2023 Eurocup-3 season

The 2023 Eurocup-3 season was the inaugural season of the Eurocup-3 series. It was a multi-event motor racing championship for single-seater open wheel formula racing cars held across Europe. The championship was created as an alternative to the FIA-sanctioned Formula Regional European Championship and the Euroformula Open championship, after the latter series struggled to attract entries in late 2022.^[1][2]

The series aimed to provide a level playing field for all drivers, with all partaking teams agreeing on a maximum budget of €400,000 per season.^[3]

Esteban Masson, driving for Campos Racing, became the inaugural Drivers' Champion, while his team won the Teams' Championship. Bruno del Pino, driving for MP Motorsport, won the Rookies' Championship.

Teams and drivers

Teams utilized the same Tatuus F3 T-318 chassis used in the Formula Regional European Championship, but fitted with an updated body kit, a new intercooler and a battery kit.^[4] It also was 25kg lighter than the FRECA car.^[5] The car used a 270hp Alfa Romeo-Autotecnica engine, and Hankook tires. A push-to-pass system awarding an extra 25hp was also used.^[2]

Team No. Driver Status Rounds Palou Motorsport[6] 3 Javier Sagrera[7] 1–6 8 Emerson Fittipaldi Jr.[8] R 8 26 Jorge Campos[9] R 4–8 55 Miron Pingasov[a][10] R All 63 Georgis Markogiannis[9] R 4–5, 7–8 73 Cian Shields[11] 1 GRS Team[12] 5 Daniel Mavlyutov[b][9] R[c] 4, 6, 8 7 Emerson Fittipaldi Jr.[13] R 6 11 Carl Bennett[14] R[d] 7–8 12 Nikola Tsolov[15] 5, 7–8 18 Cenyu Han[11] 1–3 33 Jesse Carrasquedo Jr.[9] R 4 60 Niels Koolen[16] 6 68 5 MP Motorsport[17] 6 Bruno del Pino[18] R All 24 Mari Boya[19] All 25 Sebastian Øgaard[20] All 35 Sebastian Gravlund[21] R All 99 José Garfias[22] All Drivex[23] 7 Georgy Zhuravskiy[14] R 7–8 13 Daniel Nogales[24] R[e] 3–8 44 William Karlsson[25] R 1–3 54 Pierre-Louis Chovet[11] 1 64 Nick Gilkes[26] All 77 David Morales[9] 4 Campos Racing[27] 9 Esteban Masson[28] All 14 Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak[29] All 28 Francesco Braschi[30] All 52 Suleiman Zanfari[31] R All Saintéloc Racing[32] 34 Dario Cabanelas[32] R 5–8

Icon Legend R Rookie

• Jorge Campos was scheduled to compete for Campos Racing, but later switched to Palou Motorsport.^[33][9]

Race calendar

Eight destinations were announced when the series was revealed, with every round consisting of two practice sessions, two qualifyings and two races.^[2] This calendar was finalized on 23 December 2022. As the series shared its promoter with the F4 Spanish Championship, six of the eight rounds were held together with that series.^[34]

Round		Circuit	Date	Support bill	Map of circuit locations
1	R1	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	5 May	24H GT Series (12 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps) 24H TCE Series (12 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps)	Spa-Francorchamps Aragón Monza Zandvoort Jerez Estoril Valencia Barcelona
	R2		6 May
2	R1	MotorLand Aragón, Alcañiz	27 May	F4 Spanish Championship Porsche Sprint Challenge Iberica
	R2		28 May
3	R1	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	10 June	24H GT Series (12 Hours of Monza) 24H TCE Series (12 Hours of Monza)
	R2		11 June
4	R1	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	16 July	Zandvoort Summer Trophy Marcel Albers Memorial Trophy
	R2
5	R1	Circuito de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera	23 September	F4 Spanish Championship Porsche Sprint Challenge Iberica
	R2		24 September
6	R1	Circuito do Estoril, Estoril	30 September	TCR Spain Touring Car Championship F4 Spanish Championship
	R2		1 October
7	R1	Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Cheste	14 October	F4 Spanish Championship Porsche Sprint Challenge Iberica
	R2		15 October
8	R1	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	11 November	F4 Spanish Championship Renault Clio Cup
	R2		12 November

