Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography
Nelson Piquet Jr will make a shock return to Formula 3 for this weekend’s?Pau Grand Prix with the Carlin team.
Piquet won the British F3 crown in 2004 prior to stints in GP2 and Formula 1, and previously competed for Carlin in an Indy Lights event in Toronto last year.
He takes the place?of Raoul Hyman, who was forced out after the opening FIA F3 European Championship round at Paul Ricard due to a delay in sponsorship, with hopes to return to the seat soon.
The 30-year-old Piquet, who won the inaugural Formula E title in 2014-15, will go up against his younger brother Pedro, 17, who’s competing in European F3 with Van Amersfoort Racing this year.
Carlin says there is an aim for Piquet to compete with the team in the Macau Grand Prix in November.
?I?m really excited to get back behind the wheel of a Formula 3 car, which holds so many great memories for me,” said Piquet, who hasn’t raced in Pau before.
“I had a great time working with Carlin in the Indy Lights car in Toronto last year, and I?m happy to help the team again this weekend in Pau. Any experience gained on street circuits is beneficial for my Formula E campaign and I relish the challenge of adapting to another category this season.?
Team boss Trevor Carlin said: ?Nelson is a real racer.? He?s unafraid of competition at any level and is reminiscent of the era of drivers like Jim Clark who would take part in races from various categories, just for the love of racing.
?Nelson really impressed the team last season when he jumped into an unfamiliar Indy Lights car and put the car on pole on a track he had never visited before. His championship winning credentials in Formula E perfectly reflect his talent on street circuits.
“We believe he will be a great asset to the team and our young drivers this weekend and we look forward to working with him in Pau and hopefully again in Macau later this year.?