With new names joining the line-up for the 2013 FIA F3 European Championship on an almost daily basis, the combined efforts of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the Ferrari Driver Academy will give the 2013 champion the opportunity to test drive a Formula 1 car at the end of the season.

The first race of the FIA F3 European Championship will be at Monza, in Italy, on March 22nd. The FIA’s aim is to re-launch the championship as a stand-alone series so as to place Formula 3 at the very core of the training process of up-and-coming young drivers. Entries close on 28th February 2013 and it looks like many rising stars of motor racing will be part of the field.

The overall quality of the teams and drivers already confirmed is a sign that the coming season will be a hotly-contested one, so the final result will highlight the talent of the 2013 champion even more. And winning the title will be doubly worthwhile as the lucky driver will be invited by Scuderia Ferrari to test a Formula 1 car. This agreement is a telling sign of the confidence that the Ferrari Driver Academy has in the 2013 FIA F3 European Championship.

Gerhard Berger, President of the single-seater commission said: “When we took the decision to get the Formula 3 European Championship up and running again, we had a single aim in mind: to give the best rising talents the opportunity to shine. As Formula 1 is obviously the ultimate aim for a young driver it seemed to us to be very important to reward the champion with an F1 drive. We’re delighted to have reached this agreement with the Ferrari Driver Academy. A driver has very few chances to get behind the wheel of such a car. It’s a great opportunity which the 2013 winner will surely make the very most of, so as to learn more, to get himself noticed and show that tomorrow’s F1 drivers are today in Formula 3.”

Lucas Baldisserri, Head of Ferrari Driver Academy said: “The Ferrari Driver Academy firmly believes that a Formula 3 car is an excellent preparatory car and that every driver’s career should include a spell in one, because of the special balance between grip and power, which is ideal for learning to drive a single-seater. This is why we choose to reward the winner with what is a dream for every racing driver, namely a day at the wheel of a Ferrari F1 car.