Race results

Round		Circuit	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning team	Rookie winner
1	R1	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps	Mari Boya	Francesco Braschi	Francesco Braschi	Campos Racing	Suleiman Zanfari
	R2		Mari Boya	Mari Boya	Mari Boya	MP Motorsport	Miron Pingasov
2	R1	MotorLand Aragón	Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak	Esteban Masson	Esteban Masson	Campos Racing	Bruno del Pino
	R2		Esteban Masson	Esteban Masson	Esteban Masson	Campos Racing	Suleiman Zanfari
3	R1	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza	Mari Boya	Sebastian Øgaard	Mari Boya	MP Motorsport	Daniel Nogales
	R2		Francesco Braschi	Sebastian Øgaard	Mari Boya	MP Motorsport	Bruno del Pino
4	R1	Circuit Zandvoort	Esteban Masson	Esteban Masson	Esteban Masson	Campos Racing	Bruno del Pino
	R2		Mari Boya	Mari Boya	Esteban Masson	Campos Racing	Bruno del Pino
5	R1	Circuito de Jerez	Nikola Tsolov	Nikola Tsolov	Francesco Braschi	Campos Racing	Daniel Nogales
	R2		Nikola Tsolov	Nikola Tsolov	Sebastian Øgaard	MP Motorsport	Bruno del Pino
6	R1	Circuito do Estoril	Esteban Masson	Esteban Masson	Esteban Masson	Campos Racing	Miron Pingasov
	R2		Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak	Mari Boya	Mari Boya	MP Motorsport	Bruno del Pino
7	R1	Circuit Ricardo Tormo	Esteban Masson	Esteban Masson	Esteban Masson	Campos Racing	Bruno del Pino
	R2		Mari Boya	Mari Boya	Mari Boya	MP Motorsport	Bruno del Pino
8	R1	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya	Esteban Masson	Esteban Masson	Esteban Masson	Campos Racing	Bruno del Pino
	R2		Esteban Masson	Esteban Masson	Esteban Masson	Campos Racing	Bruno del Pino

Season report

First half

16 cars entered the inaugural round of the newly formed Eurocup-3 at Spa. The new series was greeted with wet weather, and MP's Mari Boya coped best to take two pole positions. The first race started on a damp track with the field on dry tyres. This saw some drivers really struggle, with others benefitting: Campos's Francesco Braschi rose from eighth to the lead in two laps and never looked back from there, while GRS's Cenyu Han and Campos's Suleiman Zanfari followed through behind him. The second race was more straightforward: Boya lost the lead to Palou's Javier Sagrera, but kept close to his compatriot to reclaim first place seven minutes before the end of the race. Braschi was then also able to get past Sagrera on the final lap to take second place, and with it the championship lead. Boya's win earned him second in the standings, four points behind.^[35][36]

Boya withdrew from the second round at MotorLand Aragón due to a clashing F3 commitment. Campos's Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak took pole position for the first race, and kept it ahead of his teammate Esteban Masson and MP's Sebastian Øgaard, but his car suffered a mechanical issue that forced him to retire. Braschi was victorious in a battle for fourth that would then become third when the leader dropped out of the race. Masson continued his strong pace to take pole position for the second race. Braschi jumped MP's Bruno del Pino at the start to take second. The latter kept in contention, but a late safety car restart and the ensuing battle saw him go off. This elevated his teammate José Garfias onto the podium. Another double podium saw Braschi extend his points lead, while Masson's double win elevated him to second, ten points in the rear.^[37][38]

The third round at Monza saw the returning Boya and leader Braschi share pole positions. The first half of the first race was filled with battles for the podium, but Boya was able to repel multiple attacks on his first place. Sagrera and Braschi both challenged him, but made mistakes and dropped back. In the end, Boya won ahead of Øgaard, while Masson came third. Braschi and Boya started race two alongside each other and fought throughout the first lap. This brought Masson into play and he took two laps to overtake both, with Boya then dropping to sixth. Sagrera was the next to take the lead on lap 11. By then, Boya was also back in contention, and he retook first on lap 14. He held on to take a second win, with Sagrera in second and Masson third. Braschi had another difficult race and dropped to third in the standings, with Masson the new leader, four points from Boya.^[39][40]

Zandvoort was up next, and Masson was on pole position for the first race. Tricky wet conditions saw six drivers slide off into turn one. Masson was among them, dropping down the order and handing the lead to MP's Bruno del Pino. Masson climbed back up the order and was in third when a safety car was called. He took second at the restart and the lead two laps later to win ahead of Øgaard and Inthraphuvasak. Boya could only manage tenth, but bounced back a day later with race two pole position. That was short-lived, however, as Masson immediately took the lead at the start of the race. Boya kept close to him, but could not mount an attack, before the race was ended early when Palou's Jorge Campos crashed. Øgaard came third, closing up to nine points behind Boya in the standings. Masson's double-win handed him a 35-point cushion.^[41]

