Photo: Malcolm Griffiths / FIA F3 Championship
MP Motorsport has revealed Simo Laaksonen as its first confirmed signing for the 2019 FIA Formula 3 Championship.
The 20-year-old from Finland enjoyed something a breakthrough year in his rookie GP3 campaign in 2018 with Campos, finishing the year with a podium in the reversed-grid Abu Dhabi race after a fourth-place in the main race at Monza and a sixth in Sochi.
Last week he took part in the shakedown of the new FIA F3 car at Magny-Cours with MP, sharing the team’s car with Richard Verschoor, who went on to do this week’s F2 test at Jerez with the Dutch outfit.
?I?m really happy to be joining MP for my first season in FIA F3,? said Laaksonen.
?They were often the surprise package in GP3 last year, and I?m sure that together we are able to spring some more surprises in 2019.
“With the new F3 cars, it?s a level playing field for everyone again, so in our pre-season build-up we will be working hard to develop a front-running car.?
Laaksonen managed a pair of reversed-grid wins in three seasons in Formula 4 across the French and German series, before two podiums in Euroformula Open in 2016.
?We?ve kept an eye on Simo since he was among our opponents in the 2015 SMP NEZ F4 series?,?said MP team boss Sander Dorsman.
?He?s developed strongly ever since. Last year, it was good to see him grow into a front-runner in the second part of the season, and we are looking forward to using that momentum and extracting the maximum from his capabilities.?