Formula 3 Euro Series

Vernay win on season kick-off weekend

The reporter in the Sunday-afternoon live coverage of German news channel n-tv summed it up perfectly: “Volkswagen clearly are on an equal level with Mercedes-Benz in the Formula 3 Euro Series, with the contribution of the Spiess engineers attending to the Volkswagen 2-litre engines representing a vital factor.” At the end of the race, Volkswagen’s Jean Karl Vernay proved the commentator to be right by making it to the highest step of the podium.

First race weekend, first Volkswagen win: in the 2009 Euro Series season kick-off, held on 16th/17th May at the Hockenheimring, French Team Signature driver Jean Karl Vernay had been third on the starting grid, at the wheel of his Dallara Volkswagen – and celebrated his maiden Formula 3 Euro Series win. “The Volkswagen Group’s enhanced engine worked perfectly and demonstrated its competitiveness once again,” assessed Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. “A particular praise goes to Team Signature and its drivers who exploited the potential of the Dallara chassis and the Volkswagen engine better than anybody else.”

With the first of the ten Formula 3 Euro Series weekends contested, Vernay holds second position in the championship and his team-mate, Finland’s Mika Mäki, follows close behind.

Altogether, the season kick-off of the international Formula 3 scene proved to be extremely successful for Volkswagen: six of the eight races contested to date in the Formula 3 Euro Series, the ATS Formula 3 Cup and the British Formula 3 Championship were won by drivers relying on Volkswagen power.