2023 Eurocup-3 Season
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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 The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) is a FIA-certified Formula Regional, regional European Formula Three, Formula 3 racing series. On 12 October 2018, it was announced that the Italian autosport regulator Automobile Club ...
and the
Euroformula Open 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 ...
, after the latter series struggled to attract entries in late 2022. 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.
Esteban Masson Esteban Masson (born 18 September 2004) is a Canadian-French racing driver who is currently competes in the Super Formula Lights with TOM'S, as well as in the European Le Mans Series with VDS Panis Racing. He is the 2021 French F4 and the 20 ...
, driving for Campos Racing, became the inaugural Drivers' Champion, while his team won the Teams' Championship.
Bruno del Pino Bruno del Pino Ventos (born 20 June 2006) is a Spanish racing driver, who is competing in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship for MP Motorsport. He previously competed in the 2024 Eurocup-3 season for MP Motorsport, where he finished third. He ...
, driving for
MP Motorsport MP Motorsport is a Dutch auto racing team currently competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, FIA Formula 3 Championship, Eurocup-3, Spanish Formula 4 Championship and the newly established F1 Academy in 2023. The team has also participated in ...
, won the Rookies' Championship.


Teams and drivers

Teams utilized the same
Tatuus F3 T-318 The Tatuus F3 T-318 is an open-wheel formula race car, designed, developed and built by Italian manufacturer Tatuus Tatuus is an Italian chassis manufacturer for a series of formula racing series, being first founded in 1980. The company is k ...
chassis used in the Formula Regional European Championship, but fitted with an updated body kit, a new intercooler and a battery kit. It also was 25kg lighter than the FRECA car. The car used a 270hp
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...
-Autotecnica engine, and
Hankook Hankook Tire & Technology Co., Ltd. (), also known simply as Hankook ( , ), is a South Korean tire company based in Seoul. It is the seventh-largest tire company in the world. It is a part of Hankook & Company. History Hankook Tire was establis ...
tires. A push-to-pass system awarding an extra 25hp was also used. * Jorge Campos was scheduled to compete for
Campos Racing Campos Racing (formerly Adrián Campos Motorsport and Campos Grand Prix) is a Spanish motor racing team based in Alzira, Valencia, founded by former Formula One driver Adrián Campos in 1997. The team has been successful in Formula Three, GP2 S ...
, but later switched to Palou Motorsport.


Race calendar

Eight destinations were announced when the series was revealed, with every round consisting of two practice sessions, two qualifyings and two races. This calendar was finalized on 23 December 2022. As the series shared its promoter with the
F4 Spanish Championship The F4 Spanish Championship () is an FIA Formula 4 racing series. The championship was planned to launch in 2015, though the inaugural season was cancelled and delayed until 2016. Koiranen GP was the promoter of the championship for the first tw ...
, six of the eight rounds were held together with that series.


Race results


Season report


First half

16 cars entered the inaugural round of the newly formed Eurocup-3 at
Spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...
. The new series was greeted with wet weather, and MP's
Mari Boya José María Navalón "Mari" Boya (; born 13 April 2004) is a Spanish racing driver who competes in the FIA Formula 3 Championship for Campos Racing. He previously competed in the Formula Regional European Championship during 2021 Formula Regio ...
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 Francesco Braschi (born 27 November 2004) is an Italian racing driver who currently competes in the Porsche Supercup as well as the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia. He was previously active in single-seaters, winning two races in the inaugural Euroc ...
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 Palou is a Catalan surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Álex Palou (born 1997), Spanish racing driver * Anthony Palou (born 1965), French writer * Berenguier de Palou (fl. 1160–1209), Catalan troubadour from Palol in the County of ...
's
Javier Sagrera Francisco Javier Sagrera Pont (born 12 January 2004) is a Spanish racing driver who last competed in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship with AIX Racing. He was the vice-champion of the 2024 Eurocup-3 series, with MP Motorsport. Previously, he ...
, 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. Boya withdrew from the second round at
MotorLand Aragón MotorLand Aragón (alternative Spanish name: Circuito de Alcañiz) is a race track used for motorsports located in Alcañiz, Spain. The circuit was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke in conjunction with the British architectural busin ...
due to a clashing F3 commitment. Campos's
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak Tasanapol "Tern" Inthraphuvasak (, born 14 November 2005) is a Thai racing driver, who is currently competing in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship for Campos Racing. He made his car racing debut in the 2021 Formula 4 UAE Championship, and ...
took pole position for the first race, and kept it ahead of his teammate
Esteban Masson Esteban Masson (born 18 September 2004) is a Canadian-French racing driver who is currently competes in the Super Formula Lights with TOM'S, as well as in the European Le Mans Series with VDS Panis Racing. He is the 2021 French F4 and the 20 ...
and MP's
Sebastian Øgaard Sebastian Øgaard Laursen (born 30 January 2004) is a Danish racing driver who currently competes in the Eurocup-3 with MP Motorsport. He is a Team Danmark athlete. Career Karting Øgaard was voted Karting Driver of the Year in the 2019 (D ...
, 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 Bruno del Pino Ventos (born 20 June 2006) is a Spanish racing driver, who is competing in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship for MP Motorsport. He previously competed in the 2024 Eurocup-3 season for MP Motorsport, where he finished third. He ...
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 José Antonio "Joss" Garfias Martínez Lavín (born 25 October 2004) is a Mexican racing driver currently competing in the 2025 Euroformula Open Championship with Team Motopark, having previously competed in Eurocup-3. He is scheduled to compe ...
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. The third round at
Monza Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...
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.
Zandvoort Zandvoort () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach. It is bordered by coastal dunes of Zuid-Kennemerland National Park and the Amsterdam ...
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.


Second half

The second half of the season began at
Circuito de Jerez Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto (formerly known as Circuito de Jerez and Circuito de Velocidad Jerez), is a racing circuit located close to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, south of Seville and deep within the sherry-producing region in the ...
with GRS's debutant
Nikola Tsolov Nikola Dimitrov Tsolov (; ; born 21 December 2006) is a Bulgarian racing driver who is currently competing with Campos Racing in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship, after racing with ART Grand Prix for two seasons. He won the 2022 F4 Spanish C ...
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. At
Estoril Estoril () is a town in the civil parish of Cascais e Estoril of the Portuguese Municipality of Cascais, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a popular tourist destination, with hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numero ...
, 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 an 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. The penultimate round of the season at
Circuit Ricardo Tormo Circuit Ricardo Tormo, also known as ''Circuit de Valencia'' is a motorsport race track located in Cheste (Valencian Community, Spain) and built in 1999. The track is named after Spanish, two-time world champion Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Gr ...
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. 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. 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


Rookie standings


Teams' standings

Each team counted their two best results per race.


Notes


References


External links

* {{Formula Regional
Eurocup-3 Eurocup-3 is a formula racing series regulated according to Formula Regional regulations. The series is founded for levelling up the competition for all drivers, with each team committing on a maximum budget of €400,000 every season. History ...
Eurocup-3 Eurocup-3 is a formula racing series regulated according to Formula Regional regulations. The series is founded for levelling up the competition for all drivers, with each team committing on a maximum budget of €400,000 every season. History ...