FIA Formula 3 European Championship, round 7, race 1, Nuerburgring (D)

WILL RAFFAELE MARCIELLO SEAL THE DEAL, IN HIS HOME EVENT?

This weekend, the up-and-coming single-seater aces competing in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship travel to Italy for the second time this year. At the 4.085 kilometre circuit of Vallelunga, located not far from Rome, Raffaele Marciello (Prema Powerteam) will have his first match point. The Ferrari Driver Academy protégé who holds a 9.5-point lead over second-placed Felix Rosenqvist (kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport) could secure the FIA Formula 3 Championship title early, at the Autodromo Piero Taruffi.

The penultimate race meeting of the season is held at a circuit local hero Marciello knows very well. For Rosenqvist and the major part of the field, however, it represents virgin soil. On Friday, the official day of testing, the young talents will have six hours for familiarising themselves with the circuit, its layout and its characteristics. Meanwhile, the battle for the title has turned into a duel between Raffaele Marciello and Felix Rosenqvist. The Swede gained a lot of ground at Zandvoort, thus closing in on championship leader Marciello.

At the same time, the battle for the third position in the championship is just as thrilling. In the past weeks, the main actors in this battle – Alex Lynn (Prema Powerteam) and Lucas Auer (Prema Powerteam) – alternated as third in the championship. Currently, Briton Lynn has a slight lead over Austria’s Auer, the nephew of former Formula 1 Gerhard Berger. 

The FIA Formula 3 European Championship entry list features three Italian talents: title contender Raffaele Marciello, Eddie Cheever (Prema Powerteam) and Antonio Giovinazzi (Double R Racing). In addition to Marciello and Cheever, Lucas Auer and Alex Lynn also represent the colours of Prema Powerteam that is one of the three Italian squads on the FIA Formula 3 European Championship grid. 

Furthermore, John Bryant-Meisner (Fortec Motorsports) is making his FIA Formula 3 European Championship debut, at Vallelunga. The Swede advances from the German ATS Formula 3 Cup to the European Championship. 

Eddie Cheever (Prema Powerteam): “Vallelunga is a great racetrack, featuring several fast and challenging corners. The final corner is my favourite corner. I live in Rome and the circuit is located just half an hour away. So, it’s a true home event for me and I want to use this opportunity to work my way up in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship standings. I have to admit that I used to have bad luck at Vallelunga, in my career to date, but I hope that I will be able to make and end to this streak of bad luck, now.”