2023 will see the launch of a new championship, Eurocup-3. Set in between the FIA Formula 3 and Formula 4 championships, the series aims to be more affordable than its competitors such as the Euroformula Open, GB3 Championship, and Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA). The inaugural season will gather 13 drivers and take place across the best tracks Europe has to offer.

By Grégoire Devaux

Eurocup-3’s inaugural season is finally about to get started, and the least we can say is that the organisers have a lot of assets to grow the championship. Five teams have decided to join the inaugural season, with powerhouses like MP Motorsport and Campos being joined by Spanish F4 outfits Drivex and GRS, while Palou Motorsport, founded by IndyCar driver Alex Palou and managed by his father Ramon, will start their operation in the brand-new championship.

One of the main assets of the championship is cost control, as a full alignment in budget between the teams and a strict limit on testing has been agreed upon, as well as a calendar optimization alongside the Spanish F4 Championship in order to reduce logistical and transport costs.

Eurocup-3 will use a brand-new car based on the Tatuus F3-T318 with an Alfa Romeo engine that makes 270 horsepower, with an extra 25 horsepower boost allocated for the push-to-pass system aimed at easing overtaking on track. The car’s aerokit resembles that used in F1 since 2022, therefore differentiating it significantly from its competitors.

Calendar

The organisers managed to set a top-of-the-line calendar, making it one of the main assets of the championship. Drivers will have the opportunity to drive on iconic tracks such as Spa-Francorchamps; Monza; Zandvoort; and Barcelona, which will host the season finale.

• Round 1: Spa Francorchamps (5–7 May)

• Round 2: Motorland Aragón (27–28 May)

• Round 3: Autodromo Nazionale Monza (10–11 June)

• Round 4: Circuit Zandvoort (15–16 July)

• Round 5: Circuito de Jerez (23–24 September)

• Round 6: Circuito do Estoril (30 September–1 October)

• Round 7: Circuit Ricardo Tormo (14–15 October)

• Round 8: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (11–12 November) 

Weekend format

Eurocup-3’s weekend format will follow the new format set in the Spanish F4 Championship. Two free practice sessions of 40 minutes each will take place on Saturday before a first qualifying session of 15 minutes to determine the grid for Race 1. On Sunday, both races will have a duration of 30 minutes + 1 lap, with the second race’s grid being set by a second qualifying session of 15 minutes that will take place on Sunday after the first race.

Eurocup-3 will use the standard FIA points system, with the top 10 finishers of each race scoring 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 point, respectively, and one extra point given to the fastest lap holder no matter their final classification. In addition, the driver who sets the fastest time in the final classification across both qualifying sessions will be awarded two extra points.

Teams and drivers

MP Motorsport

Though Eurocup-3 organisers were set to allocate a maximum of four drivers per team for the inaugural season, Dutch outfit MP Motorsport has entered five drivers with the aim of fighting at the front from the start of the championship.

After an impressive Spanish F4 season in 2021 in which he finished 2nd, Sebastian Øgaard (#25) showed some sparkles in the Euroformula Open last season, when he managed to get a win with Van Amersfoort Racing and finished eighth in the drivers’ standings. The 19-year-old Danish driver will try to use his experience to be one of the contenders for the title.

Fellow Danish driver Sebastian Gravlund (#35) sticks with MP Motorsport for the 2023 season after a difficult season with the Dutch side in Spanish F4, in which he only managed to score one point throughout the season.

After an interesting rookie season with Drivex in Spanish F4, 16-year-old Bruno Del Pino (#6) steps up to the Eurocup-3 and will complete MP’s lineup with José Garfias (#99). The Mexican driver was sidelined throughout all of 2022 and will try to reboot his career. His last experience in driving was in the 2021 GB3 Championship, in which he finished 17th.

It was announced Wednesday that Mari Boya (#24) would take part in Eurocup-3 alongside his FIA Formula 3 campaign. Boya competed in FRECA last season, finishing 10th. The Dutch outfit has already announced that the Aranese racer would miss the second round at Motorland Aragón because of a clash with F3’s Monaco round scheduled for the same weekend.

Campos

As at MP Motorsport, Campos Racing filled all four spots available for the inaugural Eurocup-3 season.

A race winner with MP Motorsport in Spanish F4 last season, Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak (#14) switches to Campos for 2023 and earns a move to Eurocup-3, in which he will hope to follow on the progression he made in the last few years. Earlier this year, the Thai driver earned one podium in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship.

His new teammate Francesco Braschi (#28) also took part in that series, scoring six points across six races with R-ace GP. Last season, the Italian driver competed in the FRECA with KIC Motorsport and in the Formula Regional Asian Championship.

He will be joined by 2021 French F4 champion Esteban Masson (#9), who comes out of a difficult season in the FRECA in which he managed to earn only one point, finishing 24th in the drivers’ standings.

Campos’ lineup will be completed by Suleiman Zanfari (#52), who makes the step up after three seasons in Spanish F4. In 2022, the Moroccan driver finished seventh, gaining one podium throughout the season with MP Motorsport.

Drivex

After making his European racing debut last season in the GB3 Championship, in which he managed to get his maiden win in single-seaters, Canadian driver Nick Gilkes (#64) switches to Eurocup-3 for the 2023 season. 

He will drive alongside William Karlsson (#44), who steps up after a season in Italian F4 with BVM Racing, in which he managed to score one point. 

Pierre-Louis Chovet (#54) brings to the team experience gained in French F4, Euroformula Open, FRECA, Formula Regional Asia and even FIA Formula 3. Though he is not likely to contest the full season, the 21-year-old French driver, the 2021 Asian F3 runner-up, will also coach Gilkes and Karlsson and serve as a reference driver.

Palou Motorsport

Founded in 2021 by Alex Palou and managed by his father, Ramon, Eurocup-3 will be the first series in which Palou Motorsport will compete. The Spanish outfit decided to field two drivers, those being Miron Pingasov (#55) and Javier Sagrera (#3). After two seasons with MP Motorsport in Spanish F4, Pingasov makes the step up and is the first-ever driver announced by the brand-new team.

Sagrera switches to Eurocup-3 after two seasons in the GB3 Championship. After topping the standings of the Eurocup-3’s official test days, which took place last week at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Sagrera could be a driver to look out for this season.

After a mixed rookie season in GB3 last season, Cian Shields (#73) will complete Palou’s line-up. The British driver took a reverse-grid win and gained two further podiums last season with Hitech.

GRS

GRS will only field one car for the inaugural season of Eurocup-3, with Chinese driver Han Cenyu (#18) set to switch to the brand-new series after having taken part in selected rounds of FRECA last season.

Where to watch

For the 2023 season, all races will be broadcast live on the official Eurocup-3 YouTube channel.

Header photo credit: Eurocup-3