The Masters of Formula 3 was a

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 ...

race held annually, usually at the

Circuit Park Zandvoort Circuit Zandvoort (), known for sponsorship reasons as CM.com Circuit Zandvoort, previously known as Circuit Park Zandvoort until 2017, is a motorsport race track located in the dunes north of Zandvoort, the Netherlands, near the North Sea coas ...

in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Due to noise restrictions in the Zandvoort area, the 2007 and 2008 races were held in the Belgian circuit of

Zolder The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlamen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. History Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, a ...

. However, it returned to Zandvoort for the 2009 race. The Masters was first started in 1991, as an international meeting between drivers from various national championships across Europe. As the

FIA European Formula Three Cup The FIA European Formula 3 Cup was a Formula Three race held annually in Europe from 1985 to 1990 and 1999 to 2004. The Cup was awarded by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, the world governing body for motorsport, as its main Formu ...

had been cancelled after the 1990 season, the Masters became the unofficial European F3 championship. Many of

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

's future stars raced and won in the Masters, including

David Coulthard David Marshall Coulthard (born 27 March 1971) is a British former racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster from Scotland who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "DC", Coulthard was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' ...

, who was crowned champion in the first event. In 1999, the FIA nominated the Pau round of

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 ...

as the new European Cup, but the Masters retained its status as the de facto international meeting between up-and-coming superstars all across Europe, as drivers from the British, French, German and Italian championships continued to flock to the Dutch track. When the French and German series were merged into the

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 ...

in 2003, the Masters was not included in the calendar at the time, but its position as the premier international F3 meeting in Europe was not threatened. The event was sponsored by

Marlboro Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (PMI, now separate from Altria) in most global territories outside the ...

from 1991 to 2005. When

tobacco advertising Nicotine marketing is the marketing of nicotine-containing products or use. Traditionally, the tobacco industry markets cigarette smoking, but it is increasingly marketing other products, such as electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco pr ...

was banned in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

after 31 July 2005, the Masters lost its sponsorship. The race was sponsored by BP Ultimate took from 2006 to 2007, RTL in 2008, Tango in 2009 and RTL again in 2010. For the first time since its creation the series took a one-year break in 2017 due to calendar changes on the circuit and

FIA Formula 3 European Championship The FIA Formula 3 European Championship was a European Formula Three (F3) auto racing competition, organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). After one season of the FIA Formula 3 International Trophy, the FIA revived t ...

regulations which prohibits any racing activity prior the round on the same circuit. But the race did not return in 2018, which made the 2016 race the final race of the event.

Results

References

External links

Circuit Zandvoort
{{DEFAULTSORT:Masters Of Formula 3 Formula Three races Recurring sporting events established in 1991 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2016 Sports competitions in Zandvoort 1991 establishments in the Netherlands 2016 disestablishments in the Netherlands