It’s five down, and four to go for Euroformula Open as the series heads into its summer break for 2022. This year has been a tumultuous one for the championship, as it has continued to struggle to find drivers and teams willing to take on the domiant Motopark team. Here’s F1 Feeder Series’ recap of the season so far.

by Oorjit Mishra

Shrinking grid

Euroformula Open was once seen as a great way to gain experience in F3 cars before making the step up to the likes of European F3 and GP3, but the combination of shrinking Superlicense points, changes in car design, and the rise of FRECA has led to a slow spiral for the series. Since the pandemic, the series’ grid has seen a decline in both size and depth, with young drivers opting to compete in FRECA and FRAC, as a result of the streamlined FIA junior ladder. 2022 saw Carlin withdraw from the series, having run a two-car effort for Christian Mansell and Brad Benavides at the end of 2021. 

Van Amersfoort’s shock departure

The worst was yet to come, however, as Van Amersfoort Racing pulled out after the 4th round of the season at Spa. This was, perhaps, the shock of the season, as the Dutch outfit had a string of strong results with Cem Bolukbasi towards the end of 2021. In 2022, however, VAR struggled to live with the pace set by Motopark, with some suggesting that the team’s expansion in F2 and FIA F3 stretched their resources too thin.

The comeback kid

The man responsible for most of the utter Motopark dominance is Oliver Goethe, who has breathed new life into his career following a difficult year in FRECA. Goethe, who started his season in promising form after he and his dad took victory in the Dubai 24H, has eight wins this season, and leads the championship by 69 points.

The only real challenge to Goethe has been from Christian Mansell, who’s taken the CryptoTower colours to the top step of the podium three times this year. Goethe will no doubt have his sights set on FIA F3 for 2023, as the Danish-German driver will be looking to move one step closer to Formula One.

Header Photo Credit: Euroformula Open