When you look at budgets of any race teams in any formula, the ones that stand out are the most successful teams that usually have the biggest budgets.
Formula 3 in this regard is very similar to Formula 1 in that they are both a free, open-market enterprise. The more money you throw at it, the more likely that you're going to win.
Carlin Motorsport is like the McLaren International of Formula 3 racing. They have the Brabham Team's old wind tunnel and facility, and create their own scale models and spare aero parts.
The cost of such an operation is exorbitant, and this type of extravagance is copied by their rivals; Fortec Motorsport, ASM-ART Grand Prix, Mucke Motorsport, T-Sport, Prema Powerteam.
But the inflated race budgets of these teams racing all across Europe does not apply to this marketplace nor Formula 3 markets in Australia nor Brazil where it's proven to be affordable.
In Europe they do 25+ days of testing right up until the week before Christmas. The logistic and organizer costs to run at circuits like Silverstone, Hockenheim, Valencia, Spa and Monza are huge.
Does anybody in any junior formulas here in North America actually do a real test session at all? And what are the circuit fees to run at a Lime Rock or Mosport Park, very affordable comparatively.
So when people say that it is too expensive to run a Formula 3 car here in North America, I truly wonder if they have sat down to work out the metrics. Because if they did, they would surprise, then correct themselves, then they would buy a Formula 3 car and run one to their own delight.