Second half

The second half of the season began at Circuito de Jerez with GRS's debutant Nikola Tsolov taking pole position. He had a slow start for the first race, though, allowing Braschi into the lead and dropping down to fourth. Championship leader Masson was second until he made an error and crashed his car. This promoted Sagrera into second, but Tsolov was hot on his tail and took the place in the final part of the race. He continued his strong form to also take pole position for the second race, but was once again unable to nail his start. This time, Øgaard was the one to benefit and take first place. The pair held position through multiple safety car interruptions, while Inthraphuvasak climbed to third behind them. Masson was spun around into retirement by Garfias. His second non-finish coupled with Øgaard's win saw his lead reduced to seven points, with Boya now third.^[42][43]

At Estoril, Masson was determined to regrow his lead and took pole position for the first race. He had a controlled, trouble-free race to take his fifth win of the season. Braschi came second after a similarly calm race. Third place was hotly contested between Boya and Øgaard, with the Spaniard eventually taking the place on lap eleven. Inthraphuvasak took pole position for the second race, but Masson and Boya behind him had better starts and both overtook him. Masson held the lead, but weaved too much on a safety car restart and was hit with a drive-through penalty. This dropped him out of the points and left Boya to head a MP Motorsport 1-2-3 ahead of Øgaard and Garfias. The championship tightened up once again, with Masson now only five points clear of Øgaard and Boya only a single point further behind.^[44][45]

The penultimate round of the season at Circuit Ricardo Tormo once again began with Masson taking pole position for race one. Garfias in second was no match for him as he streaked away to take another lights-to-flag victory, with the Mexican having to fend off Boya. The Spaniard had considerably more pace all throughout the race but was unable to get past into second. Boya started the second race from first place and managed his gap to Øgaard, who himself had no pressure coming from Garfias in third. Del Pino in fourth completed a MP 1-2-3-4, with championship leader Masson in fifth not managing to get by. His win saw Boya jump Øgaard in the standings, with him and Masson only separated by a single point going into the season finale.^[46][47]

The championship decider at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya started with Masson dealing the first blow by taking pole position for race one. He completely dominated the race ahead of Inthraphuvasak, while Boya had to fight his way through the race. Garfias in third posed a challenge: the pair collided, Garfias retired but Boya was unharmed and took third place. Masson continued his crushing pace through the second day. He took another pole position and continued on to take another controlled victory to become the inaugural Eurocup-3 champion. Inthraphuvasak ended his campaign with another second place, while Garfias had to fight off Drivex's Nick Gilkes for third before the latter made a mistake. Boya finished fourth, 30 points behind Masson after he could not compete with the Frenchman's pace over the weekend.^[48][49]

The inaugural Eurocup-3 championship was a success in every sense. Only once did entry numbers drop below fifteen, with the season finale attracting 20 cars – a brilliant number for a debuting championship that showed that interest for an alternative to the all-conquering Formula Regional European Championship was still there. Masson, Boya and Øgaard produced a tight, tense championship battle, albeit largely controlled by Masson. His mistakes, like in Jerez and Estoril, made the title fight as close as it was, but when it came down to the last race, the rest of the field was no match for him.

Championship standings

Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top ten classified finishers. Additional points were awarded for setting the fastest lap during a race or qualifying on pole position.

