The fast track to the front in European F3

New Zealand's Toyota Racing Series is well represented in the most competitive Formula Three championship in the world, and has become recognised as a valuable proving ground for rising motor racing talent.

From the 2013 TRS grid, there are eight drivers who are confirmed to race in this year’s FIA European Formula Three Championship,  which will absorb the F3 European Open to become the premier Formula Three championship.

A further six drivers from previous TRS seasons will be on the Euro F3 grid in 2013.

The 2012 Euro Formula 3 championship winners, Prema Powerteam, have signed three TRS graduates: 2013 TRS title contenders Alex Lynn and Lucas Auer will be joined by 2012 TRS racer and Ferrari Development Academy driver Raffaele Marciello.

British F3 Team Fortec has confirmed an all-TRS line-up. TRS 2013 team-mates Felix Serralles (Puerto Rico) and Brazilian Pipo Derani will be joined by 2011 and 2012 TRS series front runner Josh Hill and Russian Dmitry Suranovich who raced here in 2012.  

The Threebond T-Sport team has an all-TRS line-up, with current-season graduate Spike Goddard lining up alongside young Irish racer William Buller who raced TRS in 2009.

Three of Carlin Motorsport’s four drivers are TRS graduates: current season competitor Nicholas Latifi (Canada) and British gamer-turned-racer Jann Mardenborough will join Jordan King (UK) who raced to fifth place in the 2012 TRS and went on to finish second overall in the Formula Renault Northern European Championship the same year.

The latest announcement confirms two TRS-experienced female drivers, Colombian driver Tatiana Calderon who raced to 12th place in TRS this year and 2012 series competitor Italian Michela Cerruti.
Calderon will race for the Double R team, while Cerruti enters the series with Italian team Romeo Ferraris.
With these latest confirmations a total of 14 of the 26 drivers announced at the close of championship entries on February 28 are graduates of the Toyota Racing Series.

The FIA Formula 3 European Championship consists of ten events on both F1 circuits and others closely linked to the proud history of the category as a feeder to Formula One. With strong growth in recent seasons, the European championship received a significant boost in status for this year with official sanctioning from the FIA and the inclusion of the former European Open Formula 3 series. The opening round is at Monza, March 23-24. The winner of the 2013 European Formula Three Championship receives a Ferrari F1 test drive.

2013 European F3 Championship – TRS graduates in the driver line-up so far:
Alex Lynn (current and 2011) – Prema Powerteam
Lucas Auer (current and 2012) – Prema Powerteam
Raffaele Marciello (2012 graduate) – Prema Powerteam
Felix Serralles (current and 2012) – Fortec
Pipo Derani – Fortec
Josh Hill (2010 and 2011) – Fortec
Dmitry Suranovich (2012 graduate) - Fortec
Jann Mardenborough – Carlin
Nicholas Latifi – Carlin
Jordan King (2012 graduate) – Carlin
Spike Goddard – T-Sport
William Buller (2009 graduate) – T-Sport
Tatiana Calderon – Double R Racing
Michela Cerruti – Romeo Ferraris