The 2003 Formula 3 Euro Series season was the first championship year of Europe's premier

Formula Three Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...

series. The championship consisted of ten rounds – each with two races – held at a variety of European circuits. Each weekend consisted of 1 hour and 30 minutes of free practice on Friday – in either one or two sessions – and two 30-minute qualifying sessions. This was followed by a c.110 km race on Saturday and a c.80 km race on Sunday. Each qualifying session awarded one bonus point for pole position and each race awarded points for the top eight finishers, with ten points per win. It commenced on April 26, 2003 at

Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring, officially Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg () is a motor racing circuit situated in the Rhine valley near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other mot ...

and ended on October 26 at

Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is a motor racing circuit located in central France, near the towns of Magny-Cours and Nevers, some from Paris and from Lyon. It staged the Formula One French Grand Prix from 1991 (succeeding Circuit Paul Ricard ...

Teams and drivers

Driver changes

; Entering Formula 3 Euro Series * Simon Abadie:

French Formula Three Championship The French Formula Three Championship was a motor racing series for Formula Three cars held in France between 1964 and 2002. The series was merged with the German Formula Three Championship in 2003 to form the Formula 3 Euro Series The Formula 3 ...

(

Saulnier Racing OAK Racing is an endurance racing team specialising in sports prototypes based in Le Mans, France. In 2013 it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in LMP2 class and the 2013 FIA WEC World Champion drivers and teams on LMP2 class. In 2012 the team cont ...

) → Saulnier Racing *

Nicolas Armindo Nicolas Armindo (born 8 March 1982) is a race car driver born in Colmar, France. He is of Portuguese descent. As a child he enjoyed Karting and raced in many local races. Starting his career in French Formula Campus in 2001, Armindo moved on ...

: Championnat de France Formula Renault 2.0 & Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (ASM

Elf An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...

) → Saulnier Racing * Bernhard Auinger: German Formula Three Championship (Opel Team BSR) → Superfund TME * Philipp Baron: Debut → Drumel Motorsport *

Ryan Briscoe Ryan John Briscoe (born 24 September 1981) is an Australian–American professional racing driver from Sydney who has predominantly raced open-wheel and sports cars in Europe and America. In IndyCar he collected 8 wins and 28 podiums, finishin ...

German Formula Three Championship The German Formula Three Championship was the national Formula Three championship of Germany, and the former West Germany, from 1950 to 2002, then as Formel 3 until 2014. In 2003, the series had merged with the French Formula Three Championship ...

(

Prema Powerteam Prema Racing, previously known as Prema Powerteam, is an Italian motorsport team, owned and operated through the ''DC Racing Solutions'' parent company. Founded in 1983, the team is based in Grisignano di Zocco and currently operates out of Ita ...

) &

International Formula 3000 The Formula 3000 International Championship was a motor racing series created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) in 1985 to become the final preparatory step for drivers hoping to enter Formula One. Formula Two had become to ...

(

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

Nordic Racing) → Prema Powerteam *

César Campaniço César Campaniço (born 31 March 1980) is a Portugal, Portuguese racing driver. He was born in Lisbon, and is best known for his appearances in the Portuguese Touring Car Championship. He is currently a Racing Driver and Sports Manager, a Raci ...

: German Formula Three Championship (Prema Powerteam) → Swiss Racing Team * Fabio Carbone:

British Formula 3 Championship The British Formula Three Championship was an international motor racing series that took place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It was a junior-level feeder formula that used small single sea ...

(

Fortec Motorsport Fortec Motorsport Ltd. is a motor-racing team that races in the GB3 Championship, GB4 Championship, and F4 British Championship. The team was bought in 1995 by current owner Richard Dutton. Past drivers for the team include Juan Pablo Montoya, ...

) → Signature Plus * Adam Carroll: British Formula 3 National Class (Sweeney Racing) → Opel Team KMS *

Robert Doornbos Robert Michael Doornbos (; born 23 September 1981) is a Dutch former racing driver who also competed with a Monégasque licence. He has been test and third driver for the Jordan and Red Bull Racing Formula One teams, as well as driving for Mina ...