Drivers' standings

Pos Driver SPA ARA MNZ ZAN JER EST CRT CAT Pts R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 1 Esteban Masson 6 7 1 1 3 3 1 1 Ret Ret 1 14 1 5 1 1 273 2 Mari Boya 4 1 WD WD 1 1 10 2 8 4 3 1 3 1 3 4 243 3 Sebastian Øgaard 5 8 2 4 2 5 2 3 4 1 4 2 5 2 4 6 222 4 José Garfias Ret 6 4 3 6 4 6 6 5 6 6 3 2 3 18† 3 160 5 Francesco Braschi 1 2 3 2 11 8 Ret 7 1 Ret 2 7 12 7 5 9 156 6 Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak 10 5 Ret DNS 5 7 3 4 Ret 3 10 4 4 6 2 2 142 7 Bruno del Pino 8 Ret 5 7 14 6 4 5 10 5 8 5 6 4 6 5 113 8 Javier Sagrera 13 3 10† Ret 4 2 5 8 3 7 13 6 89 9 Suleiman Zanfari 3 11 7 5 12 13 7 11 DNS 12 12 12 7 Ret 9 Ret 45 10 Nikola Tsolov 2 2 9 Ret WD WD 44 11 Nick Gilkes 7 9 Ret 6 10 14 Ret 13 11 9 5 8 Ret 11 11 8 37 12 Daniel Nogales 7 9 9 9 6 8 11 13 10 10 8 7 36 13 Sebastian Gravlund 12 12 6 Ret NC Ret 8 DNS 7 13 17 9 8 8 12 11 28 14 Miron Pingasov Ret 10 9 8 8 11 14 10 9 Ret 7 16 Ret 9 7 Ret 28 15 Cenyu Han 2 13 WD WD 9 10 21 16 Pierre-Louis Chovet 9 4 14 17 William Karlsson 11 14 8 9 13 12 6 18 Dario Cabanelas 13 10 9 10 13 Ret 13 10 5 19 Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. 14 11 10 Ret 1 20 Georgis Markogiannis 12 16 Ret 11 11 Ret 15 13 0 21 David Morales 11 15 0 22 Jesse Carrasquedo Jr. 15 12 0 23 Carl Bennett 16 12 17 Ret 0 24 Georgy Zhuravskiy 14 13 16 12 0 25 Niels Koolen 12 Ret WD WD 0 26 Daniel Mavlyutov 13 14 15 15 Ret 15 0 27 Jorge Campos 16† 17† Ret 14 16 Ret 15 14 14 14 0 — Cian Shields DNS DNS — Pos Driver R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 Pts SPA ARA MNZ ZAN JER EST CRT CAT

Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Withdrew (WD) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Did not arrive (DNA) Excluded (EX) Bold – Pole Italics – Fastest Lap † — Did not finish but classified

Rookie standings

Pos	Driver	SPA		ARA		MNZ		ZAN		JER		EST		CRT		CAT		Pts
		R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2
1	Bruno del Pino	8	Ret	5	7	14	6	4	5	10	5	8	5	6	4	6	5	326
2	Suleiman Zanfari	3	11	7	5	12	14	7	11	DNS	12	11	12	7	Ret	9	Ret	200
3	Miron Pingasov	Ret	10	9	8	8	11	14	10	9	Ret	7	16	Ret	9	8	Ret	184
4	Sebastian Gravlund	12	12	6	Ret	NC	Ret	8	DNS	8	13	17	9	8	8	12	11	174
5	Daniel Nogales[e]					7	9	9	9	6	8	12	13			9	7	167
6	Dario Cabanelas									13	10	9	10	13	Ret	13	10	86
7	William Karlsson	11	14	8	9	13	12											75
8	Georgis Markogiannis							12	16	Ret	11			11	Ret	15	13	50
9	Jorge Campos							16†	17†	Ret	14	16	Ret	14	14	14	14	44
10	Emerson Fittipaldi Jr.											14	11			10	Ret	30
11	Georgy Zhuravskiy													15	13	17	12	29
12	Carl Bennett[d]													16	12			16
13	Jesse Carrasquedo Jr.							15	12									11
14	Daniel Mavlyutov[c]							13	14									6
Pos	Driver	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	Pts
		SPA		ARA		MNZ		ZAN		JER		EST		CRT		CAT

Teams' standings

Each team counted their two best results per race.

Pos	Driver	SPA		ARA		MNZ		ZAN		JER		EST		CRT		CAT		Pts
		R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2
1	Campos Racing	1	2	1	1	3	3	1	1	1	3	1	4	1	5	1	1	516
		3	5	3	2	5	7	3	4	Ret	12	2	7	4	6	2	2
2	MP Motorsport	4	1	2	3	1	1	2	2	4	1	3	1	2	1	3	3	514
		5	6	4	4	2	4	4	3	5	4	4	2	3	2	4	4
3	Palou Motorsport	13	3	8	9	4	2	5	8	3	7	7	6	11	9	7	13	118
		Ret	10	10†	Ret	8	11	12	10	9	12	13	16	15	14	10	14
4	Drivex	7	4	9	6	7	9	9	9	6	8	5	8	10	10	9	7	93
		9	9	Ret	8	10	12	11	13	11	9	12	13	14	11	11	8
5	GRS Team	2	13	WD	WD	9	10	13	12	2	2	14	11	9	12	17	15	60
								15	14	12	Ret	15	15	16	Ret	Ret	Ret
6	Saintéloc Racing									13	10	9	10	13	Ret	13	10	5
Pos	Driver	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	Pts
		SPA		ARA		MNZ		ZAN		JER		EST		CRT		CAT

Notes

References

External links

• Official website

This page was last edited on 6 April 2024, at 21:37