Driver PlayStation game, but it's pretty fabled in Italian tin-top circles.

Cerruti, who won in the Superstars series with the team in a Mercedes, was the team's first driver to be signed up for 2013, but it's been a struggle to get a second pilot in. Irishman Thompson was named on the entry list at the last minute. Don't expect miracles, but with an engineering staff that includes ex-RC Motorsport chief Francesco Ravera - whose team had a lot of success in the 1990s - progress should be made.