: German Formula Three Championship (

Team Ghinzani Team Ghinzani is a motor racing team based in Italy, involved in many areas of motorsport. The team was founded in 1992 by Piercarlo Ghinzani, who raced in Formula One between and . History Team Ghinzani have raced in Italian Formula Three C ...

) → Team Ghinzani *

Maro Engel Maro René Engel (born 27 August 1985) is a Germans, German professional racing driver based in Monaco. He is a Mercedes-AMG factory driver since 2008 & brand ambassador since 2017. He is a FIA GT World Cup Champion (2015, 2024), Nürburgring 2 ...

Formula BMW Formula BMW was a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It was positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category. Like Formula Ford, it was intended to function as the young ...

ADAC The ADAC, officially the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (), is Europe's largest automobile association. The ADAC is the largest wikt:Verein, ''verein'' (club) in Germany, with around 21 million members. Its headquarters are located i ...

(Eifelland Racing) → Opel Team KMS *

Timo Glock Timo Glock (; born 18 March 1982) is a German racing driver, who competes in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for Dörr Motorsport. Glock competed in Formula One between and . Glock raced in Formula One for Jordan, Toyota, Virgin and Marussi ...

: German Formula Three Championship (Opel Team KMS) → Opel Team KMS *

Lucas di Grassi Lucas Tucci di Grassi (born 11 August 1984) is a Brazilian racing driver, who competes in Formula E for Lola Yamaha ABT. In formula racing, di Grassi competed in Formula One in , and won the 2016–17 Formula E Championship with Abt. In endu ...

: Formula Renault 2.0 Brazil (G Force Motorsport) →

Jamie Green James Roger Green (born 14 June 1982) is a British professional racing driver. He last raced for Audi Sport Team Rosberg in the 2020 DTM season, where he achieved 3 podiums and finished 8th in the standings. Early career Green was born in L ...

: Formula Renault 2.0 UK (

) → ASM *

Jan Heylen Jan Heylen (born 1 May 1980) is a Belgium, Belgian racing driver, based out of Tampa, Florida. Racing career Early career (1992-2004) He began karting in 1992, and worked his way up through various feeder series through the years including the ...

British Formula Ford Championship The British Formula Ford Championship was an entry-level single seater Auto racing, motor racing category, designed to give racing drivers their first step into car racing after karting. Drivers from around the world were attracted to the United ...

(Duckhams) → Kolles * Katsuyuki Hiranaka:

All-Japan Formula Three Championship was a national motor racing championship that takes place in Japan. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis. As a result of Formula 3 naming regulations by the FIA, on 13 August 2019, series pr ...

(

TOM'S is an automotive aftermarket parts manufacturer and tuner of Toyota and Lexus vehicles, as well as a factory-backed racing team. The TOM'S head office is located in Tokyo, Japan. TOM'S most prominently produces aftermarket parts for current ...

) → Prema Powerteam *

Christian Klien Christian Klien (born 7 February 1983) is an Austrian racing driver who competed in Formula One between and . Born and raised in Hohenems, Klien competed in Formula One for Jaguar, Red Bull and HRT, scoring 14 championship points across 51 ...

Formula Renault 2.0 Germany In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwe ...

& Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (

JD Motorsport JD Motorsport was an auto racing team based in Vespolate, Italy that competed in formula single-seaters in Europe. History The team was formed in 1995 by Roberto Cavallari and Alfredo Cappelletti. In 1996 the team started to participate in Form ...

) →

Mücke Motorsport Mücke Motorsport (also known as ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg) is an auto racing team based in Germany. History Single-seaters Mücke Motorsport was formed by Peter Mücke in 1998 to run his son Stefan Mücke in the German Formula BMW ADAC series, ...

Robert Kubica Robert Józef Kubica (; born 7 December 1984) is a Polish racing driver, racing and rally driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for AF Corse. Kubica competed in Formula One between and , and the World Rally Championship ...

