Hankook to sponsor best junior class in 2014
Raffaele Marciello is the new FIA Formula 3 European Champion. The Italian won one of the three last races of the season in Hockenheim to win the European Championship for the first time in the best European junior class. The Swede Felix Rosenqvist, who won two races in Hockenheim and who kept the championship exciting right to the end, came in second overall. But Raffaele Marciello had an almost flawless season and made fewer mistakes than his competitors. The 18-year old Prema Powerteam driver won almost half of all the races with his 13 victories and - with the help of the racing tyres by premium manufacturer Hankook - was the dominating driver this season. British driver Alex Lynn was third in the overall ranking, the best German pilot was Sven Müller in ninth place.
Hockenheim/Germany, October 20th, 2013 - After his third place in 2012, the only objective for Raffaele Marciello this year was to win the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. If we hadn't won the championship this year it would have been very disappointing indeed", said the Fomula 3 driver. The fight for the title remained exciting right to the end, however. Halfway through the season it looked as if Marciello was going to win the championship easily, but the Swedish Felix Rosenqvist edged ever closer to the top but in the end could not prevent the Italian from triumphing in the end.
For Raffaele Marciello a key factor for this success was the racing tyres provided by Hankook who is sponsoring the FIA Formula 3 European Championship for the second year. "The Hankook racing tyres always gave me incredible grip and they were unbelievably consistent. You could keep pushing for many laps both in the races and during qualifying - this suited my style very well", is how the new FIA Formula 3 European Champion expressed his praise for the tyres by the premium manufacturer.
For series manager Christoph Hewer, the new concept has proved to be a full success under the roof of the FIA. "We had the best possible outcome as at times all 25 cars were within a second of each other and the battle for the title was open until the end. This shows how well balanced our series was. The Hankook racing tyres, like in the previous season, were incredibly fast and consistent. They always provided clear feedback thus giving confidence to our young drivers.”
Next year two new teams will participate in the FIA Formua 3 European Championship. There will be seven races parallel to the DTM and at least three further races outside of the strongest international touring car series. Moreover Christoph Hewer has announced some novelties. "We will change the engine regulations and will be getting about 50 more horsepowers.
What is more there will be five to six engine manufacturers compared to the three we've had up to now. This will make everything even more interesting. In addition we will be introducing the paddle ship system and moving ever closer to Formula 1 technology." said the series manager who expressed great satisfaction that tyre manufacturer Hankook will also be supporting the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in the coming season. "For us it is very important to have such a strong partner as Hankook so that the series can continue to develop", says Hewer.
Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook's Motorsports Director for Europe, welcomed continued cooperation: "We are proud to help the up-and-coming racers in Europe's, perhaps even the worlds, best junior class. It's simply great fun to experience how the youngsters get the final cut here on their way to perhaps even a Formula 1 career."
