Photo: Gruppe C Photography/ADAC
Van Amersfoort Racing will hand its Formula 4 star Felipe Drugovich his Formula 3 debut at the European Championship finale at Hockenheim this weekend.
Brazilian driver Drugovich finished third in this year’s ADAC F4 standings after joining VAR for his second year in the category.
He won seven races – five more than champion Juri Vips and four more than runner-up Marcus Armstrong – and led the championship during the final round at Hockenheim last month before suffering a technical problem.
Seventeen-year-old Drugovich takes over the fourth VAR entry with which Max Defourny made his F3 debut at the Nurburgring, joining Joey Mawson, Harrison Newey and compatriot Pedro Piquet in the team’s line-up.
“I am very much looking forward to my first experience in a Formula 3 race event,” said Drugovich, who completed two days of testing with the team last week.
“It will be a different experience that’s for sure. It will take some time to get used to the new car and the different driving style. It is my goal to improve my speed over the weekend, for me it is all about gaining experience and we see where it will lead us.”
Team boss Frits van Amersfoort said: “During the season Felipe has improved his skills over and over again. He overcame setbacks more than once and kept on being a frontrunner in the German ADAC F4 championship.
“The opportunity did present itself and we think it is a logical next step for Felipe to step up to F3. It will be interesting to see how he adapts to the faster speeds and the higher downforce of a Formula 3 car. With that being said, we see this event as a first step for Felipe to gain experience at this level before the winter break.”