The Euroformula Open is born!

14.02.2014

The European F.3 Open changes its name but substance remains unchanged

GT Sport today announced a name change of its leading single-seater formula, from European F.3 Open to Euroformula Open. The new denomination will be effective as from today, with the Euroformula Open identity being implemented progressively ahead of the start of the 2014 season. The new name and the new logo of the series were presented today by Jesús Pareja, CEO of GT Sport, to the teams participating to the collective testing session in Jerez that opens the 2014 Winter Series.

The new name reflects today’s situation in the world of F.3 cars-based championships and will help identifying more clearly the Euroformula Open, which has gained increasing success in recent years thanks to some distinctive features such as an excellent costs/returns ratio, top level venues and a premium TV coverage package.

The European F.3 Open denomination had been in use since 2009, when the championship evolved from the former Spanish F.3 Championship into a continental series, running in parallel with the International GT Open.

Jesús Pareja commented: “Only the brand changes, not the content. The new Euroformula Open will continue to be the same”.

The CEO of GT Sport further explained: “To keep the F.3 denomination would have entailed to adopt the new FIA F.3 engine rules, something that would have had severe budget implications for the teams. We are of the view that this is not wise, especially in the current economic context. We think that offering a high performance formula at the most reasonable cost possible is the right way forward. This is our philosophy and we will continue to provide our competitors the same competitive package as in the past. Furthermore, with the 2014 engine up-grade, the Euroformula Open cars will have a performance level similar to any other series using F.3 chassis. For us, to retain the freedom to further improve the performance package and the cost-effectiveness in the future is a crucial point. The name change also allows avoiding confusion with the European F.3 Championship recently re-instated by the FIA. We definitely think that preserving the essence of our series is more important than how it is called and we look forward to an exciting 2014 season”.