The Formula 3 Euro Series was a European-based junior single seater formula for Formula Three chassis that was launched (in its current form) in 2003 as a merger of the French Formula Three Championship and German Formula Three Championship.
 The Formula Three category, including this championship, is part of the established career ladder up which European drivers progress to the Formula One world championship, the highest form of single seater racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body.
The 1996 German Formula Three Championship (German: "1996 Deutsche Formel-3-Meisterschaft" ) was the 22nd edition of the German Formula Three Championship.
 It commenced on 14 April 1996 and ended on 13 October.
 Italian driver Jarno Trulli won the title with six wins for the Swiss Opel Team KMS Benetton Formula.
Arnd Meier (born March 1, 1973 in Hannover, Germany) is a former race car driver.
 After finishing second in the 1996 German Formula Three Championship behind Jarno Trulli, but ahead of teammate Nick Heidfeld, Meier participated in the 1997 and 1998 seasons of the CART World Series for Project Indy and Davis Racing.
 He led for two laps on his Champ Car debut in Australia, largely as the result of pit strategy.
 For much of his time in Champ Car, he drove the only Lola chassis in the field, at a time when Lola were struggling to match the pace of the dominant Reynard chassis.
 Among his 29 starts, his best finish was 10th place at Road America in 1998.
 In 1999, Meier returned to Europe to race in F3000 and touring cars.
 In 2004, Meier and René Wolff drove a BMW 318i to win the BFGoodrich Long Distance Championship.
Zahir Ali (born August 25, 1987 in Jakarta) is an Indonesian racing driver.
 He has competed in such series as the All-Japan Formula Three Championship and the German Formula Three Championship.
 He raced for A1 Team Indonesia at two rounds in the 2008–09 A1 Grand Prix season.
The 1997 German Formula Three Championship (German: "1997 Deutsche Formel-3-Meisterschaft" ) was the 23rd edition of the German Formula Three Championship.
 It commenced on 26 April 1997 and ended on 15 October.
 Opel Team BSR driver Nick Heidfeld won the championship title after a title battle with Benetton RTL Junior's Timo Scheider.
The German Formula Three Championship was the national Formula Three championship of Germany, and the former West Germany, from 1950 to 2002, then as Formel 3 until 2014.
 In 2003, the series had merged with the French Formula Three Championship to form the Formula 3 Euro Series.
 The lower-level series, the ATS Formel 3 Cup, subsequently operated in Germany, but it folded after the end of the 2014 season.
 Since the late 1980s, the list of German F3 champions has included many notable drivers, including Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher and nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen.
Rafael "Hideo" Suzuki (born August 13, 1987 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian racing driver.
 He has competed in several Formula Three series before the All-Japan Formula Three Championship, such as the South American, Asian and the German Formula Three Championship.
Jarno Trulli (] ; born 13 July 1974) is an Italian racing driver.
 He competed in Formula One from 1997 to 2011, driving for Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault, Toyota, Lotus Racing and Team Lotus.
 His best result in the World Drivers' Championship was sixth place in ; this was also the year in which he scored the only win of his Formula One career at the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix.
The French Formula Three Championship was a motor racing series for Formula Three cars held in France between 1964 and 2002.
 The series merged with the German Formula Three Championship in 2003 to form the Formula 3 Euro Series.
Paolo Coloni (born 24 May 1969) is an Italian racing driver.
 He is currently team principal at Coloni Motorsport, a motor racing team founded in 1981 by his father, Enzo Coloni.
 He has competed in such series as the German Formula Three Championship and the Italian Formula Three Championship.
 He finished in second-place in the Masters of Formula 3 race of 1993.

Question: What was the nationality of the winner of the 1996 German Formula Three Championship?
Answer: Italian