: Formula Renault 2.0 Italy & Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (

RC Motorsport RC Motorsport was an auto racing team based in Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the ...

) → Prema Powerteam *

Nicolas Lapierre Nicolas Camile Bernard Lapierre (born 2 April 1984) is a retired French professional racing driver and team principal. Notable for winning the LMP2 class four times at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Lapierre was a factory driver at Toyota during the ea ...

: Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (Graff Racing) & French Formula Three Championship (Signature) → Signature Plus * Marcel Lasée: German Formula Three Championship (Mücke Motorsport) → Swiss Racing Team * Dong-Wook Lee:

Asian Formula Three Championship The Asian Formula Three Championship was a Open wheel car, single-seater racing series based in South East Asia. It is one of a number of national and international Formula Three championships that form part of an established "career ladder" belo ...

(E-Rain) → Drumel Motorsport *

Richard Lietz Richard Lietz (born 17 December 1983 in Waidhofen an der Ybbs) is an Austrian professional racing driver and a Porsche Factory driver. He has competed in series such as American Le Mans Series, Formula 3 Euro Series and the Rolex Sports Car S ...

: German Formula Three Championship (Palfinger F3 Racing) → HBR Motorsport * James Manderson:

Australian Formula 3 Australian Formula 3 has been the name applied to two distinctly different motor racing categories, separated by over twenty years. The original Australian Formula 3 was introduced in 1964 based on the FIA Formula 3 of the period and intended a ...

(Bronte Rundle Motorsport) → Swiss Racing Team * Patrice Manopoulos: Debut → LD Autosport * Alexandros Margaritis: Formula Renault 2.0 Germany & Formula BMW ADAC (Weigl Motorsport) → MB Racing Performance *

Álvaro Parente Álvaro Maia Parente (born 4 October 1984) is a Portugal, Portuguese professional racing driver. Career Early career After winning the Karting European Junior Championship in 1998, Porto-born Parente made his debut in auto racing in 2001 at ...

Spanish Formula Three Championship The Euroformula Open Championship (formerly the Spanish Formula Three Championship, European F3 Open Championship) is a junior formula racing series based in Spain. It was one of six national and international Formula Three championships in Europe ...

(

Racing Engineering Racing Engineering is a Spanish racing team founded in 1999 by Alfonso de Orléans-Borbón that currently competes in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. The team's headquarters are located in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, near Jerez, where all car prep ...

) → Team Ghinzani *

Olivier Pla Olivier Pla (born 21 October 1981) is a French racing driver who competed in the Asian Le Mans Series for AF Corse. Career French Formula Campus and Formula Three Born in Toulouse, Pla started his career in 2000 in French Formula Campus befor ...

: French Formula Three Championship (ASM) → ASM *

Alexandre Prémat Alexandre Prémat (born 5 November 1982) is a French racing driver. He won the Pirtek Enduro Cup for Triple Eight Race Engineering alongside Shane van Gisbergen in 2016. He also won the 2019 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with Scott McLaughlin (r ...

: Championnat de France Formula Renault 2.0 & Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (ASM

) → ASM *

Harold Primat Harold Primat (born 12 June 1975) is a French-born Swiss racing driver who previously competed in the Blancpain Endurance Series and other long-distance events such as the Bathurst 12 Hour and Nurburgring 24 Hours. Early career The nephew of ...

: British Formula 3 National Class (Diamond Racing) → Saulnier Racing * Stefano Proetto: German Formula Three Championship (Team Kolles Racing & Swiss Racing Team) → LD Autosport * Daniel la Rosa: Formula Volkswagen Germany (???) → MB Racing Performance *

Nico Rosberg Nico Erik Rosberg (born 27 June 1985) is a German and Finnish former racing driver and entrepreneur, who competed under the German flag in Formula One from to . Rosberg won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Mercedes, and w ...

: Formula BMW ADAC (VIVA Racing) →

Team Rosberg Team Rosberg GmbH (currently competing as Rosberg X Racing) is a motor racing organisation that competes in single-seater and touring car disciplines in Europe. It was founded in 1994 by former Formula One world champion Keke Rosberg, of Finland ...

