PREMA Racing reflects on unique F3 story, prepares for 2024 finale
Nuno De Sousa Pinto (Driver Coach Prema Powerteam), Rene Rosin (Team manager Prema Powerteam), FIA Formula 3 European Championship, round 9, race 2, Imola (ITA), 30. September - 2. October 2016
PREMA Racing and Formula 3 have always been a strong and iconic combination. By winning its fifth Team Championship out of six since the start of the current era in 2019, the team reaffirmed its commitment to the values of Formula 3, that have been central for its strategy since the very beginning, more than 40 years ago.
Bursting into the Italian Formula 3 scene, the team moved through rocky moments to secure its first title in 1990 with soon-to-be touring car ace Roberto Colciago. While things were different back then, everyone at PREMA knew how valuable the F3 concept would have been in the future at the international level.
“We started competing in Formula 3 – says Team Founder Angelo Rosin – Because it was the benchmark series and a crossroad for every driver. Winning in F3 could kickstart amazing careers and provide invaluable learning opportunities. Those aspects were consistent through the years, and with F3 reaching its pinnacle level as a key stepping stone for F1, the core values are still very clear today.”
The commitment and dedication to the growth of promising young drivers, a competitive format, and challenging technical aspects are still a major part of what FIA Formula 3 has to offer now, with the added benefit of its proximity to Formula 1.
“The FIA Formula 3 Championship encompasses all the values that made the history of the category in its previous generations – says Team Principal Rene Rosin – Particularly, the emphasis on driver growth and team effort. Those elements are our very core and that’s why we are so proud of our results and achievements as a team in the last six years. But as we never stop pushing, we are already focusing on the next challenge which will be to see another of our drivers win the Driver Championship on our home track at Monza.”
After its first Formula 3 Euro Series title with Ryan Briscoe in 2003, PREMA continued to build its legacy, and the commitment came to fruition with a sensational run of form from 2011 to 2018. In 2011, the team won both the F3 Euro Series Team and Driver Championship, and as the series morphed into the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, PREMA secured every single team title on offer and six driver titles in the European series.
The FIA Formula 3 era saw the team extend that form. Overall, PREMA achieved a grand total of 13 Team Championship titles and 12 Driver Championship titles in international F3 in addition to its three Macau GP wins. There will soon be a chance to improve that record as the series approaches its grand finale at home in Monza.