Bruno Spengler Bruno Spengler (born August 23, 1983) is an Alsatian-born Canadian racing driver. A long-term Mercedes-AMG and BMW factory driver, he currently works for Bugatti. He is the 2012 DTM champion. Career Early career Spengler was born near Strasbo ...

& Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (

Jenzer Motorsport Jenzer Motorsport is an auto racing team based in Switzerland. Founded in 1993 by Andreas Jenzer the team is currently competing in FIA Formula 3, Italian F4 and F4 Spanish and has had a number of drivers who would turn out to be successful in ...

) → ASM * Gilles Tinguely: German Formula Three Championship ( Swiss Racing Team) → Swiss Racing Team * Claudio Torre: Formula BMW ADAC (Springbok Motorsport) → HBR Motorsport * Hendrik Vieth: Formula Renault 2.0 Germany & Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (SL Formula Racing) → Opel Team KMS *

Markus Winkelhock Markus Winkelhock (; born 13 June 1980) is a German professional racing driver. He is the son of Manfred Winkelhock and nephew of Joachim Winkelhock, both of whom were Formula One drivers in the 1980s. During his brief Formula One career he led th ...

: German Formula Three Championship (Mücke Motorsport) → Mücke Motorsport *

Sakon Yamamoto is a Japanese former racing driver and politician, who competed in Formula One between and . Yamamoto was a member of the House of Representatives of Japan from 2021 to 2024, representing Tōkai PR for the Liberal Democratic Party. Before ...

: German Formula Three Championship (GM Motorsport, Team Kolles Racing) → Superfund TME *

Andreas Zuber Andreas "Andi" Zuber (born 9 October 1983 in Judenburg, Austria) is a former Auto racing, motor racing driver. An Austrian by birth, he is based in Dubai and once raced under a licence issued by the United Arab Emirates. Career Formula König De ...

: Formula Renault 2.0 Germany (

Motopark Oschersleben The Motorsport Arena Oschersleben is a long race track with a width of and elevation changes of . The circuit is located in Oschersleben, Börde, approximately from Magdeburg, Germany. Its fairly flat contours create a smooth, fast circuit. ...

) → Team Rosberg * Charles Zwolsman Jr.: German Formula Three Championship (Team Kolles Racing) → Kolles

Midseason changes

joined Signature Plus for the

Magny-Cours Magny-Cours () is a Communes of France, commune in the Nièvre Departments of France, department in central France. It is the home of the ''Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours'', a famous Motorsport#Motor racing, motor racing circuit (whose name is o ...

round * Simon Abadie joined LD Autosport from the

Nürburgring The () is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...

round onwards. * Philipp Baron joined

from the Pau round onwards. * Stefano Proetto joined Swiss Racing Team from the second

round onwards.

Calendar

* The series supported the

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, commonly abbreviated as the DTM, is a sports car racing series sanctioned by ADAC. The series is based in Germany, with rounds elsewhere in Europe. The series currently races a modified version of Group GT3 gra ...

at seven rounds. It was also a part of the Grand Prix Aurore at two French meetings, while at the third, it was the headline event of the

Pau Grand Prix The Pau Grand Prix () is a motor race held in Pau, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of southwestern France. The French Grand Prix was held at Pau in 1930, leading to the annual Pau Grand Prix being inaugurated in 1933. It was not r ...

Results

Season standings

Drivers Standings

*Points are awarded as follows: † — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.

Rookie Cup

Rookie drivers are only eligible for the Rookie Cup title if they have not previously competed in a national or international Formula 3 championship.

Nations Cup

Notes

References

External links

Forix.autosport.comSpeedsport MagazineFormel3guide.com
(German language)

{{FIA European F3 seasons Formula 3 Euro Series seasons

Formula 3 Euro Series The Formula 3 Euro Series was a European-based junior single seater formula for Formula Three chassis that was launched (in its current form) in 2003 as a merger of the French Formula Three Championship and German Formula Three Championship. The ...

Euro Series